Pressed Sandwiches 101

Pressed sandwiches are such a great idea for any event. Think bridal showers, brunches and picnics. I know, sandwiches are boring right? Wrong. The method and layering of ingredients makes an incredible, flavourful sandwich…. and no. need to follow a ‘recipe’ per se. The method is the guideline but you can make it as thick or thin as you like. The other great thing about them is they actually need to made in advance and I love make ahead anything.

You can literally put anything in a pressed and sandwich here are some suggestions:

Bread Choose something hearty and crusty. I like sourdough , French baguette, focaccia, Calabrese or ciabatta.

Cold Cuts Absolutely anything will work. Think about combining different varieties flavours like a spicy Genoa salami with a mild prosciutto cotto (cooked).

Roasted Meats Think roasted chicken or pork tenderloin from last nights dinner. Make sure the meat has been thoroughly cooked and refrigerated. Keep cold until serving.

Cheeses Any sliced cheeses will work best, but a soft goat cheese or Brie would also be amazing.

Fillers This is my favourite part. I’m just going to list all my faves:

Grilled or roasted peppers, zucchini, onions, eggplant, portobellos,sliced potatoes

Marinated (jar) eggplant, artichoke, peppers, mushrooms, pickles, kimchee, jalapeños

Tomato slices, lettuce, red onion, fresh herbs

Condiments Pesto, purées, tapenade,hummus, mustards. If you love mayo, amp up the flavour by adding enhancers like lemon juice/zest, balsamic vinegar or sriracha to name a few.

Grilled Zucchini & Pepper Pressed Sandwiches

1 baguette sliced in half lengthwise

2 zucchini cut lengthwise into 1/4” slices

Jar roasted red peppers drained and patted dry

Fresh basil

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon balsamic

4-5 slices provolone cheese

Toss zucchini slices with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on bbq or in hot grill pan cooking 1-2 minutes per side. Let cool and pat with paper towel to absorb any excess moisture. Mix mayo and balsamic dressing and press lightly and evenly on baguette.

Layer cheese followed by zucchini, peppers and fresh basil. Proceed with wrap and press method below.

Method:

Slice your chosen bread in half horizontally. If you have chosen something very thick like a sourdough or a calabrese round, remove some of the bread from the top piece, which makes room for lots more filling.

Spread both sides of the bread lightly with butter, mayo, olive oil or pesto or any light olive oil spread. This helps prevent sogginess and flavours the bread.

Layer cold cuts or cheese (semi soft or hard cheese , if you are doing something with more moisture like a fresh mozzarella place it in he middle) on the bottom piece. The middle layer is where all the flavours come in. Think grilled or roast veggies, jarred Italian ingredients like artichoke hearts or fresh buffalo mozzarella. If you are adding any items that are marinated or oily like jarred roasted peppers or tomatoes fore example, use a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture prior to adding them to the sandwich. Layer more meat, cheese, herbs or lettuce on top of the “wet layer”.

Place the top half of the bread on the last layer of ingredients and with a bit of muscle, flatten it out a bit. Wrap it tightly with cling wrap and place on a sheet pan. Now come the press part and maybe the key to the deliciousness. Depending on the size of your sandwiches or how many you made you can determine what size weight you need to cover the whole thing. If I’m doing a smaller sandwich I just use a cast iron pan directly on top. Otherwise take another sheet pan and place it on top of your creation then add the weight on top whether it be a cast iron pot, books or bricks. Make room in you fridge because it’s all got to go in, weights and all. Let is sit and meld overnight. Slice and serve or slice them and wrap them for a picnic lunch. Keep cold until ready to serve!