Pan Bagnat



This should be called PAIN bagnat instead of pan bagnat (because it was a bit of a pain to make!).

The word "pan bagnat" means "wet bread" in French and this sandwich is just that!
Like a panzanella salad (bread salad) from Italy, where you moisten the bread with oil and vinegar to soften.

This sandwich originated in Nice, France and is basically a Nicoise Salad in a loaf (minus the green beans). Next time I will stick with my Salade Nicoise, much easier to prepare.

This was a chore to make, but worth the effort. There are a lot of ingredients involved and then you layer them in a hollowed out loaf of bread and weigh it down overnight with weights. You following me?

I saw a great looking photo (never browse for recipes on line when you are hungry) on tastespotting, the recipe originated from the L.A. Times.
I love the combination of ingredients and the photo was so pretty, so I decided to make one.

Pan Bagnat (makes enough for 6 for lunch):

1 baguette

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup black olives
4 tablespoons capers
1 clove garlic, minced

2 cans Italian tuna in olive oil, drained and broken apart
2 small boiling potatoes, boiled, cooled and sliced thinly
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced thinly
2 small vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup arugula










1. Halve the baguette lengthwise and scoop out a little of the interior of both sides with your fingers.

2. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper until combined. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified and set aside.

3. Coarsely chop the olives and capers, then combine in a small bowl with the minced garlic and set aside.

4. Fill the bottom part of the baguette with the olive mixture, spreading it evenly across the hollowed-out baguette. Layer the tuna over the olives, then, in even layers, add the potatoes, eggs and tomatoes. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the sandwich, then add the onions and the arugula, pressing down on the contents as you go. Top with the other baguette half and wrap the sandwich tightly with plastic. Refrigerate overnight, weighted with a cutting board or a plate topped with some cans or bottles.

5. The next day, take the sandwich out of the refrigerator in the morning and cut into sixths. Wrap individually and pack for lunch: the sandwiches are best when they've been sitting at room temperature for a couple of hours.

6. Eat and enjoy!


Comments

Would be perfect to put out for the superbowl!
It looks like the effort was worth it!
Anonymous said…
You need good strong teeth to bite into that beauty.

Mil
oh i love pan bagnat (which is actually a provencal word, not a mis-spelling) - and the tuna nicoise version is very appealing! not craving summery food, as it's freezing here at the moment... but that's one to try soon!
Maria said…
I love this idea! Great for parties! The insides are so colorful!! Great one!!!
Ciao Chow Linda said…
You managed to bring summer into my cold environment. Thanks for the great idea.
Ciao Chow Linda said…
PS - Love the new graphic avatar - and the heart egg yolks. I tried to do an obamicon a couple of days ago but never succeeded. :.(
kat said…
I think I saw Jacques Pepin make this once on his show. It certainly looks good even if it was a bit of a Pain
Mila said…
Stacy that is such a beautiful sandwich! I used to make the Italian version of that for picnics and bbq because it had no mayo and was picnic friendly.
Looks yummy to me and very filling.
Pam said…
It may have been a pain to make but it looks AMAZING! I would love this for lunch today.
Bob said…
That looks wicked good! I'm not surprised it was worth the effort.
I love all these ingredients but it is a lot of work. Maybe I can get my local Italian deli top make me one.Looks like great bread too.
That is a particularly handsome looking Pan Bagna (it's a little closer to 'bathing bread').
This sandwich is great for shoving in a backpack and taking on a hike or sitting on top of while you are river rafting.
We take them on the long leisurely floats down the river in Calgary. The only problem is waiting half an hour before you swim.
The Food Hunter said…
I agree it does sound like a lot of work but it sure looks good. I wish I had a piece right now.
Karen said…
Looks delish! You reminded me of my recipe for a stuffed italian sandwich, similar to this. Now I'm going to have to make it! LOL
Anonymous said…
I think the reason why it's "Pan" instead of "pain" is because it's the word for bread in provencal (langue d'Oc), same for "bagnat", actually.

Hm.

Ignore me, i'm only doing my linguist thing here :-)
Anonymous said…
it may have been a "pain" to make this but it's really beautiful to look at! see what i did there? i'm soooooooo witty.
Ginger said…
Hey Stacy,

You crack me up saying that was a pain, because it looks pretty amazing. I wonder what the pickled eggs would taste like in that sandwich? I have been making these non stop, everybody in my family loves them. Thanks for sharing!!
Laura said…
That looks soooo GOOD!!
Anonymous said…
Looks tasty! I love Italian tuna.
I think it's worth the work, it has a great presentation, and I already know it tastes good!
I can't come here at 11:30 PM, I keep drooling over your hunters stew!
Anonymous said…
Now that's a sandwich, wow, I love it! I love the weights pic too...nice one.
Peter M said…
This would be made to impress, party, pot luck or work lunch. I'll bring the soup you bring the PAIN!
Anonymous said…
So pretty! I want that for lunch right now.
Anonymous said…
I've had this sandwich once. It was marvelous! Your version looks even more delicious.
Keithgarrick said…
That is a great pan bagnat. Me and my wife are soccer parents and we always end up being at the field for several hours. We tend to eat fast food, and other vending machine junk. This seems like a perfect sandwich to do the morning of and pack in a cooler with some other goodies. Thanks for the idea.
Anonymous said…
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the food doctor said…
This is amazing
looks really delicious! will give it a try soon
Anonymous said…
So cute that you thought this was a pain back in 2009, and now you make more complicated items - your culinary repertoire has definitely expanded!
Rebecca