The French version of a tuna sandwich

 

I’m working today on recipes for the upcoming Irene in Chicago Culinary Novel, Irene in a Ghost Kitchen. So my thoughts are on French food. Ghost kitchens have been around a long time, but they especially flourished during pandemic. A ghost kitchen is one that prepares take-out only and has no table service, no wait staff. Sometimes a kitchen will have delivery service within a certain radius. If not, patrons come to the kitchen to pick up their meals.

Henny would tell you that Irene’s ghost kitchen is simply something to keep her busy—and to cost Chance money, because there’s no way it will make a profit. But Irene would tell you she is educating the American palate about French cuisine. She stocks things that are easily stored and packaged—ingredients for French-style sandwiches, containers of vichyssoise and vinaigrette, individual servings of crème brulee, pots of pate. By special arrangement with her favorite café, La Petite Folie, she occasionally fixes an entrée, such as rabbit gibolette. There’s not much call in Hyde Park for rabbit and the dish freezes easily.

Pan bagnat (pronounce it pa bag na) is a favorite French sandwich that has been called Salade Nicoise in a sandwich. Here’s what you do:

Ingredients:

Bread of your choice—a 10-inch baguette makes two sandwiches, or use an 8-inch round; if using a larger round, cut in wedges to serve; you may also use ciabatta rolls

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

2 (5-ounce) cans good quality oil-packed tuna fish

1/4 cup olive oil

2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

1/4 cup pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives

1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 hardboiled eggs, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

12 large basil leaves

Note: if you soak onion slices in cold water for ten minutes, they will lose some of their bite.

Directions

Mix tuna, its oil, anchovies, olives and 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar. Stir gently to keep from mashing the tuna chunks.

Slice the bread lengthwise and hollow out some of the insides. Rub a cut garlic clove over inside of top and bottom. Then brush lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Spread the tune mixture evenly over the bottom of whatever bread you are using. Layer red onion, eggs slices, tomatoes, and basil on top of tuna. Drizzle with more olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top the sandwiches with the tops of the baguettes and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap.

Place the wrapped sandwiches side-by-side on the counter and set a cutting board on top. Place a heavy pot or skillet on top and put a few canned goods inside to weigh it down even more. Leave sandwiches for ten minutes; then turn them over and press from the other side.

Cut into individual servings with a good bread knife. Serve at room temperature.

Jambon beurre

Jambon beurre is a classic, simple sandwich. It consists of a baguette, split and inside of the top and bottom spread generously with unsalted butter (because the ham will be salty) and filled with thinly sliced French ham of the highest quality. If you can find jambon de Parisien in your market, that is a good choice.

You might want to crisp the baguette in the oven first. If so, let it cool completely before spreading with butter.

Bon Appetit!