Fried Prosciutto-wrapped Caprese Panini

My kids rejected a usually favored sandwich today: a mozzarella, basil, tomato, balsamic, baguette thing we buy from a local sandwich spot now and again. So for dinner I cooked up some tortellini, sauced it with pesto, and served that with halved cherry tomatoes. After they were in bed, and after I’d eaten most of the sandwich they’d rejected, I had this hankering for something a bit more forward in flavor, something more intense, something good to eat with the dregs of my bottle of cheap Barbera D’Alba. I remembered we had some prosciutto in the fridge. I cut off a 1 inch piece of the sandwich, wrapped it in the prosciutto, and sauteeed it, browning it on all sides. The cheese melted a bit, everything wilted, the prosciutto crisped up. It was perhaps the most delicious four bites of food I’ve eaten in the past month. If you love montechristo sandwiches, you will worship the glory of this fresh, unctuous, porky, salty, crunchy, starchy treat. Next time I have a party, I will wrap an entire foot long caprese sandwich in prosciutto, fry the whole thing, slice it up, and serve it as an appetizer.
—Hugh