I spend an embarrassing amount of my waking hours thinking about food. How to interpret classics, how to highlight and do justice to seasonal ingredients, what’s new?, who is eating what?, and how to take appealing photos of bread-starters (fyi, it’s not possible). But at the end of the day, all I really want is a sandwich.
The sandwich is a perfect dish. And it can be so many things. Every cuisine has a version (or many versions) of it, and there is no limit to how it can or should be done. Most importantly, a sandwich does not have to be fussy in order to be delicious. Except for this one.
The sandwich is a perfect dish. And it can be so many things. Every cuisine has a version (or many versions) of it, and there is no limit to how it can or should be done. Most importantly, a sandwich does not have to be fussy in order to be delicious. Except for this one.
This sandwich is admittedly, a little fussy. It is a riff on one of my all-time favorite sandwiches, and hails from The Wildflower Bread Company in Tempe, Arizona, where I used to live and eat a lot of sandwiches. Since moving to Chicago seven years ago, I have been introduced to so, so many out of control delicious NEW sandwiches, but I will forever hold a torch for this one.
The original has roasted sweet potato, fresh mozzarella, fig confit, tomato, arugula, marinated fennel and balsamic vinaigrette on herb focaccia. Ugh, just typing it makes my mouth water. Sweet, creamy, earthy, filling with the most satisfyingly chewy bread to sink your teeth into. And it has a sort of fancy element to it that turkey on white bread just doesn’t. NOT to judge a turkey on white. This happens to be one of my other favorites. But there is a time and place, and sometimes you just want to feel like a lady who lunches. Amiright?
My version contains homemade pickled chilies and red onion in lieu of the fennel because I wanted to inject more heat into it and because fennel isn’t always available. Also, I roast my tomatoes on the vine, rather than serve them raw because I like how they explode into the bread with every bite. Also, I use whatever substantial bread that’s around. Focaccia, ciabatta, sourdough, it all works. I happened to have baked the bread for the sandwich that is pictured here, but that’s because I am nuts and I was trying to impress a really cute person. Don’t bake your own bread. Unless that sounds like a really fun time to you. In which case we should be friends.
The element that REALLY sets this sandwich apart is the fig confit. I’ve written about this concoction before, because it is 1) one of the most delicious things you will ever put in your mouth and 2) it is seriously versatile. This recipe will make about a cup and a half of it which is far more than you will need for a sandwich, but TRUST, you WANT this stuff hanging around in your fridge. You can set it out during cocktail hour with crackers and cheese, bake it into cookies, mix it with a shitload of almond or other nut meal and roll it into balls to make those cute vegan treats everyone is obsessed with. You could make your own pop tarts! Want to know how to make a better pb&j? Fig confit has some ideas.
Point being, this is really a lovely sandwich. AND… If you don’t have an hour to dedicate solely to the construction of this sandwich, just schmear on some store-bought preserves and skip the fig confit portion (blackberry or blueberry would be nice). And instead of the homemade pickled chilies, you could use freshly sliced chilies or even just some raw onion. The pickling is just nice because it mellows everything out a bit. But no pressure.
Point being, this is really a lovely sandwich. AND… If you don’t have an hour to dedicate solely to the construction of this sandwich, just schmear on some store-bought preserves and skip the fig confit portion (blackberry or blueberry would be nice). And instead of the homemade pickled chilies, you could use freshly sliced chilies or even just some raw onion. The pickling is just nice because it mellows everything out a bit. But no pressure.
| For the fig confit: 12-15 dried figs A pinch of salt The zest of one orange That’s it, I swear. Easy, right? For the pickled chilies: 4 large red chilies (I like Fresnos, but red jalapenos work well too) 1 small red onion 3 cups of white vinegar 1 cup of water 1 ½ cups of white sugar ½ cup kosher salt | For the rest of the sandwich: 1 gigantic sweet potato Oil Salt & pepper A bunch of dried spices (whatever you like, really. I used some cumin, chili powder, and dehydrated garlic on mine) 1 vine of cherry tomatoes (or, if you don’t live in California or have access to shit like this, just a few Romas sliced in quarters will do.) 1 bunch of arugula A splash of balsamic vinegar to dress the arugula Fresh mozzarella Mayo, if you are into that (I definitely am) Sandwich bread of your choice (but go with something substantial like focaccia, ciabatta, or sourdough) |
Begin by making the fig confit:
Remove the hard stems of the figs with a knife. Throw the whole figs into a small pot and add enough water to cover the figs. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the figs on a medium flame until they are very soft (about 10-14 minutes). If your water evaporates before the figs are soft, add in another 1/2 cup.
Once the figs are soft, place them into a food processor along with the orange zest and salt. Process the mixture until it comes together in a spreadable paste. If the mixture is too thick or sticky, add a bit more water, or even a little juice from the orange to loosen it up.
Remove the hard stems of the figs with a knife. Throw the whole figs into a small pot and add enough water to cover the figs. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the figs on a medium flame until they are very soft (about 10-14 minutes). If your water evaporates before the figs are soft, add in another 1/2 cup.
Once the figs are soft, place them into a food processor along with the orange zest and salt. Process the mixture until it comes together in a spreadable paste. If the mixture is too thick or sticky, add a bit more water, or even a little juice from the orange to loosen it up.
Pickle the chilies:
THINLY slice the chilies and onion and throw them into a glass bowl or jar. Boil the remaining ingredients and cover the chilies and onions with the liquid. Allow it to cool a bit and throw it in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so. Fun thing: these pickled chilies will keep in the fridge
for up to a month and you can put them on pretty much anything else you eat.
Roast the sweet potato and tomato:
Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your sweet potato into thin discs, and throw them into a large bowl. Drizzle over a few big splashes of oil, and throw in some salt and pepper and dust them with your dried spices. Arrange the discs onto a cookie sheet allowing them a little space around their edges. Put the tomatoes on the pan too and drizzle them with a little oil and a dusting of salt. Roast these veggies until the tomatoes get wrinkly and bursty, and the potatoes get soft in the middle.
THINLY slice the chilies and onion and throw them into a glass bowl or jar. Boil the remaining ingredients and cover the chilies and onions with the liquid. Allow it to cool a bit and throw it in the refrigerator for at least an hour or so. Fun thing: these pickled chilies will keep in the fridge
for up to a month and you can put them on pretty much anything else you eat.
Roast the sweet potato and tomato:
Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your sweet potato into thin discs, and throw them into a large bowl. Drizzle over a few big splashes of oil, and throw in some salt and pepper and dust them with your dried spices. Arrange the discs onto a cookie sheet allowing them a little space around their edges. Put the tomatoes on the pan too and drizzle them with a little oil and a dusting of salt. Roast these veggies until the tomatoes get wrinkly and bursty, and the potatoes get soft in the middle.
Assemble your sandwich with all of these components and enjoy!
Slather a little fig confit on one side of bread, and a little mayo on the other. Dress the arugula in a few splashes of vinnegar, slice up your mozzerella, de-vine the tomatoes, drain the chilies, and assemble away.
Slather a little fig confit on one side of bread, and a little mayo on the other. Dress the arugula in a few splashes of vinnegar, slice up your mozzerella, de-vine the tomatoes, drain the chilies, and assemble away.
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