Chef John is the King of Picnics; invite him out to the beach or a short hike and bring nothing - he’s got everything from sandwiches make on his homemade breads to perfectly portioned salads. For those excursions that aren’t fork-permitted, he might even turn a salad into a sandwich.
Ingredients
Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches
1medium tomato
2tspsKosher salt
¼lb.think green beans
2eggs
1 4-ozcan oil-packed tunydrained and divided into 4 portions
8leavesbutter lettuce
1red onionsliced
4piecespita bread
¼cupniçoiseor Kalamata olives
6anchovies
2Tbspscapers
1tspDijon mustard
1clovegarlicpeeled and minced
Instructions
Bring a medium saucepan of water to a bowl. Add about 2 Tbsps salt, the water should be as salty as seawater. Have a medium bowl of water with ice ready.
Drop green beans in boiling water, return to simmer, remove after 3 minutes and drop in ice water.
Gently lower eggs into water, return to gentle simmer, remove after 10 minutes and place in bowl of ice water.
While beans and eggs are cooling, slice red onion very thin, about 1/8”, place in a bowl of cold water to remove pungency.
Slice tomatoes about 1/4”. Place in sieve over bowl and sprinkle with kosher salt to pull excess liquid from tomatoes. Let drain about ½ hour. Blot dry on paper towels.
To make the Tapenade, place olives, anchovies, capers, mustard and garlic in the bowl of food processor. Process until mixture break down into coarse paste.
With processor running stream olive oil until mixture just begins to loosen to a spreadable paste.
Assemble:
Open pitas along outside edge. Spread with tapenade.
Starting on the bottom slice add layers of green beans, tuna, egg, tomato and a few lettuce leaves then top with remaining slice of focaccia. Wrap in parchment and tie with string.