Tuna Salad with a French twist--Pan Bagnat

After a week in France, I can still mostly just write and read French, but I think I also learned to make a great picnic sandwich.

I was first introduced to this sandwich in a book I was reading some years back.  I don't recall the book anymore, but I remember the family in the book who made their weekend treks to the beach and packed a delicious sounding picnic lunch.  The whole family participated in making the sandwich.  Mom mixed up the tuna and vegetables, Dad went to the Boulangerie to buy the bread, and of course the two daughters had their parts to play too.  In fact I think this is the reason I have always remembered this picnic sandwich.  The young girls took turns sitting on the sandwich as they drove to the beach so it would be ready to eat when they arrived. 

Here's a description from Wikipedia:

The Pan-bagnat (Occitan: pan banhat for bathed/wet bread) is a sandwich that is a specialty of the region of Nice, France. The sandwich is composed of pain de campagne, whole wheat bread formed in a circle, although white bread is also sometimes used, around the classic Salade Niçoise, a salad composed mainly of raw vegetables, hard boiled eggs, anchovies and/or tuna, and olive oil (never mayonnaise). Sometimes balsamic vinegar, ground pepper, and salt will also be added.

My French Pan Bagnat

The first time we made this using canned Tuna packed in Olive Oil.  We chopped up onion, green olives and capers; we mixed this all together adding salt and pepper, and some fresh lemon juice.  We put the tuna on both halves of the bread, with the tomatoes and lettuce in the middle.  We wrapped that up in foil, and put some heavy stuff on it:

Foil Wrapped Pan Bagnat

Add some weight so the inside bread gets "wet". 

 The sandwich was delicious, and I might add, travels very well!

We enjoyed this so much we decided to pack another picnic making the sandwich again.  This time we ended up with a different bread from the Boulangerie (with limited French, you learn to point and make do). 

Same Sandwich with a few changes.  Still delicious!

This was our favorite bread for the sandwich, so if you spot this in a Boulangerie, buy it and make Pan Bagnat!

 This was such an easy sandwich to make.  It went together quickly, it tasted great, and it can fit into small spaces--like underneath a person!  We cut this into triangles so we each ate one fourth of the sandwich. 


It was a nice French lunch, and then we continued our hike and came across this:

Oh look Honey, a bathroom right next to where people are walking...

I have made Pan Bagnat since we returned from our vacation, and I must say that the bread is really a key ingredient.  I have mixed up the filling with different vegetables, sometimes adding small diced carrots, thinly sliced cucumber, scallion, garlic, etc. but the most important part of the success of this is to find a crusty loaf with a soft inside.  I haven't given up on this because it really is that good.

Anyone have bread suggestions for me?

End of Summer Salads

I am trying to squeeze in as many fresh fruits and vegetables as I can while everything is so fresh!  I am glad to be back to my own kitchen, my local Farmers Market and my favorite recipes.

One of the first salads I had to make when I got home is a Zucchini-Tomato Salad.

I have a tool that looks like a vegetable peeler but it actually has little teeth that make the zucchini into "strings". I have also done this with a regular vegetable peeler and that works too.

Next I cut grape or cherry tomatoes in half, finely chop up some shallot/garlic/onion, whatever I have on hand, and make a lemon-dijon vinaigrette.  Try this at home!

Zucchini Salad

Rough Recipe:

Yellow and Green Zucchini
Cherry or Grape Tomatoes
Shallot/Garlic Cloves and/or Onion, finely chopped

Vinaigrette:
1 Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Put your vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake-shake-shake.  Taste and adjust seasonings!  When you like it, pour over your zucchini-tomato mixture and enjoy!

Scotland and the Military Tattoo--

For years we have known a Scot affectionately called Sir John by everyone at our health club.  He passed away a few months ago, but he always spoke fondly of going back to Scotland for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and so we thought we should find out what this event is all about. He inspired us to take this trip, and he was an inspiration to lead a long, happy and healthy life.

The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo started out as a military drum performance and now attracts performers and tourists from all corners of the globe.  The music is mainly bagpipes and drums, and traditional music is performed.

 The website boasts: The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is the most spectacular show in the world, enjoyed by an international television audience of 100 million. 

Now doesn't that sound exciting?

The Military Tattoo, 2009.  Photo from Wikipedia.

