| If you haven't had a pan bagnat before, you're in for a | | | | 1 tbsp capers |
| treat. Bite into the soft luscious filling and you'll see | | | | 2 cloves garlic |
| what I mean. If ever a sandwich was lip smackingly | | | | 1 pickled gherkin |
| juicy, this one is it. I've even heard pan bagnat | | | | 1 handful parsley |
| described as a big wet sandwich which sounds awful | | | | 100ml extra virgin olive oil |
| and certainly doesn't do it the justice it deserves. | | | | 1 tbsp white wine vinegar |
| The actual French translation is bathed bread which | | | | Freshly ground salt and black pepper |
| gives you a clue what to expect. Basically you're | | | | Equipment: |
| looking at a large hollowed-out loaf with a layered filling | | | | Food processor |
| (see below) that's drenched in a Mediterranean olive oil | | | | Bread knife and chopping board |
| dressing. | | | | Heavy book or other weight |
| You can load it up with pretty much anything. Popular | | | | Cheese grater |
| fillings in France include salad nicoise, salami and ham. | | | | Cling film |
| Vegetarian options include goats cheese and | | | | Here's What You Do: |
| artichokes. | | | | Make up the Mediterranean dressing by placing all the |
| What ever filling you decide upon, the resulting | | | | ingredients in the food processor and blitzing to a |
| sandwich is likely to be a hit. I've been making Pan | | | | sloppy, chunky paste. |
| Bagnats for years and don't know a single person | | | | Grate the cheese and slice the tomatoes (discarding |
| who doesn't like them. I shall be making pan bagnas all | | | | the end pieces). |
| summer long as my kids love them and they're pretty | | | | Cut the loaf and dig out the doughy part then spread |
| economical too. But besides filling up ravenous | | | | spoonfuls of the dressing over each half, liberally |
| teenagers Pan Bagnats make a great addition to | | | | coating all parts of the bread. |
| picnics because they won't dry out or curl up like | | | | Take each half and layer with tomato slices, lettuce, |
| normal sandwiches have a tendency to do. | | | | ham and grated cheese, liberally spooning over the |
| PAN BAGNAT RECIPE | | | | dressing. |
| For authenticity I'm using cheese and ham from | | | | Now carefully clamp both halves firmly together. |
| Provence France in this recipe, but you can get just as | | | | Roll out a length of cling film and wrap the bread tightly |
| good results using local produce from your area. | | | | with several layers. |
| Ingredients: | | | | Put the bread in the fridge and cover with a heavy |
| 1 large rustic loaf | | | | weight, (I use a massive book that weighs a ton) but |
| 100g Tomme de Savoie | | | | anything heavy that covers the bread will do and |
| 50g Bayonne hamhandful lettuce leaves | | | | leave to compress for a minimum of 4 hours, (for best |
| 3 -4 vine ripened tomatoes | | | | results leave overnight) and turn it over occasionally so |
| Mediterranean Dressing: | | | | the oil can work evenly through the bread. |
| 3 heaped tbsp pitted olives (black or green) | | | | Cut into think slices and serve. |