fig and balsamic onion pressed sandwiches

so remember that focaccia?

the one that was good, but maybe

just a little flat?

i found a great, if not indulgent,

use for it: pressed sandwiches.

even though i sent a few squares

home with jenn, it was quickly

evident that i should have given

her more. we were only two

people, what were we going to

do with that much bread?

i was driving to work when

grilled cheese popped into my head.

very quickly, other ideas came

tumbling out: the mission figs that

were already in the fridge (or

should it be the nectarines that

were sitting on the counter?), the

maidenhead i bought from our first

monmouth county farmer's market

(or maybe instead the gorgonzola that was

nearing its final days?) and red onions

(definitely red onions).

as the day went on,

i wavered: should i put the nectarines

in the sandwich and add wedges of figs

to arugula for a side salad? would the

blue be too much? should i add arugula

to the sandwich? nuts? would the onions

be better cooked first? is it a mistake

making grilled cheese with a thick bread

like focaccia? could i just stop my brain

for five seconds? who in the world

spends this much time thinking

about a sandwich that is going to serve

two people after work on a weeknight?

finally, i turned to my office mate and asked,

would you rather have figs in a sandwich

and nectarines in a salad or

nectarines in a sandwich and

figs in a salad?

she took me seriously (i think) and said,

figs in a sandwich.

that was it - i would obsess no more.

when i got home,

i immediately diced an onion and tossed

the pieces into a pan with leaves of rosemary.

as they softened, i opted for the maidenhead,

a local semi-soft cheese, washed with

flying fish beer. the flavor was much stronger -

and dare i say, stranger - than i had remembered

from the farmer's market: kind of smoky -

but clearly it was not smoked - somewhat grassy

and pretty pungent. but, it was now or never,

so i grated the wedge down to fine shreds,

hoping that the tiny pieces would

encourage melting when they were layered

between two thick slices of bread.

i cut the focaccia into squares,

halved both horizontally and set the

bottoms on a plate.

by then, the onions were brown -

i tossed in a splash of wine

and a couple tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.

as they cooked down to something

slightly syrupy, i turned to the figs:

purple, plump and first of the season.

as i sliced them thinly, i realized how

many coins i could get from just one small

fruit. so, i cut three and placed the rest

back in the fridge.

and that was pretty much it.

yes, i had to assemble them.

it went something like this:

and then, yes, i had to cook them,

which was not even slightly an

oh-n0thing-to-it moment. you see,

even this thin focaccia is still focaccia

and it's a pretty fat bread as grilled

cheese sandwich bread goes. as soon

as i placed it in the skillet - i do not

have a panini press - i knew they were

not going to cook well in their natural

state. after quickly scouring the kitchen

for something to weigh them

down with, i finally opted for the one

thing easily available: my hands.

i will admit, the pan and bread

were not very hot (yet) and i do have

fingers that can handle quite an

unnatural bit of heat. so, i pressed

hard and took a deep breathe before

the first peak. and - they were flat!

when the bottom was a beautiful

golden brown, i flipped the squares,

replaced the foil and put my hands

back on top of the sandwiches. i

persevered, but i'm not going to lie -

they were much hotter this time.

(i will take this space as the first

opportunity to say that i am in

no way recommending this method.

i will tell you again, below, in

the recipe, not to use your hands.)

when i was sure they were

sufficiently squished, i ran into

a flurry, tossing wild arugula into

a bowl, thinly slicing nectarine wedges

and tossing them, along with some

toasted hazelnuts, in with the greens.

the salad went onto a plate and a minute

later, was neighbored by fig and onion

grilled cheese, expertly (ha!) pressed

and just waiting to prove that it

was a sandwich worth obsessing over.

(good news: it was.)

fig and balsamic onion pressed sandwiches

i think this recipe almost qualifies as a non recipe. it seems silly to give you one, but in the end, we really enjoyed these sandwiches and i wanted to tell you about them. i urge you to look at the directions, below, as a guideline. not crazy about a cheese with funk (even though the maidenhead mellowed considerably when melded with the other ingredients)? use mozzarella, italian fontina or a mix. think you would love blue? add a few sprinkles on top of the fillings before cooking. wish i used that nectarine? go for it. not crazy about rosemary? that's fine - use thyme, a little sage or nothing at all.

oh, and there's this again: i don't have a panini press and even though i spent many years at a magazine telling people to just use a brick placed over foil, i don't own a brick. so, i did something that worked perfectly, but that i can never in good faith recommend: i used my hands and my body weight to great result. however, i have to admit, that the process was rather warm and probably, bordering on dangerous.

