Pan Bagna (French Stick Sandwich)

This is a recipe for a traditional French ‘submarine’ sandwich. It can be filled with a variety of fillings, but instead of butter or margarine, the bread is ‘bathed’ in olive oil. Pan Bagna should be moist, so it may not the sort of thing you want to eat in polite company! It is best made at least an hour in advance (the resting time is shown as "cooking time") which makes it ideal for filling your lunch box or taking on picnics. Posted for Zaar World Tour 2005.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 3-4

Ingredients

• 1  long French baguette
• 1  garlic clove, halved
• 4 -6  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 -4  ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1  small green pepper, thinly sliced
• 2  ounces gruyere cheese, thinly sliced
•  black olives, stoned and sliced
• 6  fresh basil leaves
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Cut the baguette in half, then rub the cut surfaces with the garlic; discard the clove.
2. Brush 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over each half of bread, lay the tomato slices on top of one half and season well.
3. Lay the sliced peppers on the tomatoes making sure there is a good even coverage; drizzle the remaining oil over the top.
4. Finish off by layering over the slices of cheese, olives and basil leaves; sandwich the loaf together firmly and wrap it in cling film for at least an hour.
5. Serve cut diagonally in thick slices.