Ed Santiago Recipes Caprese Sandwich

Caprese Sandwich

An exquisite sandwich with basil, tomatoes, mozzarella.

This is my variation of a recipe by Rebecca Williams of Goldsboro, N.C., published in a trial issue of "Cook's Country" magazine. Recipe doubles easily and can be made ahead of time: I buy a pound of basil at the Thursday farmer's market, process it immediately, and refrigerate it for up to a week.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Puree in food processor or blender, scraping down sides as needed, until the mixture is homogeneous.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes thinly. Place slices on double layer of paper towels. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt. Let sit 20 minutes, then press down with another double layer of paper towels to extract moisture.
2. Slice bread in half horizontally. If bread is thick, hollow it out, using fingers to pull out all but 1/2 inch of the interior crumb. (For ciabatta or other flat-ish breads, skip that). Slice mozzarella into 1/4" slices..
3. Spread basil mayonnaise on both sides of cut loaf. Shingle tomatoes and mozzarella. Top with rest of bread. Slice.
4. If you like: whisk together 1T olive oil + 1T balsamic vinegar until well combined, and drizzle lightly over tomatoes and mozzarella. Don't overdo it, this can be too strong. Applied lightly, it adds a good dimension.

Notes

If you like, layer some prosciutto or bacon on top of the tomatoes and mozzarella.