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Tuesday, 17 April 2007 |
| stuffed summer sandwich |
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This is portable—that’s the beauty of it. You can eat it at the beach, on a hike, or in your apartment window; be sure to have a serrated knife to slice it. If you want a vegetarian version, replace the ham with sliced fontina or jack cheese, or grilled sliced eggplant.
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| serves 6 |
prep and cook time: 20 minutes |
2 large red bell peppers
1 round loaf sourdough or other crusty bread (about 1 pound)
6-ounce can black pitted olives, drained
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound thinly sliced baked ham or prosciutto
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves or several leaves of red leaf lettuce |
Preheat a broiler. Cut the bell peppers into quarters, removing stems, seeds, and ribs. Place quarters, skin sides up, on a baking sheet and broil about 4 inches below the heat until the skin is blackened and charred, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers with tongs to a paper bag and seal bag; let sit until peppers are cool enough to handle. Remove peppers and peel off and discard charred skin. Set peppers aside.
While peppers are cooling, place the bread on a cutting board and, with the tip of a serrated knife, cut a large circle in the top about 1-inch in from the edge. Pull out the circle of crust; pull off all the bread attached to it to make a lid. Pull out all the bread from the interior of the loaf, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell. Set bread shell and lid aside. (If desired, reserve pulled-out bread to make breadcrumbs.)
In a blender or food processor, combine the drained olives, garlic, and olive oil; whirl until fairly smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. With a rubber spatula, spread this olive paste all around the inside of the bread shell and the underside of the bread lid. Line the bottom of the bread shell with half of the ham; top with half of the roasted, peeled pepper quarters, then half the tomato slices, then a few basil leaves or lettuce leaves, just enough to cover the filling without overlapping too much. Repeat the layers, ending with basil or lettuce on top. Replace the bread lid and press down lightly to seal the layers. If made ahead, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to overnight. Cut into wedges with a serrated knife to serve. |
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TIP: You can use jarred bell peppers instead of roasting your own and you can use purchased olive tapenade instead of making the olive spread. In other words, you can cheat!
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