When it's so hot outside that I don't feel like turning the oven on inside to make dinner, I often turn to one of my tried and true recipes for a good healthy sandwich. I'm not using the word healthy in the way it is used commonly these days. I'm using it the way my wee, Irish mother would use it - to say that it is piled high with yumminess. A healthy portion of anything means no scrimping on ingredients and nobody leaves hungry!
I call this sandwich the Almost Dagwood because of it's height; it's pretty tall, but I can still get my mouth around it! The combination of two different spreads, two kinds of meat, plus sweet onions, tomatoes and lettuce is to die for. WhenI made this the other day, my husband cut his portion in half, thinking he couldn't eat it all, but returned for the second half because he couldn't help himself, it was that good!
I found this recipe in one of those small cookbooks you find at the checkout stand in the market. This one was published in 2010 and put out by General Mills. I did alter the ingredients a little from the original recipe, so the recipe below is how I make it now.
The only cooking step is to fry some strips of bacon (no picture available), so I get that going first. As I'm keeping watch on the bacon and turning the pieces as necessary, I begin the assembly process. The original recipe called for an herb-flavored or cheese-flavored bread, such as Focaccia, Ciabatta or Asiago. I think a Focaccia works best for this sandwich, so I get the Tomato & Olive Focaccia bread from Trader Joe's.
I begin by placing the bread on a cutting board that is big enough to hold both pieces side-by-side when cut, as they both will get topped with a spread. I cut it open and add the herb cheese to the side that will be the bottom of the sandwich.
Then I begin layering the filling ingredients. The turkey (left) goes on first, followed by the mozarella cheese (right).
Next is the Italian dry salami (left) followed by the fresh basil leaves and bacon (right), which was cooked and drained on paper towels.
The sweet onion (left) is next. I want to make sure there is onion flavor in every bite, but not to the point of overwhelming the taste, so that is why I apply my rings like this as opposed to using slices! Silly me! The tomatoes (right) are next. I have to cut them almost paper thin, using a mandoline, to get my youngest son to eat them in a sandwich, otherwise he picks the tomatoes out because he things they're "totally gross!"
The lettuce is the final stackable ingredient. The top of the bread that has been waiting patiently gets spread with a prepared pesto. I've got to tell you my mouth is watering right now!
Put the top on the sandwich and cut it into the desired size pieces. If you want the pieces fairly small, putting a long pick in what will be the middle of each piece will help keep the sandwich together as you cut it. This sandwich can be made ahead of time and stored in an air-tight container for up to 24 hrs. This makes it perfect for a picnic, or for eating any leftovers the next day!
As my wee, Irish mom would say, "Doesn't it look good enough to eat?" Enjoy!
Almost a Dagwood Sandwich
1 loaf Focaccia bread (approx. 1 lb. and about 1 inch thick)
1 small container garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese
1/2 lb. thinly sliced smoked turkey
4 oz. sliced mozzarella cheese
4 oz. sliced Italian dry salami
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked
1/2 of a sweet onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, thinly sliced
Green leaf lettuce leaves
4 oz. prepared basil pesto
In a frying pan, cook bacon until crisp, drain on paper towels. In the meantime, on a large cutting board, cut the bread horizontally, laying each piece side-by-side as if opening a sandwich. Spread the garlic-and-herb cheese on the bottom half. Layer with the turkey, mozzarella, salami, basil, bacon, onion rings, tomatoes and lettuce. Spread top half with basil pesto; place on top of stacked sandwich ingredients. Cut sandwich in to desired size pieces.
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