Pesto Sandwich (Veggie or Parma Ham version)

Less is more. This statement could be what describes best the Italian cooking philosophy ; or maybe even what describes good cooking, being one of the mottos of a great many number of Michelin-starred chefs -hello, Dominique Crenn, Alain Passard, Daniel Humm, etc.

If you focus on each ingredient, both in terms of quality and how they enhance one another, you don’t need many to make a dish shine.

Here, I’m giving you an almost-no-recipe dish ; pesto sandwiches. You need 4 main ingredients :

  • a good bread : here, I had frozen Focaccia on hand, but choose your freshest, locally baked bread ;
  • a tasty pesto, ideally homemade (check out my pesto recipe) or at least from the refrigerated section ;
  • in-season, quality tomatoes, such as Beef Heart tomatoes, Crimean Black tomatoes, or Green Zebra tomatoes ;
  • some decent Mozarella. If buying from the supermarket, you can choose Mozzarella di Bufala, made out of buffalo milk instead of cow’s milk for the Mozzarella Fior di Latte ; its texture is creamy and soft, more delicate than the Fior di Latte which is on the firmer side ;
  • optionally, add some aged Provolone or any other aged, dry Italian cheese (maybe simply Pecorino or Parmigiano). When you’re making the Veggie Version in particular, it adds a sharp and tangy flavor that creates some depth of flavour without using charcuterie ;
  • optionally, too, add some Parma ham slices from your local Italian deli ! I think I personally prefer the veggie version (yes, it came as a surprise), as the taste is more legible and less oily.

Don’t forget to season your tomatoes with salt (and pepper if you please !) and to drizzle them with a good olive oil !

I’m really embarassed to call this a recipe because there’s not much not it. Once you know the ingredients, you simply assemble them. That’s it.

Let’s dig into it !

If you’re into sandwiches like I am, check out my Tunisian-inspired tuna sandwich, or my Raclette sandwich, and many others here !

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 5 min Total Time 5 mins
Servings: 1
Best Season: Summer

Description

One of my favourite Italian summer sandwiches, with its beautiful colors -the colors of Italy ! Ready in 5 minutes without any heat, and still delicious. 

Ingredients

Optional

Instructions

  1. Prep your ingredients

    Thickly slice your tomato and your mozzarella. 

    Defrost your pesto if needed (overnight in the fridge, or room temp for 1 hour). 

  2. Assemble !

    Spread your pesto first on the bottom layer of the bread. 

    Add your tomato slices  ; salt them. 

    Add your mozzarella slices, tearing them apart slightly with your fingers if they're not wide enough.

    Add your shaved cheese, if using. 

    Drizzle with a good olive oil.

    Optionally, add your Parma ham slices. 

    Close your sandwich.

    Et voilà !! You're done ! 

Keywords: home made, pesto sandwich, italian sandwich, tomato mozzarella sandwich, picnic sandwich, street food

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