THE BLT THREE WAYS
Not much storytelling or history lesson here, just three turns on awesomeness.
We begin with the bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. It rings all the right taste bells: crispness and acidity enfolded in juiciness (tomato), fat and salt (bacon) and umami (tomato and bacon). It even provides a fine background canvas (bread and lettuce) against which all these tasties display their best.
What a sandwich. The best of them all?
It occurred to me to play around with the three foods-as-acronym, the B, the L and the T. So, three recipes today for different rides on that grand line, the BLT: a sandwich, a soup and a salad. (Also, three versions of salted and cured pork that we lovingly call “bacon.”)
Are there three more delicious letters in cooking and eating than B, L, and T?
RECIPE 1: Baguette BLTs
Makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
1/2 pound thick-cut smoked bacon
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, if desired, and thinly sliced
Several red or green leaf lettuce leaves
1 long or 2 short baguette(s), split horizontally
Directions
Place the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook, turning occasionally, until crisp and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan; drain on paper towels.
Mix mayonnaise with fresh basil in a bowl. Spread evenly onto open sides of baguette(s). Arrange tomatoes on one side. Layer with bacon slices and lettuce leaves. Place other side of baguette on each. Slice on an angle to create 4 sandwiches.
A BLT as Soup!
RECIPE 2: Gazpacho with crispy prosciutto
Serves 6-10, depending on portion size
Ingredients
6-8 slices prosciutto
2 cups firm-crumbed bread, crustless, cubed
1/2 cup water
5 ripe, medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 English or 1-2 Persian cucumber(s), peeled and chopped
4 leaves romaine lettuce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 large white onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic
Directions
Make the crispy prosciutto: preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a wire rack on a large baking sheet. (Alternatively, if you don't have a rack, you can roast the prosciutto on a parchment-lined baking sheet.) Arrange the prosciutto slices in a single layer on the rack and roast until quite crisp, 6-8 minutes. Roughly crumble the prosciutto and set it aside.
Make the gazpacho: Place the bread and water in a bowl and let the mixture rest for 10-12 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most or all of the water. Transfer the bread mixture to a very large bowl; add all the remaining ingredients and toss everything to combine well. In the bowl of food processor or blender, purée everything until smooth. (It may be necessary to do this in batches.) Using a sieve or china cap, strain the gazpacho over another large bowl, unless you prefer a slightly coarse soup.
Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours until very well chilled. (Gazpacho may be prepared up to 8 hours ahead. Keep covered and refrigerated.) To serve, ladle gazpacho into chilled bowls or cups, topped with the crumbled crispy prosciutto.
RECIPE 3: Panzanella
Adapted from seriouseats.com; makes 4 servings as a main course. The salted and drained tomato water is a terrific backbone for the vinaigrette. Toasting fresh, thick-crumbed bread in the oven is a tastier alternative to the traditional panzanella recipe asking for stale bread.
Ingredients
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and roughly cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 large leaves romaine lettuce
6 cups rustic bread, such as ciabatta, cut into 1-inch cubes (most if not all of a loaf)
10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound thick-cut pancetta, sliced, cooked and roughly crumbled
1/2 cup packed basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Directions
Place tomatoes in a colander set over a bowl and season with the kosher salt. Toss to coat. Set aside at room temperature to drain, tossing occasionally, while you toast the bread. Drain for a minimum of 15 minutes.
Remove the "rib" from each leaf of lettuce by slicing away the leaf on each side and chop the ribs into 3/4-inch lengths. Roughly rip up the leaves into small pieces. Set both aside.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and adjust rack to center position. In a large bowl, toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until crisp and firm but not browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Remove colander with tomatoes from bowl with tomato juice, setting the colander where it still may safely drip. To the bowl with the tomato juices, add shallot, garlic, mustard and vinegar. Whisking constantly, drizzle in the remaining 8 tablespoons olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread with tomatoes from the colander, the lettuces, crumbled bacon and the dressing. Add basil leaves. Toss everything to coat and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Let the panzanella rest for 30 minutes before serving, tossing once or twice more until dressing is completely absorbed by the bread.