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 large red onion, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 splash white wine (i'm sure red would be good, too)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

5-6 ounces semi-soft cheese, like cherry grove farm's maidenhead

2 sandwich-size squares focaccia, halved horizontally

2-3 large mission figs, top and bottoms trimmed and thinly sliced

in medium skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil 1 minute. add onions; sprinkle with kosher salt and stir in rosemary. cook 15 minutes, or until slightly softened and golden, stirring often. (if they start to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to medium-low.) add splash of wine to skillet; add balsamic vinegar. turn heat to medium-high; cook 2-3 minutes, or until the liquid has been reduced, stirring occasionally. remove from heat; let cool slightly.

meanwhile, using small holes on box grater, grate cheese; set aside.

place bread bottoms on clean flat surface. divide onion mixture evenly over bread bottoms. top with fig slices. divide shredded cheese over figs, pressing to adhere. add focaccia tops; press slightly.

in large skillet coated with cooking spray (don't yell) or olive oil spray, over medium to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stovetop runs), carefully place sandwiches. top with foil and brick or whatever other very safe method you choose to use to weigh them down. cook 3-5 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom, pressed and the filling is starting to meld together, checking to make sure the bread does not burn. flip sandwiches; press again and cook 3-5 minutes more, or until golden, pressed and cheese is melted. transfer to cutting board; halve. of course, if you have a panini press, you're lucky - use that instead.

sardine and peppadew sandwich

i have guilt.

tiny fish guilt.

for years, i fell victim

to the popular digs -

about tiny fish found

in tiny cans. i'm open to

trying almost anything,

but the opportunity never

presented itself and i was

fine with that.

and then

one day, i had a marinated

white anchovy. my eyes were

opened. from there, i had

anchovies on pizza, in pasta

and sauteed with cauliflower. i was

the first one to poke my chopsticks

into the small bowls of even teenier

fish set on the table at a korean

restaurant and i willed myself

to try these bite-size crabs. i loved them.

but, still, until three months ago,

sardines were not really part of my life.

then, i ordered them, fresh and grilled, at a restaurant

when nothing else on the menu seemed

appealing. there were five, all with mini bones

to be removed from the admittedly flavorful flesh,

which i was not crazy about.

a month later, when i took larry

to degustation for his amazing birthday dinner,

one of the 10 courses featured sardines.

on one side of the plate was a

freshly cured curl, the other side was

fried and served with pickled onions. it

was one of my favorite dishes of the night.

although, yes, i know there is a difference

between fresh sardines and canned,

in my life, that seemed like the next

most practical leap -

so i started researching them

and buying them: one layer, two layer,

skinless and boneless, whole, packed in oil,

packed in spring water.

(i still haven't ventured

into the tomato sauce, pepper or mustard

packed cans.)

i realized that i like them all,

but if I was forced to tell you about one,

it would have to be the two layer sardines,

packed in olive oil, which for the effort of

opening the can, rewards you with two layers

of fish, from head to tail. trust me - i'm

the person who vowed to never again buy

canned salmon and attempt salmon cakes

after realizing what it meant to remove

the bones from the can. this is different -

the bones are so tiny and tender, that

i didn't even realize they're there. and,

if you are someone who does not like

seeing the entire fish looking back at you,

don't worry - once mashed,

nothing is recognizable.

they are flavorful, but not insultingly so,

much closer to tuna in harshness,

than ultra briny anchovies.

so, i started adding them to different

things, like pasta and salads.

and i started making sandwiches,

like this one,

with capers and mustard,

and spicy-sweet peppadews,

which i hope you try.

but, i will say this.

i'm fully aware that if the idea of opening a can

and seeing these sardines stare back at you,

finding out there are anchovies in your salad dressing

or dried shrimp in your thai food will upset you,

this sandwich is not for you.

this is not a recipe about conversion

or arm twisting.

it's a recipe about another choice for people

who already are fans - or maybe for those like

me: willing, but in need of a push.

sardine and peppadew sandwich

i've made this with a couple different types of canned sardines, which frankly, have all worked. so, feel free to use whatever you have on hand. but, if you're going out and shopping for them, i'm partial to the two layer in olive oil, which surprisingly boast less fat than the sister can packed in spring water. served on a baguette, it's a hearty sandwich appropriate for a fast or home-alone dinner, but on sliced bread, would be great for lunch. also, i think it's fair to say that this is one of those guideline recipes - adjust to suit your taste.

