I freely acknowledge that most days the kitchen is not my milieu. Oh I can rise to the occasion - a small dinner party, a backyard BBQ, even a big turkey dinner - just fine. But Monday to Friday meat and potatoes? Feh. I'm happier with scrambled eggs and a nicely toasted English muffin to be perfectly honest. Cooking for an unappreciative audience doesn't help. Vegetable intolerance, herb phobias and a general unwillingness to try anything new make the dinner hour my Waterloo. Not to be overly dramatic.
I find myself in a bit of a culinary funk. It's happened before. It usually means a few days of Kraft Dinner and boiled hot dogs. Maybe a frozen pizza. Eggos for breakfast. And far too much time spent daydreaming of toodling around Italy with Jamie Oliver, eating sun-warmed tomatoes and panzanella. I really need to find some fresh inspiration. And so with all the time I've saved by not cooking, I shall visit here and here and maybe stop by here so that when the farmer's market opens next month I will be not just inspired but also perfectly attired. Surely the stalemate will have ended by then.
There is one exception to my kitchen woes: the sandwich. Oh how I love them. And love to make them. Here is one of my all-time favourites. It's really good. Of course no one else will eat it. It contains arugula after all.
You will need:
baguette
half of an avocado, sliced
some sliced BBQ chicken breast. Leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store works like a charm.
arugula
fresh boconcini or buffalo mozzarella
tomato sliced thinly. Leave it out if you can't find a good vine-ripened one.
a dab of pesto
optional but totally worth it: sliced fresh fig
salt and pepper
Spread a bit of the pesto on both halves of the baguette then layer everything else on top. Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, just so the boconcini melts a bit and the bread gets a nice crust. Let it cool for a few minutes, but definitely eat while it's still warm. The sweetness of the fig is delicious with salty pesto and peppery arugula. Bon appetit.
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