Mini Focaccia Italian Sandwiches & Lambrusco

The cutest lil' sammies you'll ever see paired with a gorgeous sparkling red.

These adorable little sandwiches (AKA sammies) will be a hit at any party or gathering, especially paired with a chilled bottle of Lambrusco!

This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to click or make a purchase through these links, I may earn a commission. Thank you!

Wine Pairing

Lambrusco is finally gaining some well-deserved popularity, but I still hear people say “Really?! That super sweet sparkling red wine?” - NOPE! Lambrusco has come a looong way since it’s super sweet mass-produced days. While sweeter ones are still available, there are tons of high quality, dry ones on the market that will blow you away. My go-to is a Canadian brand (made in Italy, of course) called Tomato Wheels.

If you can’t find this one, here are a few others that are delicious and easier to find!

• Lini910 Lambrusco Rosso

• Lini910 Lambrusco Bianco (a white Lambrusco that would also be awesome with this appetizer)

• Cleto Chiarli Lambrusco del Fondatore

I always have a bottle Lambrusco on hand and find it perfect for entertaining! Bonus that it’s IMO one of the best wines to pair with a charcuterie board, which I love to put together when guests come over!

So, why does this wine work so well with these mini sammies?

SO many reasons, but here are a few key ones:

• The salt in the sandwich (from the garlic confit butter and cured meats) amps up the wine’s vibrant fruit flavours (think juicy blackberries and strawberries).

• The wine’s higher acidity and bubbles cleanse the palate between each bite, which is needed with the oily garlic confit butter, gooey mozzarella, fatty cured meats, and creamy Burrata!

• All that fat softens the wine’s (already pretty smooth) tannins, giving it a lovely creamy mouthfeel.

• Both the wine and the sammies have a similar weight and complexity to them, so neither overpowers the other.

• And my favourite: What grows together, goes together! A bunch of Italian ingredients + an Italian wine = wine pairing magic!

---

Mini Focaccia Italian Sandwiches

Helpful Tools

• Mini Cocotte

• Slotted Spoon

• Cheese Grater

• Ramekins

• Zester (for Parmesan)

• Parchment Paper

• Baking dish filled with books to press before cutting (of course I used The Wine Bible and Wine Folly: The Master Guide)

• Bread knife

Ingredients

Sandwich

• Focaccia bread of choice (ideally a rectangular shape)

• Garlic confit butter (see ingredients below)

• 2 cups Mozzarella, grated

• Sun dried tomato mayonnaise (see ingredients below)

• ~ 10 slices of Soppressata (or other hot salami)

• ~ 6-8 Slices of Mortadella (or Prosciutto)

• 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into approx. 6-8 slices

• 1 large ball of Burrata

• Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

• Drizzle of balsamic glaze

• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

• Arugula salad (see ingredients below)

• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Garlic Confit Butter

• 1 head of garlic

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2-3 tbsp butter

• 2 tbsp fresh basil

• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Sun Dried Tomato Mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

Arugula Salad

• 2 cups fresh arugula

• 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Start by making a “quick” garlic confit. Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel head of garlic and add cloves to an oven-safe mini cocotte. Submerge garlic cloves in olive oil, cover, and bake for 45-60 minutes or until garlic is easily mashable and buttery soft.

2. Make the garlic confit butter by removing garlic from the oil (using a slotted spoon) and add to a ramekin along with butter, fresh basil, sea salt, and pepper. Mix well to combine.

3. Increase oven temperature to 400 F. Slice focaccia bread in 2 (lengthwise) to create 2 large rectangles. Spread garlic confit butter on the inside of both slices and then top with shredded Mozzarella cheese. Press both slices back together and bake at 400 F for approximately 5-10 minutes. The goal is a toasted crust with soft bread inside, and gooey melted cheese!

4. Pull the two sides apart again and start layering your ingredients. Start with the sun-dried tomato mayo, followed by the charcuterie meats (in this case, Soppressata and Mortadella), tomato, Burrata (drizzled with olive oil, balsamic glaze, and seasoned with sea salt), fresh basil, arugula salad, and finally, freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

5. Press the two sides together, top with parchment paper and then place something heavy on top to press it. I used a baking dish filled with a couple heavy books, but you can use anything! After about 10-15 minutes, remove the heavy object, slice into mini sandwiches using a good bread knife (e.g., slice in the middle lengthwise followed by several horizontal slices to achieve your desired number of mini sammies), and serve with a chilled bottle of Lambrusco!

ENJOY and let me know what you think!

Steph