Aloha Kitchen feasts followers! For today we are giving you something simple and tasty… a Focaccia sandwich. This can be adapted to suit your likes, but for us, this has the right balance of meat, dairy, salad and of course pesto (something that I think gives every dish a nice lift).
I am one of those people who just wilts in the heat. I gain more freckles with every ray of sunshine and go hideously pink, and with much embarrassment, by the time I’ve even gotten to the bottom of my road, I am a puddle of sweat. But this weather isn’t all blue skies and sunshine. Nope, it’s worse. It is cloudy, it is humid and if there is no sea breeze then it’s horribly warm without any of the usual perks that the sun offers. And yes I wilt even worse in this type of weather. And then carrying around a 4 month old baby is like having a hot water bottle strapped to you. So easy to make meals, light, fresh and COLD or at least not hot are ideal for this time of year.
Pasta salads, cool soups and sandwiches, are great for preparing in bulk and in advance. Perfect for picnics and garden lunches. But in all honesty, myself and my little man just sit on a rug in the living room sharing stories, learning to sit and stand and eating lunch in our own time. Now obviously Alexander doesn’t eat my food, he has his own supply of super mummy milk . But Alexander sits there, mouth wide open and making gestures with his tongue as if to say, ‘gimme your food mamma’ whenever I eat. I think it’s time I got cooking some first baby meals.
This sandwich is amazing and looks so cute all wrapped up for picnics.
A MEATY FOCACCIA SANDWICH
As I said before, there are many ways to build a sandwich, but there needs to be a balance of flavours and textures. This is one of my favourite go to sandwiches. Make a fresh batch of focaccia early in the day and you have the basis for a great late lunch, evening picnic or quick sandwich served with soup. Ideal for summer entertaining! This makes approximately 6 – 9 sandwiches depending on how much bread you have and how full you like your sandwiches.
- a selection of cured meats or hams
- 1 ball of mozzarella
- 150 g sliced Emmental cheese
- 2-3 tbsp pesto (recipe for my Green Pesto)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- mixed salad leaves
- grated carrot
- avocado or roasted peppers or both 🙂
- fresh batch of my Focaccia or roughly 6 fresh crusty bread rolls
THE HOW
I don’t know why I suggested you make your own focaccia, so take your rolls and cut through the centre.
Mix the pesto and mayonnaise together. Spread generously over the inside of the bottom and top of the bread.
Layer the meats and then the cheeses and add salad, carrot and any yummy avocado or roasted red peppers you may have.
I like to add a grind of salt and pepper between the cheese layer and the salad.
Close the sandwiches and wrap up in long strips of baking paper and tie with string. This is purely decorative, but if going for a picnic it makes them very pretty looking and handy to eat.
Kitchen Feasts 
Wow that bread looks so tasty!