Pressed For Time?

We had a family dinner with my husband's side of the family tonight. We decided to take it outside since it can get kind of crowded inside when you're having dinner with 9 adults and 6 children/babies.

So, we needed a main course that could travel with us to the great outdoors. I was in charge of the main course this month and because of a Primary Eight is Great program right after church, I knew I wouldn't have any time to cook on Sunday. I was inspired by my mother (who made them about a month ago) and I chose to make pressed sandwiches.

I found too many recipes to resist and I ended up making five different kinds of sandwiches (some created by me, some improvised, and some following recipes). I created a mozzarella sandwich following the caprese salad formula that I've described in past posts. I made two different sandwiches using salami. I made a turkey and cranberry sandwich, and I made a sandwich using Italian cold cuts.

I made them all on Saturday night and we ate them on Sunday evening. They were all flavorful and none of them were soggy (that's the great thing about pressed sandwiches! I'm sure the thick ciabatta bread helps avoid soggy situations).

They were all a hit! I'm going to share the three sandwiches I was personally able to try (no, I didn't eat three full sandwiches for dinner, I promise!).

I went to Granatos in Salt Lake City to get the ciabatta bread. I got the large loaves and they were massive! I would probably get the smaller loaves next time if I do multiple sandwich recipes. But if you're doing one kind of sandwich, the large loaf size will be perfect because it can be cut perfectly to feed a crowd. But, if you would like to try the bread at Granatos (it is fantastic, by the way), they have three locations. You can find the locations listed on their website: http://granatos.org/cart/index.php?main_page=contact_us&zenid=743790a1edcdc08aaa2738ce0d134c11

These sandwiches will be fantastic at any summer picnic!



Pressed Mozzarella and Tomato Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large loaf of ciabatta bread
6 roma tomatoes, sliced
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
12-18 large basil leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper).

Slice loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. Brush the olive oil mixture onto each half of the bread. Layer bottom half of the bread with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Place the top half of the bread on top.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I basically created this one myself. I meant to do a similar sandwich recipe that I found on the Martha Stewart website, but I forgot to buy some of the ingredients, so I made this one instead. I figured that you can never go wrong with caprese salad. It works on so many levels! This sandwich was very flavorful.

Turkey-Cranberry Pressed Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 large loaf ciabatta bread
1/2 pound sliced deli style turkey breast
8 ounces sliced Provolone cheese
2 cups mixed salad greens (such as spring mix)

Directions:

Mix together the whole-berry cranberry sauce, whole-grain mustard, ginger powder, salt and pepper, to taste, green onions, and chopped pecans.

Slice the loaf of ciabatta bread in half lengthwise. Spread both halves of the bread with the cranberry mixture.

Layer the bottom half with the sliced turkey breast, Provolone slices, and mixed salad greens.

Place the top half of the bread on top. Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I looked everywhere online for some pressed turkey sandwich recipes. I could only find panini-style sandwiches (that required cooking of some sort, which I wanted to avoid because I didn't have time to cook anything the day of our dinner). So, I created my own. As my inspiration, I used a Weight Watcher's wrap recipe (I'll have to post that recipe sometime because it is a lovely recipe). Basically, I got the cranberry sauce mixture from that recipe. The turkey and provolone were my idea. I figured it was somewhat of an homage to Thanksgiving. It turned out great! I also doubled this recipe and made two of these sandwiches because I wasn't sure how many people would like salami. It turned out that they loved these sandwiches as well as the salami sandwiches found below.



Pressed Mediterranean Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large loaf ciabatta bread
3/4 pound sliced Genoa salami
4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
16 fresh basil leaves

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.

Halve the loaf of ciabatta bread lengthwise. Brush each loaf generously with oil mixture; set aside some of the oil mixture.

Cover the bottom half with salami and then tomatoes; brush tomatoes with remaining oil. Place basil leaves on top of tomato slices. Place top half of loaf on top and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Top with another baking sheet and weigh it down with something heavy (such as canned goods, a heavy skillet, or cookbooks). Leave the weight on for about 30 minutes.

Remove the weight and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight to meld flavors. Cut into desired serving size and enjoy!

Source: I found this recipe on myrecipes.com (it is an All You recipe first published in July of 2006).



Make-Ahead Dagwood Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 loaves herb-flavored or cheese-flavored bread, such as Foccacia, Ciabbata, or Asiago cheese bread (1 lb. each about 1 inch thick)
1 container (6.5 oz) garlic-and-herbs spreadable cheese
1 lb. thinly sliced smoked turkey
8 oz sliced provolone cheese
8 oz thinly sliced salami
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced, separated into rings
3 small plum (Roma) tomatoes, thinly sliced
4 cups lightly packed torn arugula
1/2 cup basil pesto

Directions:

With long serrated knife, cut bread in half horizontally. Spread cut side of each bread bottom with half of the spreadable cheese. Overlapping slices, arrange remaining ingredients except pesto in order listed over each bread bottom. Spread cut side of each bread top with half of the pesto, and place over arugula.

Place each whole loaf in large food storage plastic bag; seal and refrigerate topped with cast-iron skillet or other heavy weight up to 24 hours.

When ready to serve, cut each loaf into 6 equal sandwiches. Secure sandwiches with toothpicks or small skewers.

Recipe note: You can tailor make this sandwich to suit personal tastes. Replace the tomato slices with sun-dried tomato or roasted red pepper strips.

It you don't have anything heavy to weigh the sandwich down, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap instead.

Source: Betty Crocker website.