Vanessa's birthday was yesterday. In years past, with all of my arsenal of kitchen gadgets and phalanx of appliances, I usually liked to turn it out a bit and do something kind of difficult and complex, ya know... really put a good bit of effort into making something special.
Fans of the blog know that this year's kitchen set-up is a bit different. And while it is not quite Robinson Crusoe-esque, it is limited, and we are having to make do with just the essentials here.
When I asked Vanessa what she wanted, she said, simply, "I want a B.L.T." It was then that I knew, with so few ingredients, there would not be a margin for error. It HAD to be the best damn BLT anyone had ever made. Otherwise, I would risk sending the wrong signal. A dilapidated, soggy piece of crap sandwich just wasn't going to do.
Such a sandwich would say to my wife, "You are a soggy piece of crap, and this sandwich perfectly expresses what I think of you."
It started with making our own loaf of bread. If you do a search on this blog, you'll find our standard bread recipe. Here's the rub: NO MIXER. I had to do this the old-fashioned way, kneading by hand.
Then, instead of bacon, a fine prosciutto. Throw on some shards of Parmigiano-Reggiano toasted over the top. Some slices of fresh roma tomato. A scattering of arugula leaves. But perhaps the best part (or at least the key ingredient) was my homemade poor-man's aioli. Made with some garlic that I roasted in the oven with care and some fresh chopped oregano. It really brought the whole thing together. As much as I hate to endorse storebought sauces, this one did the trick.
She said it's the best BLT she ever had.
Mission Accomplished.
SANDWICH
4 slices bread
1 roma tomato, sliced
½ cup arugula
2 slices prosciutto, fried in a dry pan until crisp
20 g Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, cut into thin shards
POOR-MAN'S ROASTED GARLIC AIOLI
3 tablespoons *STOREBOUGHT*
2 clove garlic, roasted
2 teaspoons oregano, chopped
salt and black pepper, to taste
Preheat the broiler.
Brush the bread slices with olive oil. Place onto a cookie sheet and cook under the broiler until lightly golden brown. Flip the slices over and repeat. Remove the tray from the oven.
Cook the prosciutto in a non-stick frying pan for 3-4 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Leave one slice on the tray and take one off. Top the one on the tray with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Cook under the broiler until the cheese is melted; don't let the bread burn, though.
On the other slice, put a dollop of mayo. Top with a torn up slice of prosciutto, some tomato slices and some arugula. Top with the cheesy slice of bread, fresh out of the oven. Serve with extra aioli for dipping.
AIOLI
Heat the oven to 450F. Put a few cloves of garlic into some foil with some olive oil and seal it up. Roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, then squeeze out of the kins and chop up finely. Add it to the mayo with some chopped oregano and salt and pepper. Mix together and taste. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
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