Pan Bagna #NationalPicnicDay

April 23 is National Picnic Day so my friends and I decided to share our favorite portable picnic foods with you.  I'm sharing Pan Bagna, a pressed sandwich that you can make ahead, thus saving you time on picnic day!

You want a crusty loaf with a chewable crust, not too soft but not hard either.  I like using really ripe tomatoes and instead of whole anchovies, I use anchovy paste.  I also use the highest grade of oil-packed tuna I can find.  Letting the sandwich sit a few hours helps the flavors blend.

I have dreams of eating pan bagna in Nice, France, where they are a popular street food.  I walk along the streets, going in and out of stores until I find a vendor.  I purchase my pan bagna and a cup of good burgundy and sit down to eat.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?

What I adore about pan bagnet is that you can choose any fillings.  The basics are the tomatoes, red onion, the anchovy paste and oil and vinegar.  You can switch up the veggies and the meats.  Try hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced salami or oil-packed salmon for the meats.  Don't leave out the pressing, that is how the juices get incorporated into the sandwich.

Yield: 8

Author: Terri Steffes

Pan Bagna

A French sandwich perfect for picnics.

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 30 Mtotal time: 40 M

ingredients:

• 1 Italian loaf of bread
• 1/2 c olives
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 small red onion, slices
• 8-12 basil leaves
• 1 pouch tuna
• 1 T anchovy paste
• salt and pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T white wine vinegar

instructions:

1. Split the bread in half length wise.
2. Tear out some of the bread until you are about 1" from the crust on both halves.
3. On the bottom half, smooth anchovy paste on bread.
4. Drizzle the oil and vinegar on both sides of the bread.
5. On the bottom half, layer tomatoes and onions,
6. On the top half, place olives, basil leaves and then tuna on the bread.
7. Moving carefully, place the top half of the bread on the bottom half.
8. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
9. Set on counter and press with a cast iron skillet.  
10. Leave the skillet on the sandwich for 30 minutes.
11. Slice into 1-2" slices.

Calories
65.25

Fat (grams)
3.23

Sat. Fat (grams)
0.45

Carbs (grams)
4.97

Fiber (grams)
0.76

Net carbs
4.21

Sugar (grams)
1.05

Protein (grams)
4.19

Sodium (milligrams)
251.89

Cholesterol (grams)
5.63

Created using The Recipes Generator

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