Pan Bagnat

Have you ever made something and just KNOWN that it was going to be good? That describes this Pan Bagnat recipe, from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (1998). It's currently sitting in my fridge, because it's supposed to be left over night, and I can't WAIT to eat it tomorrow.

2 very ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 8-oz loaf day-old French or Italian bread--the crustier, the better
1/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced (white AND green parts)
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp EVOO
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.

To peel the tomatoes, cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato skin. Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil and drop in the tomatoes for 10-15 seconds, just until the skin splits. With a slotted spoon, remove tomatoes to a bowl of cold water. Skins should peel off easily (this is just like blanching/peeling peaches).

Halve each peeled tomato horizontally (around the fattest part--if the part where the stem was is the north pole then you are cutting along the equator). With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp. Dice the tomato shells.

Pull out the soft insides of the bread and tear into pea-sized pieces.

In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, bread, cheese, parsley, scallions, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper.

Fill the bread loaf with the tomato mixture (you will have to mush it in). Close the bread and wrap tightly with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, cut into 4 pieces.

Makes 4 servings, 4 WW pts per serving (222 calories, 6g fat, 3g fiber).

I can't wait for this to be finished! This summer, when tomatoes are ripe, this may become a staple lunch for me (I doubt The Big Geek would view this as a complete meal). As a child I used to get into trouble for using up all the tomatoes making tomato sandwiches--this is the grown-up version of that!

Pastrami & Swiss with Carmelized Onions

I looked through a Sunset Magazine at the hair salon last weekend. It's a pretty awesome little magazine! They had lots of recipes, but I was drawn to the article on "fancy" grilled cheese. It featured a pastrami & swiss on rye with carmelized onion marmelade, and I practically drooled on it right there in the waiting room. Unfortunately, I couldn't get access to the recipe online, so I improvised.

You need:

A sweet onion (yellow is good)
Butter or Margarine
Bread (rye preferred, but wheat works)
Swiss Cheese (2% works just fine)
Pastrami (regular or turkey)
Mustard (yellow or whatever you like)

First, slice an onion and cooked it in some (I can't believe it's not) butter until it is soft and carmelized (turning brown). I let mine get kind of crispy in places, but I like it that way. Remove from skillet.

Then spread butter on one side of a piece of bread (I used wheat b/c that's all I had, but rye would be great), put it in the skillet you used for the onions. Top with mustard (I like just the plain regular yellow mustard, but use what you like), swiss cheese (2% is fine), pastrami (real or turkey is fine), 1/2 of onions, one more slice of cheese. Butter one side of another slice of bread, put mustard on the other side, and put the bread, mustard-side down, on top of the sandwich. Flip it to the other side and allow it to cook until golden brown and cheese is melted.

You will not be sorry you made this sandwich! I'm sure it's not that good for you, but man, is it ever YUMMY! Also, if you're like me and making yourself lunch while spooning baby food into the baby geek, you can walk away from the onions and just go back between bites to stir the onion/flip the sandwich.