We will be arriving towards the end of the event and have great tickets to the Finale.  My personal vacation planner and love of my life set the alarm to get up in the middle of the night to make arrangements for these tickets.  Perhaps we will even see the queen!

In September I will have photos to post of all the delicious foods we discover too.  This is another area I am excited to explore, although I am not sure I am up to the challenge of Haggis, the national dish.  According to Wikipedia:

 Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep's pluck; minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and simmered for approximately three hours. 

Haggis, a traditional Scottish dish.

Doesn't this photo make Haggis look delicious?

You can read more here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haggis

 Who's up for a Haggis cooking class? And where do I find sheep's pluck?

French countryside vacation

We are planning a vacation in the northwest region of France.   This is a dream vacation for me.  Not only will we be in France, but we will be staying in a chefs vacation home, shopping the local markets in August, and enjoying the many wonderful amenities of the location.  Fresh local seafood, fresh cultured butter, French wines and cheeses, etc.  For a person who loves food and cooking, this will be incredibly fun.

The French vacation home.

It is also a challenge to me since I will not have the comforts of my kitchen, my equipment, and no pre-planning of what to do with the foods that are available.   At home I can always look at cookbooks or google my questions.  I am not sure that I will have those types of resources, and by gum, I want to prepare and eat delicious food! 

And then there is this beautiful kitchen to work in and be inspired by:

And the outdoor terrace with a table and chairs so we can dine alfresco!  Food always tastes even better when you eat outdoors, doesn't it?

I've never done anything like this, but I am very excited! 

Bon voyage.  I will report back on our adventures in September!

French Farmers Market

We are vacationing in France and went to the local farmers market the first day. Wonderful smells, lovely sights, and a real challenge to my limited ability to pronounce French!

I posted photos on Facebook:  Now You're Cooking with Judy Kking.

Bonus at the supermarket

When I went to the store today I saw a special sale price on raspberries.  Obviously the store had too many that were becoming ripe so they sold half pints for $1 instead of the usual $3-6.  I looked closely at them and could tell that there were some that were already past their prime, so I choose carefully.

Fresh Raspberries at a bargain price.

I had to buy 10 packages because that was the limit allowed per customer, and we love raspberries.  I also know that they don't store well, so I had to have a plan in mind or it would just be a big waste of money.

I picked through the packages carefully, sorting the berries into "good for freezing" or "borderline freshness, turn into a puree". I will take the frozen berries out of the freezer tomorrow and put them in bags with the date.

These looked great for the freezer.

Some of these were a tiny bit smooshed, so I threw them in a blender and pureed. 

After I pureed the berries, I tasted them and added a small amount of sugar.  I pureed the berries and sugar, and tasted them again to see if they still needed more sweetness.  This is why you add a small amount of sugar first.  You can't take the sugar out but if you add in small amounts, you will get it only as sweet as you need it.

Pureed berries:  add a small amount of sugar and taste.

We eat a lot of frozen raspberries in smoothies, but the pureed raspberries would be great on top of ice cream, panna cotta, brownies, cheese cake, stirred into yogurt, or drizzled on a molten chocolate cake.  I poured this into freezer bags, flattened them to get as much air out as possible, and stacked in the freezer.

Freeze berries on a sheet pan so they remain separate when bagged.

Now when will I make those desserts?

Farmers Market

I love the local Farmers Markets.  I go at least once a week.  I love the sights, the smells, the freshness, the variety, and the farmers.  To me, this is the very best time of year because there are so many fresh things to eat.  I am not a fan of frozen or canned vegetables, so I load up on the fresh ones while they are around.  This last week I got a bushel (!) of green beans, 4 bunches of fresh beets with the green tops, fresh cabbage and cauliflower, lots of tomatoes, yellow and green zucchini, and some bread.  

We will be enjoying roasted beets, beet salad, caprese brushetta, zucchini and red onion salad, cauliflower in a curry with whole grains, and some sauteed cabbage and onion with polish kielbasa (not pictured but I find the best sausage at the market too).
 

While I clean my pile of beans, I like to listen to books or music.  I put my phone into a ceramic cup and it acts like a speaker!

When I get home, and I look over what I purchased, I just like to admire all the food and think about all the delicious dishes that can be prepared.  And about Wednesday, I am planning for my next weekend foray!