Sandwich Project: #7 – jamon Serrano and basil pesto sandwich!

The true Italian styled sandwich with

wholegrain ciabatta bread
jamon Serrano
mozzarella
basil pesto
dried tomato

Jamon Serrano is much cheaper than Iberico and it is sold everywhere, so we use it often.

Fresh hams are trimmed and cleaned, then stacked and covered with salt for about two weeks in order to draw off excess moisture and preserve the meat from spoiling. The salt is then washed off and the hams are hung to dry for about six months. Finally, the hams are hung in a cool, dry place for six to eighteen months, depending on the climate, as well as the size and type of ham being cured. The drying sheds (secaderos) are usually built at higher elevations, which is why the ham is called “mountain ham”.

sanwich_with_jamon_serrano_dried_tomato_recipe

And for cheering up Italian spirit on this post I will show you some of the pictures with me and my very tiny daughter seven years ago.

Continue reading

Sandwich Project: #6 – Lomo meat sandwich with grilled zucchini.

I would say this one is more Italian than Spanish, but as far as we have Spanish meat here I should explain.

“Lomo” is the Spanish word for tenderloin. It can be bought cured or uncured.
Lomo embuchado is an air-dried loin of pork that is considered to be a delicacy. The loin of pork is between 19 and 27 inches in length and has all the fat removed. It is marinated in a variety of fine seasonings. The marinated loin is stuffed into a beef skin and then lightly smoked. Thereafter it is air dried for up to four months to maintain its tenderness. You will often see it served as a tapa.

 And we love grilled zucchini. They are amazing even only with Italian bread and olive oil. You can’t feel Italian spirit until you eat like Italians do. Soak a piece of ciabata in fresh olive oil and eat it with wine and meat.

Ingredients for Lomo meat sandwich

wholegrain bread
grilled zucchini
grilled sweet onion
lomo meat
cheddar
dried tomato salsa
beetroot leaves

zuccini_pork_sweet_onion_sandwich_recipe

Sandwich Project: #5 – Chicken and Chorizo.

I believe that everyone who had visited Spain tried Paella. It is a very traditional dish and it has different variations. To combine chicken breasts and chorizo in this sandwich is about a Spanish spirit.

Here they are:

Grilled chicken breasts

Chorizo

Mustard sauce

Rucola

Wholegrain bread

If you prepare some chicken on weekend, this could be a fast breakfast combination.

spanishstyle_chorizo_chicken_breast_sandwich_recipe

 

Sandwich Project: #4 – Gluten Free Vegetarian Sandwich

This is my sandwich. its not perfect but its mine (c)

I lie. It is just perfect!

This one was actually mine. And it was not inspired by any country but our grill and veggies we had in the fridge. So one morning grill season has begun.

I like gluten free focaccia bread from Schar. I love veggies and cheese and that’s it.

I feel hunger when I see it again and again.
grilled_vegetables_gluten_free_sandwich_recipe

Sandwich Project: #3 – Foie Gras sandwich!

The most “français” sandwich ever you can imagine!

My first encountering with Foie Gras was when we were visiting a French family in Cognac region. We had a homemade Foie Gras as a starter and I have never tried so delicious Foie Gras after that. All canned Foie Gras can’t be compared with that one.

421035_800

I tried a lot of the delicious food at the lunch for the first time ever, for example, lobsters and vintage champagne. 421605_800

This recipe I would say is a weekend one. You even may want some cold white wine with it.

Foie Gras sandwich ingredients are:

Paul’s poppy seeds baguette

Foie Gras (I took Czech one this time and it wasn’t bad, but French is better.)

Fig Jam – must be in there

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena

Rucola

sandwich-fois-gras_recipe

Sandwich Project: #2 – “Tapas Basque style” with Jamon Iberico.

Inspired by San Sebastian tapas bars this sandwich with jamon Iberico is the very Spanish. San Sebastian is a Basque country pearl city in the Bay of Biscay.

I took the picture from my other blog about that region. This one is from a hike in Spanish mountains, the very beginning of Pyrenees which starts from here and you could see San Sebastian in the bay.

DSC6422

I had not had this blog when I met an Iberian pig last summer on the hike in  the mountains. I was freaked out and ran to my husband who had been quite far away already, while I was shooting every bush around. It looked like that on the picture below and was pretty huge:

Screen-shot-2014-08-14-at-12.38.26-AM

Jamón ibérico “Iberian ham”, “black hoof” is a type of cured ham produced mostly in Spain, but also in some Portuguese regions where it is called presunto ibérico. According to Spain’s law on food products, jamón ibérico may be made from black Iberian pigs. The black Iberian pig lives primarily in western and southwestern Spain.

