#bxllockdown Day 32

Splendid Soups & Sandwiches / Recipe 6

I know it is only Saturday, but this sandwich can need a bit of planning.. so here is it a day early.

I have to admit, the constant sunshine in Brussels has made this lockdown a little less uncomfortable. So on this glorious April afternoon, I decided to make a layer sandwich in a “pain de campagne” — loosely translated means bread loaf from the countryside.

Good quality bread is never too difficult to find in Brussels, we are blessed with great bakeries and are truly spoilt for choice.  As a bread addict, I am always looking for ways to enjoy bread by packing as much flavour as I can.

This recipe calls for fresh ingredients and is a light but rich in taste sandwich.  It can be a lovely addition to your family lunch, picnic or even a “show” piece for a brunch with friends and family when you want to impress without spending hours in the kitchen.

The good thing about this recipe is that if you do not eat meat or ham you can change the ingredients. You can use pastrami in place of the parma ham or spinach if you want o go vegetarian and use fried tofu in place of the mozzarella cheese. It can cater for any type of eater.

There is no limit to what you can add to this sandwich. Just remember the tapenade can be a bit salty so do not add any salt to the vegetables you use.

If you want to make your own tapenade.. here is the one that I make https://mydelish.wordpress.com/2019/02/15/tapenade/

Enjoy!

What you need:

• 1 loaf of Pain de Campagne (or a similar loaf)
• 100gr black olive tapenade (store/market bought or see my recipe here https://cuizzine.wordpress.com/2015/02/15/tapenade/)
• 100gr of thinly sliced parma ham (vegetarians/vegans can omit this and use spinach leaves instead)
• 2 capsicums/bell peppers – 1 red and 1 yellow, cut in half
• 3 small courgettes/zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 balls of fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (vegan can omit this and use an extra layer of courgette instead), thinly sliced
• handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 1 tsp sweet paprika

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What you do:

1. Cut the top of the bread and set aside (we will use it later to close the sandwich)
2. Remove the inside of the bread and set aside (you can save this for a day or so and then blitz it in the blender and make breadcrumbs)
3. First place the capsicums (face down) in a tray and grill them at 250C for about 10 minutes (or until the skin is burnt). Once the skin is burnt turn over and grill for a another 5 minutes to soften the inside of the capsicum
4. Once both sides of the capsicum is cooked peel the skin off, deseed and set aside
5. Mix the oregano and the sweet paprika with the olive oil and brush the mixture on to the sliced courgette
6. Place the courgettes on a grill pan, grill until nicely coloured
7. While the courgette and the capsicum is grilling away, return to your loaf
8. Spread an even and generous layer of olive tapenade inside the loaf until all of the base and the sides are covered
9. Layer the parma ham (or the spinach) like a sheet over the bread, letting some of it hang out of the loaf
10. Add a layer of mozzarella and place a few basil leaves over it
11. Now add a layer of the thinly sliced tomatoes
12. Add a layer of the red and the yellow grilled capsicum (you can make one layer with the two colours or make a layer with each colour.  It depends what you like.
13. Then add a layer of the grilled courgette before adding another layer of mozzarella and basil
14. Now add another layer of the thinly sliced tomatoes over the mozzarella.
15. By this stage you should be reaching the top of the loaf.  If you have more room, add another layer of courgette (or capsicum) until you reach the rim of the loaf.  Don’t over fill the loaf.
16. Once you have reached the top of the loaf, fold over the parma ham (or spinach) to close off the sandwich
17. Take the top of the loaf and spread some olive tapenade on it before putting it back on the loaf

Enjoy!