Pan Bagnat Flatbread
After having my favorite cold Spanish soup, salmorejo, for dinner three nights in a row, I found myself craving something heartier for dinner, despite the heatwave we’re having in Santa Fe right now. Which is how I came to this, a flatbread version of a Provençal classic sandwich with tomatoes, tuna, olives, and eggs, all drowned in a vinaigrette — pan bagnat, which means “wet bread” — and it’s normally served on a baguette.
I don’t eat a lot of baguettes in the United States because when you can buy them, still warm, for 1,20 euros from the boulangerie that’s just a block away, you get spoiled. That said, I do like flatbreads, pizzas, and tortillas, so I lean on all of these instead.
I’m normally happy to get into the kitchen and make any of the above, but because of the heatwave (and no A/C), I turn the oven on as little as possible. So I used a store-bought (!) naan, boiled an egg, and in 10 minutes, I was sitting down to eat this crazy-big thing, with a little sparkling rosé at my side (and a not so sparkling Rose, who’s become a furry dustball from walking on the trails).
Pan Bagnat Flatbread
Makes 1
1 flabread*
1 egg
1 medium tomato, chopped
6 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
a handful arugula
Balsamic vinaigrette, recipe follows
9 (6.7-ounce) jar tuna in olive oil (I like Tonnino)
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and put the flatbread on a small baking sheet. When it comes to temperature, bake the flatbread for 10 minutes or until crisp on the bottom.
2. Put the egg in a small saucepan and cover with water. Put onto boil. When it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and set the timer for 10 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the stove, pour off the hot water, and let cold water run over the egg until it’s cool enough to handle. Roughly chop and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, toss the chopped tomato, olives, and arugula with a little balsamic vinaigrette. Put this on top of the flatbread, add about 2 ounces of tuna, the chopped egg, and a bit more vinaigrette. Eat.
*I’ve been buying the Stonefire naan flatbreads.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes ¾ cup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped shallot
sea salt and pepper
¾ cup olive oil
Put the balsamic vinegar, mustard, shallot, and a little sea salt and pepper in a jam jar. Give it a good shake, then let it rest for 15 minutes. Add the olive oil, shake again, and taste. It’ll keep in the fridge for a week.
