Hot dinner: Pressed steak or antipasti sandwiches
Instead of filling individual loaves or sandwiches, you can hollow out one large loaf, fill it with the ingredients and press for a few hours before slicing and eating. If you’re using small loaves, cut them in half and pull out most of the crumb with your fingers. The middles make excellent breadcrumbs, so freeze for another day.
Makes eight rolls or sandwiches
Preparation: 20 minutes, plus two to five hours pressing
Cooking: two minutes
Ingredients:
*Eight small, rustic loaves of bread, or 16 thin slices of rustic bread,
*Extra-virgin olive oil
For the steak:
*Six minute steaks
*One tsp finely chopped rosemary
*Four tbsp red onion relish
*Handful of wild rocket leaves
For the antipasti:
*300g antipasti (chargrilled peppers, artichokes, aubergines, or tomatoes in oil, drained weight)
*Two balls of buffalo mozzarella, drained thoroughly and sliced
*Handful of basil leaves
Place a griddle or frying pan over a high heat until smoking hot. Rub the steaks with a little olive oil and the rosemary. Season generously. Sear the steaks in the hot pan, literally for just a minute each side, until browned but still medium rare. Remove to a plate and leave to cool. Slice each steak into four and reserve the juices.
Drizzle the insides of the loaves, or one side of each bread slice, with olive oil. Layer four loaf bases or bread slices (oiled side up), a spoonful of steak juices (not too much or it will get soggy), 1 tbsp red onion relish, six pieces of steak and some rocket.
Layer the other four with the antipasti vegetables, mozzarella and basil leaves.
Replace all the loaf tops or top with a second slice of bread (oiled side down) and wrap each firmly in cling film. Place a weight (such as a can of beans) on top of each and leave to press in the refrigerator for two to five hours before unwrapping and eating.
Recipe from Friends at My Table by Alice Hart (Quadrille, £19.99).
