Rebekah Peppler’s Sandwiches for “Hiking”
(Pan Bagnat)
There are sandwiches for immediate consumption, and there are sandwiches to be made ahead of time. Pan bagnat, sandwich of the Côte d’Azur, is the latter. The longer the assembled sandwich sits (up to a whole day or so) the more flavorful it becomes. Layer the sandwiches the night before or the morning of and pack alongside other “hiking” essentials. Or be like me and call the stroll down to the beach a hike and reason enough for a sandwich. At Chez Josy, a seasonal shack on Plage de la Salis in Antibes—which is a superlative place to “hike” to eat a solid pan bagnat—they offer anchovies as optional. That’s a yes for me, but as ever, as you like it.
Photo by Joann Pai
INGREDIENTS
Makes 4 sandwiches
2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut crosswise into ¼-inch [6 millimeters] slices
Fine sea salt
¼ cup [60 milliliters] red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
½ small red onion, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
8 small radishes, finely chopped
1 small seedless cucumber or ½ large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
½ cup [120 milliliters] extra-virgin olive oil
2 baguettes or 4 large, round, crusty bread rolls, halved lengthwise
Two 5- to 6-ounce [140 to 170 grams] jars tuna packed in olive oil, drained
¼ cup [40 grams] Niçoise olives, pitted (or larger black olives, such as Kalamata, pitted and halved)
4 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
8 to 12 oil-cured anchovies, drained, if desired
