Brick Pressed Sandwich Food

BRICK-PRESSED SANDWICH

Steps:

• Heat a grill or grill pan to hot; alternatively, heat the broiler. Cook peppers until completely charred, turning frequently so all sides cook evenly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Place peppers in a deep bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Set bowl aside until skins loosen and peppers are cool enough to handle. Using your hands, rub off charred skin, rinsing hands frequently under cold running water. Slice peppers in half, and remove seeds and stems. Cut flesh into 1-inch-wide strips.
• In a medium bowl, combine mustard and vinegar. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Whisk in 2 tablespoons warm water. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste; set vinaigrette aside.
• Slice the loaf of bread lengthwise, and remove crumbs; reserve crumbs for another use. Spread the olive paste on the bottom crust, and add the pepper strips. Crumble the goat cheese on top of peppers. Arrange artichokes over goat cheese. Drizzle half of the reserved vinaigrette on top. Arrange prosciutto and salami over artichokes. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Scatter herbs over meats. Place the top crust on sandwich.
• Wrap in parchment paper; secure to a wooden cutting board using twine. Rest a brick or cast-iron skillet on top; refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 4. Just before serving, slice sandwich into 10 pieces.

PRESSED PICNIC SANDWICH

Steps:

• Heat grill to (or a grill pan over) high, or preheat broiler. Cook peppers (on a rimmed baking sheet, if using broiler), turning frequently so all sides cook evenly, until completely charred, 10 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer peppers to a bowl, and cover with plastic. Set aside until skins loosen and peppers are cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Using your hands, rub off charred skin, rinsing your hands frequently under cold running water. Pat peppers dry. Slice peppers in half, remove seeds and stems, and cut flesh into 1-inch-wide strips.
• In a medium bowl, combine Dijon and vinegar. Gradually whisk in oil, followed by water. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Slice bread horizontally and scoop out soft interior (reserve for another use). Spread olive paste on bottom crust, then add peppers. Crumble goat cheese on top of peppers. Arrange artichokes over goat cheese. Drizzle half the vinaigrette (about 1/4 cup) on top. Arrange prosciutto and salami over artichokes. Scatter herbs over meats. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette (1/4 cup) over inside of top crust, then place top crust on sandwich.
• Wrap sandwich tightly with plastic. Set a weight, such as a brick or large cast-iron skillet, on top at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. When ready to serve, slice sandwich horizontally into 6 to 8 pieces.

PRESSED PICNIC SANDWICH

Steps:

• Roast Peppers: (skip if using already roasted peppers) Heat a grill or grill pan to hot; or heat broiler. Cook peppers until completely charred, turning frequently so all sides cook evenly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Place peppers in a deep bowl, and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set bowl aside until the skins loosen and the peppers are cool enough to handle. Using your hands, rub off the charred skin, rinsing your hands frequently under cold running water. Slice peppers in half, and remove the seeds and stems. Cut flesh into 1-inch-wide strips.
• Make the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, combine mustard and vinegar. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Whisk in 2 tablespoons warm water. Whisk in salt and pepper to taste, and set the vinaigrette aside.
• Slice loaf of bread horizontally, and remove soft crumb; reserve crumb for another use. Spread olive paste on the bottom crust, and add the roasted red pepper strips. Crumble goat cheese on top of peppers. Arrange artichoke hearts over goat cheese. Drizzle half of the reserved vinaigrette on top. Arrange prosciutto and salami over artichoke hearts. Drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Scatter herbs over meats. Place the top crust on sandwich.
• Wrap the sandwich tightly with plastic wrap. Set a weight, such as a brick or large cast-iron skillet on top for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve, slice sandwich into ten pieces.

OVERNIGHT BRICK SANDWICH

Steps:

• Slice the focaccia lenghtwise through the center to split the loaf into halves.
• Pull out most of the soft insides of both halves of the focaccia and discard or reserve for another use.
• Spread half of the soft spreadable cheese over the insides of both bread halves, then top that with a thin spread of tapenade.
• Arrange the red peppers on top of the tapenade on only one of the bread halves. Top the peppers with the prosciutto, then the artichoke hearts, half of the provolone cheese, the sun-dried tomatoes, salami, basil, then the remaining provolone cheese.
• Top the sandwich with the other half of the bread, then wrap sandwich tightly in plastic wrap.
• Set the sandwich on a large baking sheet, then carefully set 1 or 2 bricks on top. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• When ready to serve, unwrap the sandwich and cut crosswise into slices.
• **If your bricks are too dirty for you to feel comfortable placing them in your refrigerator, cover them in foil.