Cheesy Vegetable Hoagie with Tomatoes, Greens, and Kalamata Olives

What can one do with a harvest of wonderful, tasty tomatoes? Making sandwiches is the simplest answer. Tomatoes are a great accompaniment to feta cheese, so I combine them together along with some greens. Oregano, olives, cucumbers, all these ingredients belong together. One can't go wrong! 

Ingredients

2 rolls

2 large tomatoes, sliced

some arugula

a few leaves of romaine lettuce, chopped

1 cucumber, preferably an English cucumber, sliced

half of a red onion sliced thinly

5 Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

    For the cheese base:

4 ounces feta cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

a handful of basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

black pepper 

    For the dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

salt and pepper

The veggies absorb lots of flavours if they stay in the dressing for about five minutes. 

Directions:

Gather the ingredients for the cheese base and whip them together.

Mix together the ingredients for the dressing.

Arrange the lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and onions on a plate.

Pour the dressing over them and let them sit in the dressing for five to ten minutes.

Meanwhile, split the rolls in half and toast them lightly.

Spread the whipped cheese over each half of the rolls. 

Arrange Kalamata olives over the cheese.

Top two of the sliced roll pieces with greens, onions, and cucumbers.

Top the other two halves with the sliced tomatoes. Make sure you pack the tomatoes tightly, or if you'd like, arrange them in two rows one on top of the other. You want lots of tomatoes!   

Bring the two halves together and serve. 

Alternately, you could eat this as an open-faced sandwich: just build the greens and tomatoes on top of the cheese. It won't necessarily be a hoagie but it will still taste delicious!

 An Open-faced version with some gorgeous tomatoes ... some bright green veggies ... but this roll was kind of large, so I cut it in half which made a perfect lunch for two people!  

From the first harvest of summer tomatoes! 

Open-Faced Tomato and Mozzarella Sandwich with Basil Dressing and Fleur de Sel Garnish

 

A superb way to use summer's tomato and basil bounty is to make this delicious sandwich. I used a French demi-baguette as a base for this "culinary" creation of mine. It was very fresh and just the right size. But frankly, I found the baguette too dense for the sandwich (it's not often you'll hear me complain about bread). What one wants here is a crunchy loaf that will support what it's topped with while allowing the basil and tomatoes to take the leading role. So you may want to try an Italian loaf which is not as dense as a French one. Whatever you do, don't use sourdough bread ... A rosemary loaf would be nice. How about an olive loaf??? There are lots of options, therefore make the recipe your own by choosing your favourite type of bread! The ingredients listed are enough for a smaller roll, one that makes a perfect lunch for two people. If you choose to go for a larger loaf, you'll have to double up on the ingredients. 

Ingredients:

Get some bread!

fresh mozzarella cheese, roughly chopped

2 or three freshly picked tomatoes, sliced

fleur de sel 

black pepper
chives, chopped

a few basil leaves sliced into chiffonade (to use as topping)

a scant amount of olive oil for topping

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

a squeeze or two of lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/4 cup basil, chopped well

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F.
• Make the basil dressing by combining the mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, chopped basil, minced garlic, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix or whisk kind of really, really well. 
• Slice the bread roll in two halves lengthwise. Lightly sprinkle one tablespoon of olive oil over both halves of the bread. Brush each half with the basil dressing.
• Top with the shredded fresh mozzarella.
• Place the bread halves on a baking sheet and bake them for five minutes until they become crispy and the cheese begins to turn a light golden brown. 
• Take the baking sheet out of the oven. Let the bread stay on the baking sheet. Top each half with tomato slices.
• Turn off the oven. Place the baking sheet into the still-warm oven so the tomatoes are exposed to heat. After about a minute, remove from the oven.  
• Lightly sprinkle the tops of your open-faced sandwiches with fleur de sel to taste. Add some ground black pepper, chopped chives and basil chiffonade. Drizzle over with a little olive oil and serve right away.