1 large juicy lemon, halved

1 medium shallot, peeled and finely chopped

3 tins sardines

3 tablespoons dijon mustard

1 heaping tablespoon capers, drained

salt and pepper

6-8 peppadews, sliced

mayonnaise, if you like that kind of thing

1 baguette, ends trimmed or 6-8 slices bread (depending on how packed you like your sandwiches

squeeze lemon juice into small mixing bowl. stir in shallots. let sit 20 minutes.

remove sardines from tins and add to bowl (i would refrain from simply overturning the tins into the bowl - you will end up with a lot of oil). using fork, mash sardines. stir in dijon mustard and capers. add salt and pepper to taste. adjust seasonings.

slice baguette in half or place bread slices on clean surface. spread with a thin layer of mayonnaise, if desired. divide sardine mixture evenly among bread slices or bottom layer of baguette. top with peppadews. cut baguette into four even pieces.

turkey meatball banh mi

do you know how many things

i cook, bake, mix together that

you never hear about?

too many. so two weeks

ago, i made a pact with myself

that it all would change.

and then the screen went black

on the computer.

this is not some blogger

metaphor for writer's block.

it actually stopped functioning,

refused to produce an image.

no computer aside, we got really

lucky. the problem, it turns out,

was a known malfunction and fixed

for free. but, it kind of put things

on-hold here for a while,

dinners piling up on the

memory card

and some meals, not even

making it to the camera at all.

but now, the computer's back,

most of the pictures are downloaded

and i'm trying really hard to recall

the details of some of the dinners

i've made over the past couple weeks.

but one dish that i have zero

trouble remembering was last

sunday's:

turkey meatball banh mi.

i've had my eye on the recipe

for 4 months, ever since

bon appetit published a

pork version in january.

truth be told, i wanted to make

these sandwiches the minute

i saw the recipe, so it seems

like i've known about them for

much, much longer.

i know banh mi is quite the craze.

or it was or it will be or something.

but, i first stumbled across

banh mi two years ago, at an

event in which i was partially responsible

for assembling minis, layered on a crostini

that would later be passed around

on pretty little trays.

it wasn't trendy. it was work.

they were were quite

a job to put together:

from the little i can remember:

a smear of chicken pate,

shreds of marinated chicken,

a cilantro leaf,

chiffonades of basil,

pickled carrots and daikon,

microgreens and a tiny

dollop of garlicky mayonnaise.

the chicken,

i could have done without,

but i'm a sucker for liver

and anything pickled.

i went home knowing i was

late to the banh mi game and

googled it anyway.

what i learned:

they are crazy cheap,

can be found in little tiny shops

in the city and, properly,

are served on gum-shattering

crusty breads. i wanted one.

it took months before i finally

set out to make one on my own,

only to admit, that even though

i'd never had the real thing,

these were not quite right.

that weekend, we visited

colleen and christian in philly,

told them about my attempt at

banh mi two nights before and then

became unbelievably excited when

i found out that they didn't know

what banh mi was. i was, at this point,

a wee bit obsessed with banh mi.

cut to the next day,

when the four of us,

on the way to somewhere else,

unknowingly parked

in front of a tiny, tiny

storefront, reading banh mi.

we were coming from dim sum

and not very hungry, but

we knew that we had to buy one.

for $4, we bought a gigantic

chicken banh mi, asked for it to

be split four ways and stood

on the sidewalk in front,

eating our share.

none of us were especially hungry.

all of us, i think, could have split another.

colleen talks about it here.

so, when i saw this recipe,

i wanted in. and last week,

i finally got it together

to make them.

i'll say this:

they were easy,

they were fun

and most of the work

(except for the cooking

of the meatballs) can be

done earlier in the day so that

when you're ready to serve,

all that's left is assembly.

not only that, but i think

everything will taste even

better with a few hours

of sitting time.

i'll admit,

i wasn't crazy about the

pickling part of this recipe.

for everything - and i've thought about this,

i really do mean everything - else

that i've ever pickled, i've

heated the vinegar mixture first.

here, not only was the mixture

just swished together at room

temperature, but it also used,

in my opinion, way too little

vinegar. yes, this may be because

instead of grating

the carrots

and the daikon,

i julienned them,

but still: a 1/4 cup of liquid

for 4 cups of veggies?

so, i kept adding rice wine vinegar

until i realized that i had added a little

over 1 1/4 cups. i felt better about

the chances of all of the veggies pickling,

instead of just the select few on the bottom.

it was good and vinegary -

especially on the leftovers the next night.

still, next time, i think i'll use this standby.

instead of pate or soft garlic butter,

these sandwiches call for mayonnaise

that's been spiked with sriracha and sliced scallions.

