I don’t usually take a photo of what I eat for lunch, because it’s probably pretty pedestrian. A bowl of soup, a container from the freezer heated up, Burger King. The other day I was going through the freezer and I found some corndogs. Had a couple with Frenches mustard. They were ok. But today..oh man -my sandwich was totally photogenic. So out came the camera.
But there is a story behind this sandwich:
In the recent past I got on this sun-dried tomato kick, especially sun-dried tomato tapenade. I regularly bought these little jars of sun-dried tomatoes in the produce department at Ralph’s market to use in my recipes. They were the best I had ever found. Then one day they were gone, replaced by jarred generic artichoke hearts. I was devastated. I looked all over the store, but they truly were gone.
There were several other brands in different places in the store, so I bought four different ones to see if any would suffice. I was going to use the last jar today, so I opened it up, and lo and behold, it was a jar of roasted red peppers. Must have been adjacent. Well, they were red. I had to think fast for a way to use them and this recipe I’ve had for about twenty years came into my mind. I had all the ingredients, so I made it. Photographed it. And ate it. It was really good.
Roasted Red Pepper, Basil & Provolone Sandwiches
Do NOT use jarred roasted red peppers for this recipe. If you do I’ll have to ban you from my website forever. Roast in the oven, grill or flame char, yes. Jar, no no no. Please.
4 sandwiches
¼ cup olive oil, or more as needed
1 large garlic clove, pressed, or more to taste
8 slices French or Italian bread baguettes, cut diagonally into ½-inch slices
6 slices provolone cheese
2-3 roasted red peppers, peeled, seeded and cut in 1-inch strips
1 bunch of fresh basil, sliced thin
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Mix garlic with oil. Lightly brush baking sheet with some of the oil mixture.
3. Place half of the bread slices on prepared sheet. Place half of the cheese on bread slices. Top with roasted red peppers. Cover each with a generous amount of the shredded basil.
4. Top with remaining cheese and bread slices. Brush tops with garlic oil.
5. Bake sandwiches uncovered until bottoms are golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn sandwiches over and brush with more of the oil, as needed.
6. Return to oven and bake until second sides are golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Cut in half with a serrated knife. Serve hot or room temperature. Or cut crosswise into 1-inch slices for an appetizer.