Grill-Pressed Italian Party Panini

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small red onions, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
• 5 roma tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
• 1/2 fennel bulb, tops and core removed, slice paper thin
• 1 large Italian-style bread loaf, about 1 1/2 feet long, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced mortadella
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced Genoa salami
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced hot capicola
• 10 pepperoncinis, stems removed and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded, cored, and cut into large pieces
• 5 leaves romaine lettuce, washed and dried
• 3-6 bricks, wrapped in aluminum foil
• Type of fire: direct
• Grill heat: medium-low

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, parsley, shallot, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Be generous with the salt and pepper. Add the red onion, tomatoes, and fennel, then toss until the vegetables are well coated. Leave them in the vinaigrette for 20 minutes, tossing once more halfway through. Drain the vegetables over a bowl, saving the vinaigrette.
2. Open the bread and build the sandwich with the mortadella, salami, provolone, and hot capicola. Add the marinated vegetables, pepperoncinis, red peppers, and lettuce on top.
3. Light 1 chimney full of charcoal. Once the charcoal is fully lit and coated in gray ash, pour it out and spread the coals across the whole coal grate. Put the cooking grate on, cover the grill, and let it heat for 5 minutes. Scrub and oil the grate. Set the bricks on the grill, cover it again, and let the heat come down to medium-low, between 300-325 degrees F.
4. Move the sub onto the grill and set a large sheet pan over the sandwich. With well insulated grilling gloves, carefully arrange the bricks on top of the sheet pan. Cover the grill and cook until the sandwich has compressed and the cheese is beginning to melt, about 15 minutes. Take the sandwich off the grill, cut it into 4-6 portions, and serve with the reserved vinaigrette.