Would you say this is a good lookin’ sandwich? This sandwich tastes amazing, and it is an impressive one to feed (holiday?) guests. But the BEST part is that you can make it ahead of time and eat it an hour or 2 later… and it’s even better because the flavors have all gotten acquainted and complimented each other. You can wrap this bad boy up, stick it in a cooler, and take it to another location to be ooooh’d and ahhhh’d over. And really, it is a pretty quick preparation. You make your own pesto, which is always fun and makes you feel special (can be made ahead of time), thinly slice your fennel bulb and assemble it. Admittedly, this sandwich is on the pricier side, but it’s also on the freaking good-ier side as well. So, just figure out where your priorities lie. Tee-hee-hee.
Tips (unsponsored): We’ve found Trader Joe’s to be the best place to buy fresh basil: it is a great price and you can buy the whole plant days in advance and pluck the leaves fresh, just in time to make this masterpiece. The plants are in beautiful shape. If you live near an Italian deli, you can find the finocchiona this calls for, but we don’t and we couldn’t. So we used the Trader Joe’s 3-pack of calabrese salame, prosciutto, and capocollo. It worked great. Also, fresh mozzarella balls can be difficult to cut, so we buy the log that is already sliced from Trader Joe’s. We suggest using a mandolin to cut your fennel very thinly.
Good, fresh ciabatta is essential for this sammy, so see if your local bakery carries it. We picked ours up through the drive-thru at Kneader’s.
Have your kids help you pick basil leaves and layer ingredients on the sammy. Make sure they smell the basil and lemon deeply, thus creating a good memory of cooking with you in the kitchen. As you prepare and eat this dish together with your family, teach them about some of the health benefits they are providing their bodies:
- Almonds are a great source of vitamin E, which helps keep you from getting sick.
- Basil helps to fight-off bad bacteria.
- Arugula provides your body with folic acid, which helps it make healthy new cells.
Let’s narrow it down a bit and learn a few things about Capri, Italy:
- Caesar found Capri so captivating that he returned over and over again for vacation.
- Capri offers some of the most breathtaking caves and colors of water in the world.
- Many authors have gone to Capri to enjoy the serenity and landscape, and have used it for the setting of their writings.
From: Marinated Salumi Sandwich
- For the pesto:
- ½ cup raw almonds
- 1 small clove garlic
- 1½ cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- For the sandwich:
- 1 large loaf ciabatta bread, sliced in half horizontally
- ¼ pound thinly sliced hot coppa or other spicy salami
- ¼ pound thinly sliced finocchiona (fennel salami)
- ¾ pound fresh mozzarella, sliced or torn
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Make the pesto: Place the almonds and garlic in a food processor. Pulse to roughly chop.
- Add the basil, lemon zest and parmigiano and pulse to combine.
- Add the olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt and puree until a smooth paste forms.
- Make the sandwich: Open the loaf of bread and pull out some of the excess bread from the inside, leaving a slightly hollowed-out loaf.
- Spread the pesto evenly over the inside of the bread.
- Layer the coppa, finocchiona and mozzarella on the bottom half of the bread.
- Toss together the arugula, fennel, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl.
- Place the salad on top of the meats and cheese.
- Top with the remaining half of the bread and press together.
- Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight before slicing and serving.
