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    You are here: Home / Dinner / Italian Sandwich with Homemade Tapenade

    Italian Sandwich with Homemade Tapenade

    Posted by David (Doggy Daddy) · Leave a Comment

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    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe
    italian sandwich cut in half
    This Italian sandwich is a flavor bomb!

    Sometimes there's nothing better than a deli sandwich to break the monotony and time restrictions of standard dinners. Austin doesn't really have delis - at least not like Pittsburgh, or the general Northeast for that matter. And while there are some very decent hoagie joints, if you really want a great sandie, it's best to just make it yourself.

    Jump to:
    • Let's Get Cooking
    • Construct the Sandwich
    • 🐶 Leela Storm's Suggested Pairings
    • 🍽 Kitchen Critique
    • ✔ Takeaways
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Quay came up with this Italian sandwich idea. It's like a charcuterie board on bread! The awesome parts include a homemade tapenade and roasted red pepper.

    Let's Get Cooking

    • red bell pepper charring on stove top
      Red pepper starting to char
    • red bell pepper finished charring
      Red pepper finished charring

    Start by charring a red bell pepper on the stovetop. Electric or gas will do the trick. Don't worry if it starts to smoke, that means a great char is forming. After it's nice and black on all sides, move it to a bowl and cover. While it cools, the steam helps to separate the charred skin from the pepper. Finish peeling with your hands.

    • kalamata and green castelvetrano olives with capers
      Olives and capers
    • chopped olives and capers
      Chopped olives and capers

    Tapenade is really easy to make, and there are many variations. Ours didn't include anchovies simply because we didn't have any on-hand.

    chopped parsley
    Finely chopped parsley
    tapenade with garlic prior to mixing
    Chopped tapenade ingredients in small bowl
    mixed olive tapenade
    Finished tapenade

    It's good to start with a small amount of each ingredient and adjust as needed.

    We had to add more green olives to balance the capers and an additional drizzle of EVOO.

    Construct the Sandwich

    sandwich bread with tapenade and extra virgin olive oil
    Homemade bread slices - begin with tapenade and EVOO

    Now for the fun part. I always liked putting together sandwiches. It's kind of therapeutic, and the best part is building it. For this one, we started by spreading tapenade on one slice and drizzling EVOO on the other. You want to use an oil with flavor here. Give a crack of pepper or a pinch of Maldon if you can handle it.

    I cut a few extra bread chunks for Leela. She'd rather have the prosciutto, but that's not an option.

    roasted red peppers added to sandwich
    Red pepper slices added to bread slice

    Add some sliced roasted red pepper on top of the tapenade and use a finger or spoon to press the olive oil into the bread.

    adding black pepper sopressata to the sandwich
    Sopressata added to sandwich

    Now, add some Sopresatta. Slice it in half if needed. Look at that placement.

    adding genoa salami to the sandwich
    Genoa salami added to sandwith

    Genoa salami is next! Cut it or tear it and add a layer to the sandwich.

    adding prosciutto to the sandwich
    Prosciutto added to sandwich

    We're not done yet. Add a nice bunch of Prosciutto to that thing and don't look back. I told you it's like a meat tray on bread!

    adding mozzarella to the sandwich
    Mozzarella chunks added to sandwich

    Mozzarella is next. Chunk that shiz up - no thin slices. You want the flavor to cut through the meats.

    finished italian sandwich
    Mozzarella topped with cracked black pepper and basil

    To finish things up, crack some black pepper on top of the cheese and add basil leaves - don't skimp.

    italian sandwich cut in half
    Finished Italian sandwich cut in half
    half sandwich in hand
    Sandwich held in hand

    Oh man, look at that thing! It's as colorful as it is flavorful.

    Italian sandwich with arugula on grain wheat bread

    Ok, one last pic. This was a couple of days later and used a wheat grain bakery bread. Equally delicious, but I prefer using my homemade slices.

    🐶 Leela Storm's Suggested Pairings

    • 🎵 Van Halen - Top Jimmy
    • 🍷 Pino Grigio
    • 🍺 West Coast IPA
    • 🍸 Vokda Martini, Up with a Twist

    🍽 Kitchen Critique

    Sandwiches were a big part of my life growing up. Bologna, turkey, chipped ham (shout out, Pittsburgh!), PB&J, grilled cheese, egg salad... you name it. But I never did Italian or other styles like this one. I think I thought: "If I want Italian, I'll go buy a hoagie."

    Ah, regrets. But there's still time to change, and we've really started to enjoy making non-typical sandwiches at home. They're great for lunch or dinner, and we put whatever the hell we want on them. Meat and cheese are just a foundation.

    The tapenade and soft roasted red pepper are standouts here. Both providing flavor blasts that pair so well with the meats and cheese. Basil does its thing and cuts through and the moz isn't lost based on its chunkiness.

    The only thing missing, but not required, is lightly-dressed arugula.

    ✔ Takeaways

    • Can't really f@&k up a sandwich, but you do have the power to make it amazing. So do it.
    • The fresher the bread, the better. Make or buy a nice loaf.
    • Even if you don't like olives, try a tapenade - it's very different and delicious.
    • Try different meat and cheese pairings.
    • Give some bread chunks to your doggy - they'll love you for 3-5 minutes extra.
    Print

    📖 Recipe

    Italian Sandwich with Homemade Tapenade

    italian sandwich cut in half
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Change up your sandwich game with this flavorful Italian-inspired plate. Homemade tapenade and roasted red pepper elevate it and will have you feeling quite accomplished in your new sandwich-making skills.

    • Author: David (Doggy Daddy)
    • Prep Time: 25
    • Total Time: 25 minutes
    • Yield: 1 sandwich 1x
    • Category: dinner
    • Cuisine: Italian

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • Homemade or bakery bread, 2 slices
    • 1 red bell pepper
    • 3 ounces mozzarella, sliced thick
    • EVOO
    • Palmful of basil

    Tapenade

    • 7 Pitted Castlevetrano green olives
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 5 Pitted Kalamata olives
    • 1.5 tsp capers
    • 2 Tbsp parsley
    • 1.5 Tbsp EVOO plus more if needed

    Meats

    • 6-8 slices Genoa salami
    • 6-8 slices black pepper Sopressata
    • 2 ounces (big pinch full) Prosciutto

    Instructions

    Roast the Red Pepper

    1. Char the pepper on your stovetop until black on all sides.
    2. Place into bowl and cover to cool.
    3. Remove the charred skin by hand and discard.
    4. Slice the roasted pepper into strips and marinate in a bit of EVOO.

    Tapenade

    1. Finely chop olives and capers.
    2. Finely chop the garlic and parsley.
    3. Mix together with EVOO along with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
    4. Adjust flavor to taste and set aside to marinate.

    Make the Sandwich

    1. Spoon a layer of tapenade on one side of bread.
    2. Drizzle EVOO on the other side and use a spoon to push it into the bread.
    3. Add roasted red pepper slices on the tapenade.
    4. Add a layer each of Sopressata, Genoa salami, prosciutto.
    5. Add chunks of mozzarella and top with black pepper and basil.
    6. Slice in half and enjoy.

    Notes

    Use fresh bread, homemade or from the bakery.

    If you have them, add anchovies to the tapenade.

    Keywords: Italian sandwich, olive tapenade, roasted red pepper, meat and cheese

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please tag us at @thehotelleela on Instagram and hashtag it #thehotelleela!

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