Rustic Tuscan Focaccia Sandwich

Crunchy Tuscan focaccia bread sandwiches Italian meats, and burrata cheese with layers of pistachio pesto, garlic aioli and more pistachios. Mama Mia - it’s Delicioso!

In our homogenized world of cultures, climates, and cuisines, it is not surprising that I recently ate a delicious Italian panini sandwich in the Athens airport, which I found remarkable. So much so that I took a picture of the sandwich, (not a habit in which I indulge), noted the name and the ingredients, and after exhaustive searching, found the recipe on the internet!

The bread was a light, airy, focaccia type, sliced horizontally, spread with an herbaceous pesto, layered with Italian cold cuts and ooey, gooey burrata cheese served warm. But the thing that sealed the deal for me were the pistachios in the pesto and more peeping from the melted cheese. It was a gooey mess of a sandwich, especially after my dissection, but rewarded with soul-soothing satisfaction.

Yes, I found it in Greece but on a recent trip to Italy, we met up again as I discovered its origins. Go figure. Which I did and having found it, easily made it. and will do so again whenever I have a lazy day.

Rustic Tuscan Schiacciata Sandwich

1 schiacciata recipe (recipe below) may substitute purchased focaccia bread

1 batch pistachio pesto

3/4 pound thinly sliced mortadella, ham, salami or combination of Italian meats

1 large burrata ball or 3 smaller balls, drained of liquid

Garlic confit aioli (or mayonnaise) for spreading (recipe below)

finely chopped pistachios optional

cracked black pepper 

-Cut a piece of schiacciata, or whichever bread you are using. Slice the schiacciata horizontally to create two pieces of bread for the base of your sandwich.

-Brush each bread half with the garlic aioli then spread pistachio pesto on the base of the bread. Top with the meats and slices of the burrata. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

-Place the other piece of bread on top to form a sandwich. Cut the panino (sandwich) in half. (Recommended: You can grill each sandwich for 2 - 3 minutes on each side in a bit of olive oil in a frying pan if you want to serve it warm.)

Garlic Confit Aioli

3 heads garlic

1 1/2 cups olive oil extra virgin

3 sprigs of thyme 

-Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius /250 degrees Farenheit. 

-Peel the garlic by breaking the cloves away and placing them into a heatproof bowl. Submerge in boiling hot water for 5 minutes and drain. The skin will become loose and easy to peel away. 

-Place the garlic cloves and thyme into a small ovenproof dish and fully submerge in olive oil. It's important the garlic is fully submerged in the olive oil so it does not burn. Bake for 2 hours or until the garlic has browned in color. 

-Allow to cool and store in an airtight container or jar for up to several weeks in the fridge. 

Pistachio Pesto:

1 cup shelled pistachios

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

¼ cup grated pecorino romano

¼ clove garlic

½ or ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil

salt to taste 

-Add pistachios, basil, parmesan, pecorino, garlic, and half of the olive oil to a food processor.

-Process in the food processor until ingredients start to blend together, about 1 minute.

-Add the rest of the olive oil, salt to taste, and continue processing until a smooth consistency is reached. Your pistachio pesto is ready! Use on crostini, your favorite pasta, or anywhere you use pesto! 

SCHIACCIATA  (SKI–A-CHATA)

For the Poolish

·         1 teaspoon traditional active dry yeast

·         1 1/3 cups slightly warm water

·         2 ¼ cup all purpose flour

For the Dough

·         1 ½ cups slightly warm water

·         1 teaspoon granulated sugar

·         3 ½ cup all purpose flour

·         2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

·         2 tablespoon salt  

Make the Poolish: (a yeast fermented starter)

-Starting the day before you want to serve the bread, to a medium bowl, add the water and yeast. Mix it briefly. Wait for the yeast to bloom (liquid becomes milky and foamy) - about 10 minutes. 

-Once yeast has bloomed, add the flour in two batches. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon or spatula every time the flour is added. The poolish should be a liquid and creamy texture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 16 hours. 

Make the dough:

-Remove the poolish from the fridge - it should have doubled in volume. Transfer the poolish to a larger bowl. Add the water and sugar and mix with a spatula until water is incorporated into the poolish.

-Add the flour and mix again until well incorporated. 

-Drizzle in the olive oil and salt and mix one more time. 

-While the dough is still in the bowl, fold the dough. Work your way around the dough like you are looking at clock - you want to perform a fold at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock. Pull the dough up and over to the other side of the bowl. Repeat 4 times as you move around the dough. This helps to develop gluten and give structure to the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. 

-After 30 minutes, repeat the dough folding technique one more time. Cover the bowl and let it rest and rise at room temperature for 2 hours. 

-Oil a baking sheet and place the dough on to the baking sheet. Use your oiled fingertips to push the dough to into the corners of the pan, creating a rectangle the basic size of the pan. Don’t worry if it doesn’t reach to every edge - it will spread as it rises. Let it rise 1 more hour in the pan, covered with plastic wrap. 

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle olive oil on top of the dough and sprinkle with more salt. Place the schiacciata in the oven and bake until golden brown (about 30 minutes). 

-Remove from the oven and let the schiacciata cool slightly until it's cool enough to handle. Cut and enjoy dipped in olive oil with balsamic vinegar or on its own. Makes a delicious sandwich bread as well. Best served the day it is made. Serves 8 - 10

The elegant, subtle taste of pistachio combined with the classic elements of pesto, create a beautiful pesto spread for this sandwich.

Schiacciata, a rustic Tuscan version of focaccia, is crunchy on the outside, airy and chewy in the middle. The perfect bread for this incredible sandwich.

Layers of meat, burrata, pistachio pesto, and garlic, sandwiched in focaccia - just beckoning to be eaten!

PERSNICKETY NOTES:

**You will have leftovers from the pistahcio pesto from this recipe. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Delicious as a dip for focaccia, as a spread on sandwiches or mixed with you favorite warm pasta.

**The left over Garlic Aioli can also be kept for a few weeks in the refrigerator. Use this wonderfully flavored oil in salads, as a dip for focaccia or to saute chicken or pork in.

**The Schiacciata is best served the day it is made, or frozen as soon as it is cooled. If frozen, remove when ready to use, thaw and warm slightly in the oven before serving.