Hearty Sandwiches 101 – Fresh Mozzarella, Roasted Red Peppers with Pesto, Mesclun and Mortadella Sandwich

Fanstico - The sandwich has it all!

Hearty Sandwiches 101 –

Fresh Mozzarella, Roasted Red Peppers with Pesto, Mesclun and Mortadella Sandwich

I love sandwiches, I didn’t used to, but sooner or later, we all come around to having a decent sandwich that makes its’ mark on you. This fantastic one is a take off of one I ate at the Garrison Market (http://garrisonmarket.net/)  in New York a few months ago. I was hooked! Theirs included amazing fresh italian bastone bread, with fresh mozzarella, homemade pesto and roasted red peppers.

I decided to switch their sandwich up just another notch by adding naughty thinly sliced mortadella, my own freshly made pesto and fresh mesclun greens with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt with a little drizzle of balsamic glaze. Oh yeah kiddo, I kid you not. This sandwich would be great to make even a day ahead, wrap in foil or wax paper and placing a brick on it, in the fridge to get all that goodness to really marry.

Shall we get started then? Yes, but of course!

Ingredients:

• Fresh Italian Bread (I prefer seeded bastone for this particular sandwich)
• Fresh Pesto (homemade or purchased) I won’t scold you if you use store bought!
• Roasted and marinated red peppers (fresh or store bought)
• fresh mozzarella – please use the fresh stuff here, this sandwich deserves the real mccoy!
• Mortdadella (I used three very thinly sliced mortadella)
• 1/2 cup of fresh mesclun greens
• Balsamic Glaze (this can be found in your vinegar section of your grocery stores)
• sea salt and freshly ground cracked pepper

Right before I married each side of the awesome sandwich!

Directions

1. Slice the loaf of bread on the diagonal to the size sandwich you might like to have. Then slice it once more in half then scoop out most of the white or wheat insides… this will make room for the ingredients while leaving the lovely crust for a good chew factor! Then slice
2. Spread the pesto on both sides. Spread the pesto to every ‘inch’ of the inside for the best sandwich you ever had.
3. Add freshly sliced mozzarella on one side while you add the mesclun on the other side.
4. Sprinkle both sides with the balsamic glaze and pretend you are Mario Batali. Great – you are doing fantastico!
5. Next crack some fresh black pepper next on both sides, sprinkle a little sea salt.
6. Now add you few slices of mortadella over the mesclun side while you take a piece of the roasted red pepper and pull it apart to create slices and place them over and on top of the fresh mozzarella.
7. You are now ready to put the two halves together and have a ciao down!
8. I served mine up with a few sea salt & vinegar kettle potato chips and a fresh seltzer with orange juice.
9. Slice sandwich in half and serve it up!

Are you hungry yet?!

Alternatively – you can create a sandwich out of the entire loaf of bread using the directions as above, wrap it tight in wax paper or plastic wrap, then place in the fridge. By putting a brick or some other temporary weight on it for a few hours, the flavors will meld even more. This sandwich is perfect for taking to picnics, tailgates, or jeez, do what I did and make it at home for a sumptuous lunch while the snow continued falling outside.