Mezzetta Make That Sandwich Contest

Pesto-Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

Who doesn't love a good sandwich? We've been eating sandwiches since the late 1700's and haven't slowed down at all. In fact, there are so many different combinations of sandwiches that it's impossible to catalog them all. I even tried to list as many fillings and breads as I could in my Summer Cooking 101 Part IV; Sandwiches post!

Whatever your favorite may be, consider adding Mezzetta products to your next creation. Not only are there so many different and delicious varieties, but the quality is so much better than other jarred condiments that I've purchased.

Another reason to love Mezzetta? The Mezzetta Make That Sandwich Contest. Not only can you make fabulous sandwiches with Mezzetta, you can share your own idea with them for a chance to WIN $25,000! Really!

Check out the sandwich recipes at the Mezzetta site to whet your appetite and get your creative sandwich juices flowing. Then, CREATE! Once you've created an award-winning sandwich, go back to the site and enter the contest!

So, what do I think is an award winning sandwich? This is my creation using Mezzetta quality products that I think is completely delicious and was a winner in my own home.

While I'm an unapologetic meatatarian, I often choose the veggie option for health reasons providing the carb count isn't too high. I thought this would be an excellent combo. Rather than roast the veggies in a bit of olive oil, I tossed them with Mezetta Pesto. Wow. What a difference! My youngest kids got their hands on this and didn't want to let go. The combination of sweet roasted veggies, briny Kalamata olives and garlicky pesto with smooth and tangy Provolone is just perfect. Use a knife and fork or cut into quarters to pick up with your hands.

Mezzetta and the perfect Pesto-Roasted Vegetable Sandwich

Pesto-Roasted Vegetable Sandwich
Serves 2
Hands-On Time: 10 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 small zucchini - sliced 1/4" thick
1 small yellow pepper cut into 1/2" strips
1/2 cup sliced red onion
1 small carrot - shredded - about 1/2 cup
2 whole wheat pitas
3 Tablespoons Mezzetta Homemade-Style Basil Pesto; divided
1/4 cup Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Roasted Bell Pepper Strips
2 Tablespoons Mezzetta Sliced Greek Kalamata Olives
2 slices (1 ounce each) Provolone cheese julienned

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Toss zucchini, yellow pepper, red onion and carrot with 1 tablespoon Mezzetta Homemade-Style Basil Pesto. Use your hands! This is the best way to be sure each vegetable slice is coated well.
3. Spread veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet or double-thick aluminum foil. Roast for 35 minutes.
4. Add Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Roasted Bell Pepper Strips to roasting veggies and cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Spread each pita with a Tablespoon of Mezzetta Homemade-Style Basil Pesto. Top with roasted veggies.
6. Turn oven to BROIL.
7. Sprinkle veggie topped pitas with Mezzetta Sliced Greek Kalamata Olives and cheese.
8. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly - about 5 minutes.
9. Enjoy!

*Disclosure: I received Mezzetta products for free. All opinions and views here are my own and are in no way influenced by Mezzetta.

Ile De France Fol Epi Cheese

About six months ago I learned that one of my great-grandfathers was a cheese maker. I was thrilled at this information for obvious reasons, the least of which is my love of cheese. I've tried so many types of cheese, some memorable and others not so, but I rarely find a cheese that I dislike. Ile De France produces many of my favorite French cheeses and I'm always happy to try new ones.

French cheeses are so different in nature than others and I find that each has a quality to it that pairs well with certain foods; sort of like I fine wine. Fol Epi is a cheese with a distinctive flavor likened to Emmental. Nutty and smooth, it doesn't have quite the bite that a Swiss would have and is milder in flavor, but equally delicious.

My favorite grilling cheese is of the Swiss variety, so I knew exactly what would become of this lovely sampling. The sandwich was so good, and the flavor of the cheese so mild, that my 3 year-old daughter couldn't get enough ... thankfully the other kids were out for the day.

The Fol Epi Grilled Sandwich

Serves 1

Printable Recipe

2 teaspoons grainy brown mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1 Naan bread

4 ounces smoked turkey breast slices

1 ounce sliced Ile De France Fol Epi cheese

red pepper slices

tomato slices

leaf lettuce

1. Slice Naan in half crosswise. Spread both halves with mustard and honey on one side only.

2. Layer one side with turkey, red pepper and cheese. Top with other half.

3. Cook in a non-stick grill pan, flipping once, until cheese is melted - about 3 -4 minutes.

4. Carefully remove one half and top with tomatoes and lettuce - replace top and serve.

Ile de France Cheese of the Month: St. Albray

Cheese of the month for August at Ile de France is St. Albray - another soft-ripened cheese that has, so far, been my favorite of the edible rind variety. This cheese is equally delicious served cold, at room temperature or even melted.

Each section of cheese is an 8 ounce portion of a larger wheel that looks like a flower when intact. The presentation of a full wheel would be stunning at a large gathering.

I had in mind a stacked salad of the panzanella variety, but once I knew this cheese was on its way, I decided to do a French version of that, and this is the delicious result. The St. Albray was the perfect complement to the intense flavor of the tapenade and red peppers.

French Bread Stacked Salad with St. Albray Cheese
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

12 1/2-inch thick slices of day-old French bread
8 slices plum tomato
4 ounces bottled roasted red peppers
8 slices St. Albray cheese - rind on
1 cup prepared tapenade (my recipe is HERE)
4 basil leaves for garnish
olive oil for garnish

Lay out 8 bread slices, setting 4 aside
Layer each slice of bread with tapenade, red pepper, cheese and tomato.
Stack 2 slices of prepared bread together and top with a plain slice of bread.
Top each stack with a basil leaf and drizzle with olive oil.

Muffuletta

Muffuletta

My third post to this blog, back on July 6, 2005, was about this very sandwich. I didn't get into any detail about the origins of this particular food then, and I won't do that now, either, but I will repeat the recipe, with a brand new photo.

It's fun to look back on the last 4 years and all that's gone on, but one of the most fun aspects is seeing how my food photography has changed. These two photos are prime examples.

This is the photo I took today in natural outdoor light with an 8MP camera.

This photo was taken with a $20 1MP camera with an internal memory.

The funniest part about both of these cameras is the fact that they both needed to be held together with a rubber band - compliments of my great kids - so the batteries will stay inside. The top photo was taken with a Canon Rebel T1i, which was my go-to for Disney photos.

The recipe:

Muffuletta ala Anne
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

1 large round loaf of bread (traditionally Italian)
1/2 lb hard salami-sliced
1/2 lb sliced ham
1/2 lb smoked turkey
1/2 lb sliced cheese
1/2 c chopped black olives
1/2 c chopped spanish olives with pimiento
2 plum tomatoes sliced
1/2 c Italian dressing

Cut loaf in half horizontally. Remove inside of bread leaving a 1" ring at edge. Layer meat and cheese alternately, I usually make 2 layers. Top with sliced tomato, chopped olives, and drizzle with dressing. Replace top of bread and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for several hours and remove from plastic. Cut into 6 wedges.

Serves 6