Jamon Iberico Bellota is my favorite one. It is sweet and tender and it has taste after acorns (the only food that pigs are allowed).
Once we ordered legs with meat like this Iberico Jamon Ham, but not sliced. And it came and was a size of a toddler.305136_600

Since then whenever we go to France, we buy a Jamon Iberico leg when we are in France on holidays.

San Sebastian tapas! Here they are. Enjoy!

DSC_7901

But lets return to our muttons, when we are in Czech Republic, we definitely miss France and especially Basque region, so sometimes we make sandwiches, I call them “tapas style” but much bigger=)

It is so easy! You need just make a salad: chopped tomatoes, sweet onions, olive oil, black pepper and salt. I don’t mind sweet Balsamic Vinegar of Modena ( Aceto Balsamico de Modena) or something similar on the bread before meat;) and meet the second sandwich – “Tapas Basque style” with Jamon Iberico.

jamon_iberico_basque_style_sandwich_recipe

Sandwich Project: #1 – Homemade Tuna Rillette Sandwich

This one is inspired by French rillettes, which are quite common in sandwiches in France. We usually buy them when we are there, but it is not common here in Czech Republic, so we find a way to make our own one.

Rillettes (/r.ˈɛt/ or /r.ˈɛts/; French [ʁiˈjɛt]) are a preparation of meat similar to pâté. Commonly made from pork, the meat is cubed or chopped, salted heavily and cooked slowly in fat until it is tender enough to be easily shredded, and then cooled with enough of the fat to form a paste. They are normally used as spread on bread or toast and served at room temperature.

Rillettes are also made with other meats, goose, duck, chicken, game birds, rabbit and sometimes with fish such as anchovies, tuna or salmon.

tuna_rillet_salade_sandwich_recipe

This French dish has its many regional definitions. In Quebec, cretons are similar to rillettes.

So how we make tuna rillette? We take soft creamy cheese, a kind like Philadelphia cheese, but more natural one. To tell the truth I don’t like Philadelphia since I read its ingredients. And we mix soft cheese with Rio canned tuna, maybe be in oil or drained one just with fork. It should contain pieces of fish. Those pieces are what make a difference between pate and rillette. Once you made it, just serve with salad and green onion. Very delicious and one of my favorites! I only make it with gluten free bread.

Fresh and Creative Sandwich Seven Days a Week!

We have been shooting these sandwiches for you during May and the beginning of June. They are not vegetarian and not all of them made gluten free, but btw it is possible to do so.

7dayssandwich

Suddenly, I found I had 21 sorts of cheese in my fridge. Could you imagine that? I was also surprised with this fact.

The story about sandwiches started in France in 2009. We were young parents with a toddler on holidays. You know what? French people are very strict with their food intake. They only have lunch from 12-30 pm till 2-30pm and guess whats next? Dinner at 7 pm.

Our toddler slept between 12 and 2pm, so we could not eat outside. NEVER! The only thing you can get after 14, if you are lucky to find an open bakery is a sandwich. But my hubby always said they were not the right ones. Too little meat, not enough here and there and once I told, why didn’t you make your own one full of all that desirable stuff. Much time had passed since 2009. Now we have another toddler. You could even see “service continue” in many French restaurants. Bakeries work all day in high season last year. I couldn’t believe! But my husband is sandwich expert. The next days I will show you 7 sandwich ideas one by one.

Protein pizza-pie recipe

This pizza can be either gluten free or not. It is as delicious but also high in proteins, because it is from tvároh or cottage cheese (or quark);)
_DSC2037-19May2015

It must go in there

500g of tvároh or cottage cheese. I usually take 0.5% fat. Fattier is tastier, but we have to keep an eye on our lean body.

12 table spoons of olive oil. That’s why I take 0.5% of fat tvároh.

2 cups of flour (can be gluten free)

1 tea spoon of baking soda or powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt (I usually do not put it at all, because I use a lot of cheese)

1 table spoon of sugar (it must be there)

2 eggs

and whatever you like for topping. I usually spread canned tomatoes on the pizza, fresh tomatoes, sweet onions, olives, mozzarella and a few other types of cheese. I am trying to use small pieces of cheese which are left in my fridge.

Bake it in the oven 180C until golden (about 30 minutes). Cold tastes even better.