Pan Bagnat

I can't emphasize how amazing these sandwiches are. Pan Bagnat means "wet bread" and originates from Nice, France. There are many variations but this has become our favourite. The best thing about these sandwiches is they actually get better the longer they sit. Make them in the morning and they will have a few hours to absorb all the flavours and will be delicious by lunch time. This makes them the perfect picnic food. They are also a meat free choice.

I like to wrap them in parchment paper rather than plastic wrap. I find that the bread maintains its crispy crust this way. And if you are channeling your inner Martha Stewart you can wrap them with pretty ribbons rather than elastics as I did today.

I am not a fan of kitchen gadgets but there are some that are very useful. This is one I use on a weekly basis. It is an egg slicer and slices the egg into perfect thin rounds.

Ingredients

• 2 very ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• Fresh basil leaves
• Red wine vinegar
• 1 baguette
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced

Mix the tomatoes, onion, and basil leaves in a bowl. Season with red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate five minutes.

Cut the baguette in half lengthwise and pull out about two-thirds of the middle, leaving a crusty bread shell. Rub the insides with the garlic halves and drizzle generously with olive oil.


Fill the cavity with the tomato mixture. Spoon any remaining juice over the top of the baguette and the rest over the tomato mixture. Lay the sliced egg over top, season with salt and pepper, and put the top of the bread back on, pressing down well. Wrap in parchment until serving. The longer it sits, the more the flavours will soak into the bread.