Best Cheese For Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Pan Bagnat

Pan Bagnat

Ingredients

Makes 1 (serves 4)

• 1 rustic, whole-wheat (wholemeal) round loaf
• olive oil
• fresh basil leaves
• 6½oz (185g) can good-quality tuna, drained A small handful of capers, rinsed and patted dry ½ red onion, finely chopped
• a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 3½oz (100g) French beans (green beans), blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water, drained, refreshed under cold water, and patted dry 2 cold hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
• 8 canned anchovy fillets, drained
• a handful of nicoise or kalamata olives, pitted (stoned) and sliced juice of ½ lemon
• 1 heaped tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1. Cut off the top third of the loaf to make a lid
2. Hol ow out some of the crumb from the rest (bottom) of the loaf, leaving a decent thickness of crust around the outside
3. Reserve the crumb for another recipe
4. Brush the inside of the loaf with olive oil, then add a layer of basil leaves to the bottom
5. Flake the tuna into a bowl, then mix in the capers, red onion, parsley, and some salt and pepper
6. Add a layer of red bel pepper slices and green beans to the loaf, fol owed by the tuna mixture, then the eggs, anchovies, and olives
7. In a smal bowl, mix together the lemon juice with roughly double the amount of olive oil, the Dijon mustard, and some black pepper
8. Pour this al over the inside of the sandwich, then replace the lid of the loaf
9. Press down gently, then wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap (clingfilm) and leave to sit for an hour or two at room temperature, or overnight in the refrigerator
10. Remove and discard the plastic wrap, cut the loaf into wedges, and serve