The Pressed Sammich, Part Deux

Our pressed sammich with a lovely bottle of Obsession, from Ironstone Vineyards.

So, Somewhere turned out to be our deck, so we could have wine.  But before picnic time time, we wandered around a couple of the small towns in the area–Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina.  A friend of mine who went to Meredith in Raleigh had a friend from Fuquay who said that there is a Very Rude Nickname for the town.  I will leave that to your imagination.  I think Fuquay Varina (FOO-kway va-REE-nah) sounds like a specialty cheese.  Either way, suffice to say, we did not get the tee shirt.

And here is a picture of The Beloved, who is happy and full after eating his part of the sammich.  He says hi.

Sammich and wine in tummy, The Beloved is happy.

Sunday Suppers: The Pressed Sammich

The weather here is beautiful and I am about as un-sick as I am ever going to get.  That means that I am all better.  Anyway, yesterday, The Beloved and I jaunted about looking at houses with our Realtor and then went wandering at Hemlock Bluffs Natural Preserve in Cary.  We heard many, many froggies singing down by the creek.  It was Very Loud and Very Cool.  We know that amphibians seem to be having a very hard time in general these days, what with pesticides and Other Bad Things killing off their little eggs, so it was heartening to hear the chorus of froggy voices.

Today is another lovely day, and since it will be lighter longer, what with Daylight Savings Time and all, we will be enjoying a late picnic lunch/early picnic supper Somewhere.  It will be a different Somewhere than yesterday’s Somewhere, and we’re not quite sure of the Actual Name of today’s Somewhere.  Regardless, there will be a sammich.  We should have made this sammich yesterday so it could be pressing overnight, but we just weren’t feeling it, and I’m not much of a planner anyway, so I just finished making him a few minutes ago.

First, let me just say that a pressed sammich is a technique.  1)  Put stuff on bread.  2)  Press it.  I guess that, arguably, the most famous American pressed sammich is the muffuletta.  The muffuletta is the name of the bread and the sammich.  The bread itself is sort of like a round focaccia, and the sammich is piled high with an olive salad/tapenade-type affair and loaded with all sorts of meats and cheeses.  You can put whatever you want on your pressed sammich, though.

Pressed Sammich to be Enjoyed Somewhere

• 1/2 big old loaf ciabatta
• some TJ’s artichoke spread stuff
• roasted red pepper
• caramelized onions (made w/white balsamic, salt, pepper, olive oil and Italian seasoning)
• smoked provolone cheese
• Genoa salami
• Sopressata
• fresh baby spinach
• salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil

First, I caramelized the onions.  Look–I took pictures for you:

Pre-caramelized onions

About 5-10 minutes in.

20 minutes in

And there you have it. Beautifully caramelized onions! These took about 35 minutes.

Pretty cool, huh?  So, then, I built the sammich.  I took more pictures for you.  This is a very Photo Heavy Post.  You might not realize where you are, but I assure you that you are right here at PMAT.

I smeared some artichoke spread on both sides of the bread.

Cheese and meat. You could certainly make it vegetarian with roasted mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, etc.

Oh look! Roasted red peppers.

Hello, caramelized onions.

Leafy greens--whatever kind you like.

Before "closing," I drizzled oil and vinegar over the whole thing. Hello there, sammich!

I wrapped him very tightly in plastic wrap.

Then, I weighted him down in the fridge.

Now, all we have to do is wait a few hours, and our Somewhere Sammich will be ready to eat.  I will post a couple of pictures later so you can see the Finished Product, if you’re interested.  Right now, leftover pizza is happening, and I really want to be a part of that.  Hope everyone has a lovely day!

And, before you start calling “spelling foul”, I know it’s a sandwich.