Pan bagna - jacques pepin

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ Cucumber
1 Round country-style loaf
18 Oil-cured olives; pitted, chopped
3 Cloves garlic; minced
10 smalls Anchovies; coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons Olive oil
5 slices Red onion; very thin
⅓ Green bell pepper; thinly sliced
1 Ripe tomato; thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
12 larges Basil leaves

Directions

1. Peel the cucumber, and slice it lengthwise with a vegetable peeler into long, thin strips, discarding the seedy center.

2.Cut the loaf of bread in half horizontally.

3. In a bowl, mix together the olives, garlic, anchovies (with their oil), and the olive oil. Spread the mixture on the cut surface of both bread halves, and then arrange the slices of onion, green pepper, and tomato on the bottom half of the loaf. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and arrange the basil leaves and then the cucumber slices on top.

4. Invert the top half of the bread to reform the loaf, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2 to3 hours with a 5-pound weight on top (canned goods or a milk carton). This enables the juices in the filling to flow through the bread.

5. At serving time, unwrap the loaf, and cut into wedges to serve.

NOTE: "This light, healthy picnic sandwich is especially good when made ahead - - preferable the day before - on a large round bread loaf." Recipe by: Jacques Pepin's Table Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #1018 by KSBAUM <KSBAUM@...> on Jan 16, 1998

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