Deluxe Grilled Cheese

Golden, Slow, and Deeply Satisfying

There is a version of grilled cheese that exists purely for comfort — the kind you make without a recipe, without measuring, without much thought at all. And then there is this version, which asks you to slow down just a little. Pancetta renders quietly in the pan, onion softens into something almost sweet, and the bread takes on a deep, patient gold. It is still, at its heart, a simple thing. But simplicity, handled with care, has a way of becoming something you remember.

Ingredients

• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 4 ounces pancetta, diced
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon Alessi Garlic Puree
• 4 slices Ciabatta bread
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 1 cup Alessi Chunky Marinara Sauce, divided and warmed

Instructions

1. In a skillet sauté onion until soft and translucent. Add pancetta and cook until crispy. Set aside.
2. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.
3. In a small bowl, combine butter and garlic puree and brush on one side of bread slices.
4. Place bread, butter side down, in the medium skillet and top with 1 slice of provolone, then with a spoonful of pancetta mixture and then a second slice of provolone.
5. Top with a bread slice, butter side up.
6. Flip when cheese has begun to melt and bread is golden brown.
7. Serve immediately with the marinara sauce as a dip.