Pan bagnat

Babiche Martens

A great lunch idea is pan bagnat, a speciality sandwich from the South of France. Traditionally, it's stuffed with raw salad ingredients, plus eggs, tuna, and olives, but fillings will vary. Like all sandwiches, anything goes. For this vegetarian version I've used summer ingredients: fresh, flavoursome tomatoes and basil from the garden with grilled vegetables and pesto.

Weighting the sandwich down for a few hours concentrates the flavour and shows off the pretty layers. Cut it into large chunks and take for lunch or slice thinly and serve as part of a dinner buffet.

Ingredients

¼ cup	Olive oil
1	Aubergine (Main)
1	Courgette
1	French stick, or ciabatta loaf (Main)
½ cup	Aioli, with herbs
2 cups	Basil leaves
1 serving	Mozzarella cheese, use 1 large ball per loaf
2 large	Tomatoes
1 Tbsp	Olive oil

Directions

1. Heat a barbecue or grill to a medium heat.
2. Rub the aubergine and courgette with the oil. Barbecue until cooked and golden. Remove and cool.
3. Split the bread down the centre and open. Remove half the bread from inside. Spread both sides generously with aioli.
4. On one side spread the grilled aubergine, followed by the courgette, basil leaves, sliced mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and more basil leaves. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
5. Close the bread and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place a heavy weight on top of the bread for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. When ready to eat, unwrap and slice.

See Angela's other lunchbox recipes:

• Beetroot, green bean and chickpea salad
• Peanut cookies