September 2007 Recipe

Provencal Tomato Sandwich
(Pan Bagnat)

Pan Bagnat, or ‘pain baigné’, means “bathed bread” and comes from around Nice. I often think of it as salad Niçoise in a sandwich and, like salad Niçoise, it can include all sorts of ingredients such as hard boiled eggs, gherkin pickles, sliced sweet onion or shallot with the mandatory tomato, tuna, olives, garlic, capers, and anchovy. Everything is layered in a baguette or a roll, then drizzled with an olive oil vinaigrette, wrapped, and pressed so the tomato juices and flavorings meld in one glorious salad. Hot weather food at its finest!

Serves 4

• 1 baguette of bread

• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced

• 1 can (170g/6oz)tuna in water, drained and flaked

• 3-4 fillets anchovy, chopped

• 1 shallot, chopped

• 85g/3oz/1/2 cup pitted black or green olives, chopped

• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained, and chopped

• 2 large tomatoes (about 330g/¾lb), cored and sliced

• 2-3 gherkin pickles, thinly sliced (optional)

• For the Vinaigrette Dressing

• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped

• salt and pepper

• 125 ml/4 fl oz/½ cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Make the vinaigrette dressing: Whisk the vinegar with the mustard, garlic, salt and pepper until mixed. Gradually whisk in the oil, starting drop by drop, then pouring in a slow stream, whisking constantly so that the dressing emulsifies and thickens slightly. Slit the baguette lengthwise and pull out some of the crumb with your fingers. Brush both insides of the baguette generously with vinaigrette dressing.
2. To fill the sandwich: Line up the sliced eggs in the bottom of the baguette and top with flaked tuna. Sprinkle with some of the anchovy, shallot, olives, and capers and spoon over some dressing. Top with tomato, overlapping the slices, add the pickles and sprinkle with the remaining anchovy, shallot, olives and capers. Moisten with more dressing. It’s at this stage that I assess the situation. Perhaps all the dressing is not needed as the tomatoes are extra-juicy. Do they need a sprinkling of salt and pepper? How about some herbs-- I would say yes, but they are not traditional. So do what you like and make the sandwich your own.
3. Add the upper half of baguette and press it down well. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and weight the baguette down so the tomato juices permeate and soften the bread. Bricks are a bit much, but a couple of roasting pans with a heavy saucepan in each can be just right. Leave for 1-2 hours at room temperature. Carry the Pan Bagnat with you still wrapped, and unwrap and slice it for serving.

Getting Ahead: It is essential to make Pan Bagnat at least an hour ahead so flavors mellow and the bread soaks up the tomato juices. It keeps well up to 4 hours, and no chilling is necessary, perfect picnic fare.

On the Side: Some goats’ cheese, that does well in the sun, with seasonal fruits for dessert.

In the Glass: A chilled Provençal rosé.