i used low-fat mayo,

squeezed in extra hot sauce

and added more sliced scallions.

this spread almost made me change

my negative feelings about mayonnaise.

and the meatballs.

when i change a recipe from

beef or pork or lamb

to turkey,

there is always a voice

in the back of my head taunting me,

telling me that it's already ruined.

and then there's larry,

who is very good-natured about

ground turkey (probably just

happy to be getting some meat,

if i'm being honest), but who i think

also feels cheated when he sees

that a recipe planned for another meat,

especially pork.

and to top it all off,

i chose this day to take a stand against

skillet-cooked meatballs and instead,

bake them in the oven.

i was thinking disaster.

and yes, it's true that we have

no idea how they would taste with pork

or browned in sesame oil.

but, after eating the baked meatballs

made with turkey,

we really don't care.

these are little flavor-bombs,

brimming with

fresh basil,

garlic,

scallions,

fish sauce and more.

they were tiny, and if not

intended for a sandwich,

could probably all have been eaten,

one by one,

plucked straight from the baking sheet.

they were potato chip-good.

in case i haven't made it clear,

we loved, loved, loved

this home-cook's version of

banh mi. think flavorful,

without hours prepping

and crowd friendly

without new food intimidation.

or, just think: yum.

turkey meatball banh mi

adapted from bon appetit

if you start researching, you learn very quickly that banh mi enthusiasts are all adamant about one thing: if you don't have the right bread, you shouldn't even bother making it. in fact, when i asked our local vietnamese restaurant if they ever planned to add banh mi to their menu, they said that they wouldn't dare without finding the right bread vendor. the baguette should be very crunchy on the outside with a super soft interior. i have not been able to find anything like that around here. the first night, i used a type of bread called fizzle from a korean bakery around the block (this fizzle, by the way, could be a blog post of its own). it was not very crunchy, but i loved it. the next night, i used a french baguette that was very crunchy - larry preferred this one. we agreed to disagree.

and as for the changes - i've included them all below, from cutting instead of grating the veggies (i still had just about 4 cups carrots and daikon total), increasing the liquid and decreasing the sugar in the pickling, to using low-fat mayo for the spread to drizzling the (turkey-based) meatballs with sesame oil before baking, instead of browning them in the oil. i also halved the ground black pepper in the meatballs to 1/2 teaspoon - i didn't want the seasoning taking over the other flavors. and, i used pickled jalapeno instead of fresh - not traditional, but delicious. the original recipe is here.

pickled carrots and daikon

5 small-medium carrots (this is what was in the store), peeled and cut into tiny planks

1 large daikon (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into tiny planks

1 1/4 cups unseasoned rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

in bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring well. let sit at room temperature least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

spicy mayonnaise spread

2/3 cup low-fat mayonnaise

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha

3 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts thinly sliced

in bowl, stir together all ingredients. taste; add more chili sauce to taste, if desired. (i did.)

turkey meatballs

1 pound ground turkey (i used 85% lean to accommodate for the no-pork factor)

1/4 cup thinly sliced and chopped basil

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 scallions, thinly sliced and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fish sauce (i splashed in a tiny bit extra)

1 tablespoon hot chili sauce, like sriracha (again, i added an extra squeeze)

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon (or less) sesame oil

line large rimmed baking sheet with foil (coated with cooking spray) or parchment paper.

in bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. using 1 tablespoon measure, form 1-inch meatballs; place on baking sheet. cover and place in fridge.

when ready:

heat oven to 375˚f. drizzle meatballs with sesame oil. bake 8 minutes. flip meatballs and bake 8-9 minutes more, or until cooked through. (at this point, i turned on the broiler and broiled them for about 2 minutes, shaking the pan once midway through, just to crisp up the exterior of the meatballs. i was glad that i added this step, but i don't know that it's necessary.)

banh mi

we really enjoy pickled jalapenos and added a bunch to the sandwiches, and even more the second night. like the cilantro, however, if you're not a fan, don't feel that you have to use these. adapt them to your taste.

4 small-medium baguettes

spicy mayonnaise spread

fresh cilantro sprigs (about 16), broken into pieces

pickled jalapeno (about 18 slices)

turkey meatballs

pickled daikon and carrots

split baguettes down the center; gently remove most of the interior from the baguette, making sure to keep the shell in tact. spread inside of bread with spicy mayonnaise. add cilantro sprigs and pickled jalapenos.

line baguettes with hot meatballs; top with pickled carrots and daikons. (i also added some cilantro leaves for color, but if i wasn't taking a picture, i'm not sure i'd bother.)