Roasted Red Pepper Hummus & Buffalo Mozzarella BLT
Is anybody else a complete sandwich person???
Not just any sandwiches, though. I'm talking huge, overly stuffed, extremely messy ones.
Lately, I've been seriously obsessed with sandwiches, more than usual...
To me, you can put ANYTHING in between two slices of (lightly toasted) bread and it makes it just that much better. One of my favorite things is to spread avocado on toasted thick slices of bread, and stuff a ton of dressed salad in between. I know, I know, it's weird-- But it's so so good!
Ooh, speaking of.... avocado would've been AMAZING on this sandwich.
You should definitely smash some, or a lot, on before pressing it, if (when) you make this.
Okay, so moving onto this sandwich...
I've been craving Greek/Lebanese food recently. Like major cravings. I made my grandmother's jadra recipe the other night for dinner, lentils and rice, which is one of my favorite Lebanese dishes, besides raw kibbeh and stuffed squash, of course. I also devoured many, many bowls of her soaked salad with it.
Needless to say, I was in heaven.
Well, that still didn't completely satisfy my cravings apparently, because I've been eating Mediterranean inspired meals every day for the last week basically.
Of the many things I've made, this hummus was one. And let me tell you, I'm a plain old very garlicy, lemony, and salty hummus person, but this was surprisingly delicious! I say "was" because I ate the whole batch in two days...
Oh, and while we're on the chickpea subject, I currently have these "Chickpea Meringues" in the oven right now, which I saw on Food Network. All it is, is the liquid from the can of chickpeas whipped up with cream of tartar and sugar (of course I had to add cocoa powder and espresso powder because, I can't simply follow a recipe) until an egg white stiff peak consistency. I know, it sounds really scary, but also really cool. We'll see how it goes.
On another note, I'm a little spoiled when it comes to bread. I know I said I'm a sandwich person, but the bread HAS to be fresh, nice bread.
Nice
meaning not the loaf of "honey wheat" next to all of the other many types of soft bread. I like hearty, dense, fresh bread, like homemade sourdough, ciabatta, french, rye, etc. There is one type of "normal" bread I like, even though it's not really normal at all--
Ezekiel bread.
It's a dense, seedy bread made from sprouted grains. You can usually find it in the freezer section at your grocery store. It takes a strange palate to enjoy it, but my mom and I are both fans.
So this is how this insane sandwich came to be...
I walk into our kitchen after two and a half hours of a very muddy track practice, on the verge of starving to death, and I see a fresh loaf of ciabatta bread sitting in the counter. Then I had major BLT cravings.
Then I made this... And I obviously had to add an extra runny egg on top.
I mean, come on, how could I not?
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus BLT
1 Sandwich
1/4 loaf of ciabatta bread- cut in half to make 2 slices
olive oil
1 garlic cloves- smashed
sea salt & fresh black pepper
4+ thin slices fresh buffalo mozzarella
2 slices thick-cut pepper bacon
2 tbs. Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (recipe down below)
1 egg
handful of fresh spinach
1 Kumato, or brown, tomato- 4 thin slices
2-3 fresh basil leaves- i used 3 because I'm in love with basil but use 2 for a milder flavor
Drizzle the both sides of each slice of bread with olive and rub the insides with the garlic clove. Sprinkle salt and pepper on each inside and gently rub in. Spread 1 tbs. hummus on each slice. Set aside.
In a skillet, fry the bacon until extra crispy.
Using the bacon grease left in the skillet, fry an egg on each side, leaving the inside runny- about 45 seconds to 1 minute on the first side and 20-30 seconds on the next.
Layer the cheese on the bottom slice of bread, and broil both pieces of bread until cheese is melted and the bread is toasted.
Cut the basil into thin long ribbons. Layer the bacon, spinach, basil, and tomato slices on top of the cheese in that order. Top with other slice of bread, press on the panini press* until lightly grilled and pressed together- about 1 minute. Open the top piece of bread up, gently lay the egg on top of the tomatoes, and close. Cut in half.
*Can fry on grill pan or skillet if you don't have a panini press
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 red bell pepper- cut into thin strips, drizzle with olive oil and roasted until soft and charred at 425º*
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas- rinsed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1-2 tsp. black pepper (I used 2 because I love black pepper)
1 tsp. dried oregano & basil
1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper
3 tbs. tahini
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon- juiced
water
Once peppers are cooled, puree everything for at least 2 minutes, adding a tbs. of water at a time until smooth. Store in fridge.
*Can use jarred roasted red bell peppers- 1/2 cup packed
P.S.-- The meringues flattened completely and stuck to the pan. I think I was distracted by frying my pancakes to whip them into stiff peaks--- oops.........
XOXO
-Cecilia A.