The ultimate picnic sandwich.
A sogged-out sandwich is the bein of any picnic.
My mother used to avoid this problem by assembling our sandwiches a la minute, at the picnic. She’d pack a cooler with bags of bologna, blocks of cheddar, bottles of mayo and mustard, and a whole loaf of sandwich bread, and then pass it around the picnic blanket.
As a kid, this was fun. As an adult in NYC who is definitely NOT schlepping the contents of her entire refrigerator to the park, I’m seeking other answers. I’ve tried everything, from spreading the condiments on the inside of the lunchmeat (dry bread) to carrying them with me in tiny take-out containers (fussy . . . and then you have to bring something to spread with) to outright forgoing the sandwich altogether and going for pasta salad (delicious . . . but sometimes you just want a sandwich!) But it wasn’t until recently that I hit on a solution that actually works: make a sandwich that is SUPPOSED to be soggy.
Didn’t know that existed? Now you do. Meet the Pan Bagnat.
Pan Bagnat is the ULTIMATE picnic sandwich. Layers of flaked tuna, hard-boiled egg, tomato, red onion, olives and basil are dressed in a fresh tangy herb vinaigrette and tucked into a hollowed-out baguette. The vinaigrette mingles with the tuna and the tomato juice to bring all the different toppings together into one unified sandwich, while the baguette’s crisp shell holds all those delicious juices inside the sandwich without becoming too wet or sogged out. Crispy, juicy, salty, tangy, herby . . . forget being a delicious solution to the soggy sandwich problem; this sandwich is just plain delicious, period!
Whether you’re struggling with the sog problem at picnics or just looking for a truly delicious addition to your summer sandwich line-up, I hope you’ll give the pan bagnat a try. Between the juicy tomato, savory tuna, briny olives, and tangy vinaigrette, it is a real winner. Pretty soon you’ll be picnicking just so you can have an excuse to eat it . . . or making it at home just because you can.
Enjoy!
Pan Bagnat
(Serves 4)
For the vinaigrette:
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 tbsp basil, finely chopped
¼ cup parsley, finely chopped
½ cup oil (all of oil from the tuna jar plus olive oil to make up the difference)
For the sandwich:
Prepared vinaigrette
1 18-inch-long baguette
1 large tomato, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices
2 hardboiled eggs, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch—thick slices
6-8 oz jarred oil-packed tuna, oil drained reserved for vinaigrette
½ red onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup black olives, pitted and sliced
¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
Special equipment: blender
Method
For the vinaigrette:
Add vinegar, garlic, and salt to a blender. Let sit 5 minutes, then add basil and parsley and blend. Stream in oil a little at a time. Taste and add additional salt and/or vinegar as needed.
For the sandwich:
Halve baguette lengthwise. Using a fork, dig out some of the interior bread in each half to make a long canal for the filling. Spoon ¼ cup vinaigrette down and through each baguette half’s canal, spreading to cover evenly. Into the bottom half, layer basil, sliced tomato, hard-boiled egg, flaked tuna, and sliced onion, in that order. Sprinkle over olives. Top with remaining bread.
Originally posted June 17, 2021.
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