Ciabatta Exquisito - Fake Italian Sandwich Recipe

Like many people, myself included, my father is a big fan of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) - for its anti-oxidant properties - and occasionally gifts me with some. Yesterday, he gave me a nice bottle of Carapelli from Firenze - quite possibly the nicest olive oil I’ve had.

To put the EVOO to good use, I decided to satisfy my lunchtime craving for a nice Italian sandwich. Not satiated yet by my jones for marinated artichokes and pepperoncini peppers from last week, I decide to improve on my previous italian sandwich, which also used artichokes and pepperoncini.

This recipe is a slight variation of that one, but the difference is an exquiste sandwich.

Marinated artichokes can be found in most large groceries, particularly in Italian markets. As I said previously, pepperoncini peppers are Greek, but the name sounds Italian. But pretty much everything else here qualifies as Italian

Instructions:

• Slice a Ciabatta bun in half and set aside. Ciabatta buns are getting easier to find (check larger supermarkets or Italian grocers). They’re kind of square with round corners, and kind of like a pillow.
• Clean one large button mushroom and slice thinly. Set aside.
• Mince one pepperoncini peppers. (You got it: set aside.)
• Take two or three large pieces of marinated artichoke and cut off the bulky parts, leaving only the leaves.
• Heat up some EVOO (about 2 tbsps) in a non-stick frying pan at medium high. Because EVOO is so healthy, a little extra is okay. The bread will sop up the excess.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and saute and toss for 1-2 minutes.
• Turn down the heat to medium and grill the two halves of the ciabatta bun in the remaining oil. (You can leave the mushrooms to one side. Make sure they don’t burn.)
• Check the bun halves to make sure that aren’t burning. Because of the shape of ciabatta buns, only the edges will get grilled, unless you press down hard in the middle. Either way, doesn’t matter. Just get a bit of crunchy edges and remove the bun halves.
• Turn the heat down to medium low and carefully add two large slices of hot mortadella and three thick slices of salami.
• Meanwhile, layer the minced pepperoncini and the artichoke leaves on the bottom half of the bun. Fold up one large piece of sliced roast chicken and layer it next.
• Turn off the stove and remove the pan from the heat. Fold up the mortadella slices and layer over the chicken.
• On the top half of the ciabatta bun, place the sauteed mushrooms. Add a bit of salad mix or just lettuce, but using crunchy iceberg for the best texture. Cover with the salami.
• Carefully fold up the sandwich and cut in half on the diagonal.

Stare at the layers of colour and enjoy the aroma of the EVOO before taking a bite of your Ciabatta Exquisito. The combination of complex tastes and textures of this sandwich is unlike anything I’ve ever tasted before. The Ciabatta bun makes a tremendous difference, as it’s a perfect grilling bread. You can come close with a dense multigrain bun, but the taste is of course quite different.

Raj Kumar Dash, http://www.curryelvis.com/