Antipasto Sandwiches

I'm a sucker for sandwiches - especially anything on a chewy French bagette!  I'm also a sucker for anything in the antipasto family; anything that's marinated in olive oil is big deal in my books!  So when I flipped through this month's drool-worthy issue of Food & Wine Magazine, I was so excited to see their recipe for Double-Grilled Antipasto Sandwiches!  This is a great recipe for when you just want to run into the deli and grab a couple quick items!  So easy and so delicious!  Rather than the provolone that the original recipe called for, I used extra old cheddar for more of a bite.  I also served this with fresh basil leaves and a basil mayo.  Check it out!

Antipasto Sandwiches
Ingredients:
250g thinly sliced proscuitto
125g extra old cheddar cut into 3/4 inch x 3 inch sticks
olive oil for brushing
1 large bagette, cut down the centre and cut into 2-3 pieces
1 large garlic clove, halved
250g marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
125-250g roasted red peppers, cut into strips
a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves

Basil Mayo:
1/4 cup mayonaisse
2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh basil leaves
splash of white wine vinegar, to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Method:
Heat up your grill pan, or light a grill, or fire up the Gordon Ramsay grill (or George Foreman grill....)  Lay out 2 slices of proscuitto, overlapping slightly.  Position on chunk of cheese at one end and lay a large basil leaf down the centre of the proscuitto.  Roll up.  Repeat with the other two chunks of cheese. 

Take 2 wooden skewers and thread thru the bundles.  Cut down the centre & set aside.

Lightly brush the insides of the baguettes with olive oil and lightly grill - get some lines going if you want!  Remove from grill and rub the cut side of the garlic cloves along the insides.  Set aside.

Next up, add the proscuitto skewers to the grill (medium-high) and cook 5-7 minutes, until the proscuitto is getting crispy and the cheese is getting melty.

While that's cooking, spread the inside of the baguettes with the basil mayo.  Top with artichokes and red peppers and wait for those delicious proscuitto bundles to be ready!

waiting for the nom nom bundles!

Once the bundles are done, carefully remove from the skewers and position on your sandwiches.  Serve immediately and be prepared to be a kitchen hero for the next couple days!!

PSA: National Hunger Awareness Week 2012

Last week was National Hunger Awareness week, and although I'm a bit late in posting this, I thought it's still really important to share!

Did you know?

• Hundreds of thousands of Canadians use food banks because they do not have enough money to feed themselves or their families. Children. Seniors. People with disabilities. People who have jobs and still can't make ends meet.
• Hunger in Canada exists because deep and persistent poverty continues in the country. For more than a decade, diverse and inter-related factors have sustained this situation: a labour market that fails to provide enough jobs with stable, livable wages; a rise in precarious and non-standard employment; a fraying income security system that does not provide sufficient financial support for those in need; a lack of affordable, social housing; and accessible and affordable child care. People living in poverty cannot afford sufficient, nutritious food. Many turn to food banks to help them meet this most basic need.
• Hunger in Canada can be alleviated. Everyone can play a part in reducing hunger!  Not just at Christmas either - people need help all year long!

I always feel really fortunate to live in Canada and to have the opportunity to earn all the things our family wants and needs, but these opportunities don't come as easily to others as they do to me, you or many of the people we know.  I think it's important to help out pals in need when we can, so with the help of my office social committee, we made bagged lunches and sold them to our co-workers to raise money for our local food bank!

Choices: chicken, ham or veggie!

It was a great success, as all of our fundraising schemes, and best part - the lunches were delicious!!  I don't know why, but a sandwich always tastes better when someone else makes it for you ;)

Ready for delivery!!

There is probably a pretty good chance that right now, your local Food Bank has a need for food or funds to stock their shelves - take a quick look in your pantry or even your wallet; a little goes a long way!  Share with others some of the benefits you may enjoy because of the opportunities you are given!

xo

Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)

I don't want to jinx anything, but I gotta say: I think that sunny days are here to stay!!  Judging by my burnt arms and legs, it's easy to see that I had a great weekend! 

Yesterday I spent the day in Calgary with my sister - first we ate at Clive Burger - I swear I had been dreaming of those burgers for weeks and they did not disappoint!  Then she took me to an interesting market called Kingsland Farmer's Market - what a delight that place is!  It's definitely no St. Lawrence Market, but very cool, almost like Old Strathcona's Farmer's Market!  My sister told me that it's bigger during produce season, so I can't wait to go back this summer!  I ended up purchasing some delicious pitas and tzaziki sauce from Sichani’s Mediterranean, which was the inspiration for tonight's dinner: Pork Souvlaki!! 

I also have been eyeing up a bag of Israeli Couscous blend in my pantry that was given to me (I WON!) from Lindsey's blog!  She is a Trader Joe's addict and put together a gigantic Trader Joe's prize including many amazing thing from their store!  So I decided to make a couscous salad with all the Greek flavours and got a super nom nom salad! (In case you're wondering, Israeli couscous is a large version of couscouc, similar to pearl barley) Check out the recipes:

Pork Souvlaki with Greek Salad (featuring Israeli Couscous!)

Pork Souvlaki Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
5 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped finely
fresh ground salt & pepper

If you don't have one of these blends, you could
use plain Israeli Couscous!

Greek Salad Ingredients:
3/4 cup Israeli Couscous (or blend)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
fresh ground salt & papper
1 large shallot or red onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 cup cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup each chopped red & green pepper
2 cups spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Serve with: tzaziki sauce, soft pitas & chopped jalapeno pepper

Method:
In a medium glass bowl, combine all of the souvlaki marinade ingredients and add the cubed pork tenderloin.  Allow to marinate in the fridge for about an hour...  while this is happening soak some wooden skewers in water - this will prevent them from burning on the BBQ (I didn't soak mine long enough and they became very blackened!)

Ready for Todd to get his grill on!

After the tenderloin has had a chance to soak up the delicious marinade, thread the meat onto the prepared skewers and fire up the BBQ!  Cook at about 400degrees for about 12 - 15 minutes, turning a couple times. 

If you're an eager beaver, while the pork is marinating, you could be prepping your amazing salad!  Start with getting the couscous cooked: get a medium pot of water boiling - add a generous pinch of salt and the couscous.  Boil for about 8-12 minutes; read the instructions on your package and follow those times!  When it's done cooking, rinse under cold water and let drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper.  Whisk until it thickens slightly.  Once this ready, add the cucumber, tomato, peppers, feta and couscous.  Wait till right before you're going to eat to add the spinach, because it will wilt a little bit!

To serve, warm up some pitas.  Spread some tzaziki on a pita, add a souvlaki skewer, some more tzaziki and top with some chopped jalapeno!  Put a big spoonful of the salad on the side and dinner is served!

Me at Clive Burger, surrounded by my sister's drawings!