Pan Bagnat - The Ultimate Summer Sandwich

If you haven't had a pan bagnat before, you're in for a treat. Bite into the soft luscious filling and you'll see what I mean. If ever a sandwich was lip smackingly juicy, this one is it. I've even heard pan bagnat described as a big wet sandwich which sounds awful and certainly doesn't do it the justice it deserves.

The actual French translation is bathed bread which gives you a clue what to expect. Basically you're looking at a large hollowed-out loaf with a layered filling (see below) that's drenched in a Mediterranean olive oil dressing.

Bread Pan

You can load it up with pretty much anything. Popular fillings in France include salad nicoise, salami and ham. Vegetarian options include goats cheese and artichokes.

What ever filling you decide upon, the resulting sandwich is likely to be a hit. I've been making Pan Bagnats for years and don't know a single person who doesn't like them. I shall be making pan bagnas all summer long as my kids love them and they're pretty economical too. But besides filling up ravenous teenagers Pan Bagnats make a great addition to picnics because they won't dry out or curl up like normal sandwiches have a tendency to do.

PAN BAGNAT RECIPE

For authenticity I'm using cheese and ham from Provence France in this recipe, but you can get just as good results using local produce from your area.

Ingredients:

1 large rustic loaf
100g Tomme de Savoie
50g Bayonne ham
handful lettuce leaves
3 -4 vine ripened tomatoes

Mediterranean Dressing:
3 heaped tbsp pitted olives (black or green)
1 tbsp capers
2 cloves garlic
1 pickled gherkin
1 handful parsley
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Freshly ground salt and black pepper

Equipment:

Food processor
Bread knife and chopping board
Heavy book or other weight
Cheese grater
Cling film

Here's What You Do:

Make up the Mediterranean dressing by placing all the ingredients in the food processor and blitzing to a sloppy, chunky paste.

Grate the cheese and slice the tomatoes (discarding the end pieces).

Cut the loaf and dig out the doughy part then spread spoonfuls of the dressing over each half, liberally coating all parts of the bread.

Take each half and layer with tomato slices, lettuce, ham and grated cheese, liberally spooning over the dressing.

Now carefully clamp both halves firmly together.

Roll out a length of cling film and wrap the bread tightly with several layers.

Put the bread in the fridge and cover with a heavy weight, (I use a massive book that weighs a ton) but anything heavy that covers the bread will do and leave to compress for a minimum of 4 hours, (for best results leave overnight) and turn it over occasionally so the oil can work evenly through the bread.

Cut into think slices and serve.

Pan Bagnat - The Ultimate Summer Sandwich

Friends Link : kitchenaid 12 inch cast iron grill pan