Two Open-Faces: Smoked Salmon with Feta & Bruschetta

Smoked Salmon with Feta & Bruschetta

These two open-faced sandwiches – the smoked salmon with feta and the bruschetta - are among my go-to recipes. I usually prepare them without a recipe and, once you have made them a few times, you won’t need the recipes either. But for the sake of the blog and those who are trying them for the first time, I have written my basic recipes here. Out of habit, I always make these two sandwiches to be served together. We enjoy them as a light dinner, but they also serve as appetizers - substantial appetizers.

I can’t remember the first time I made bruschetta, but it has been part of my kitchen repertoire for at least twenty years. I love its freshness, especially when the tomatoes and basil are at their peak in the summer, but any time of year, these sandwiches are so good.

It’s been many years since I first tasted the smoked salmon with feta cheese sandwiches at the Serendipity Gardens and Cafe in beautiful Rossport, Ontario. I had the pleasure of dining there only a few times when we lived in northwestern Ontario, but it was an enjoyable experience each time. My special memory of Serendipity was our twentieth wedding anniversary dinner – a surprise planned by my husband. It was very romantic, right down to the music that played while we enjoyed our meal: the owner had made a mixed tape (that’s like a play list for those too young to know cassette tapes) of tunes from the year we were married. Anyway, if you find yourself on the north shore of Lake Superior, stop at Serendipity and let me know if the smoked salmon and feta is still on the menu.

The bread used for both sandwiches is a baguette: a skinny stick of French bread. You can try other breads, but this is my preference. For the bruschetta, you can rub the slices with garlic before toasting them, but I prefer to add the garlic to the tomato mix. For the smoked salmon itself, I use whatever is available in my grocery store. The type that comes with a peppercorn seasoning is good for folks like me who are apt to sprinkle a lot of pepper on the sandwich anyway. For a change of pace, try candied salmon or even another type of smoked fish. It’s all good.

MA’s Smoked Salmon with Feta Sandwich

For the smoked salmon with feta sandwich

150 grams or 5 to 6 ounces smoked salmon (I used smoked salmon with peppercorn seasoning)

113 grams or 4 ounces feta cheese in brine – reserve 3 to 4 tsp of brine

1/8 cup chives or green onions, chopped fine

3 to 4 tsp olive oil 

          

10 slices baguette, cut on diagonal, 1 to 1 ½ inch thick

Make a creamy feta and chive topping

Drain feta, reserving 3 to 4 tsp of brine.

Mix together with love the feta, olive oil and brine until creamy. Add more oil if needed to get a creamy consistency.

Add chives to cheese mixture and stir until combined.

Spread cheese mixture on baguette slices.

Top with smoked salmon

Top each slice with pieces of smoked salmon.

Serve immediately.

           

Makes ten open face sandwiches.

Printable Recipe for MA's Smoked Salmon with Feta Sandwich

MA’s Bruschetta 

Preheat oven to 450º F.

Cover baking sheet with parchment paper or foil to ease clean up.

For the bruschetta

4 tomatoes, chopped

¼ cup fresh basil, minced

1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced

1/8 cup fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, minced

1 to 2 tsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp grated mozzarella cheese

Tomato mixture on toasted baguette slices

20 to 24 slices of baguette, white or whole wheat, cut on diagonal, 1 to 1 ½ inch thick

2 to 3 tbsp olive oil

In a bowl, mix together with love the tomatoes, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic, Parmesan and mozzarella. Set aside.

Note: This bruschetta mixture can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Just before serving, take the mixture out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature. Drain away any excess liquid from mixture before putting it on the toasted baguette.

Place baguette slices on baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Bake 3 to 4 minutes or until the slices are toasty and lightly browned.

Put a tablespoon or two of bruschetta mix on top of each piece of toasted baguette.

Serve immediately.

Makes 20 to 24 open faced sandwiches.

Printable Recipe for MA's Bruschetta

Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches from Darcy in the Kitchen

 Darcy's Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwich

Philadelphia has their Cheesesteak Sandwich and now, thanks to my daughter Darcy, Manitoba has ours.

As the name implies, a cheesesteak sandwich has something to do with cheese and something to do with beef. The cheese in this Manitoba version is provolone and the steak is roast beef, and they both came thinly sliced from the deli counter at the grocery store. Darcy adds lots of sautéed mushrooms and garlic, caramelized onions and some bell pepper strips. And then there is the option (though Darcy would probably say it’s not optional) of melting your favourite cheez-in-a-jar and drizzling it liberally over everything. She used submarine rolls, but you can cut up some Italian or French bread for your sandwich base.

To me the ingredients are a wee bit pricey for a sandwich, especially the provolone and the deli roast beef. But you really get a lot of food and a ton of taste so it’s well worth it. This makes up four very large and delicious sandwiches. You will not be hungry after eating one.

Darcy’s Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches

 Preheat oven to 375º F.

4 large submarine or sausage buns, slice horizontally if they aren’t already sliced

extra virgin olive oil

2 white onions, sliced thin

1 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

4 tsps minced garlic

2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 to 1 ½ lbs deli roast beef, sliced thin

½ to ¾ lb provolone cheese, sliced thin

cheez in a jar, melted (optional)

Stir some love into the onions and peppers

In a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Add onions and sauté until very soft. Add peppers and garlic and continue sautéing until all are softened, about ten minutes, stirring often with love. Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Sauteed mushrooms waiting for assembly

Add mushrooms to frying pan and sauté until nicely browned. (Note: you can cook the mushrooms with the onions and peppers if you like. Not everyone at our house enjoys mushrooms, so we cook them separately.) Remove to a bowl and keep warm.

Warm the roast beef slices

Place roast beef slices in frying pan and sauté for a few minutes until they are warmed through and softened.

If using the cheez in a jar, melt some in a bowl and keep it warm for drizzling. We used the microwave but a double boiler would work, too.

On a large baking tray, open out the four buns and assemble the sandwiches using the onions and peppers, mushrooms, roast beef, and melted cheez. Finish with a layer of provolone.

Place in oven until the provolone is nicely melted.   

Serve immediately.

Printable Recipe for Darcy's Manitoba Cheesesteak Sandwiches

Now that's a big sandwich!

Tomato Lentil Soup with Parmesan-crusted BBAT

Tomato Lentil Soup with Parmesan-crusted BBAT Sandwich

Have you ever tried to recreate something you had at a restaurant? Has that ever lead you to create something that was not quite the same, but darned delicious anyway? That’s what happened to me last week.

Early in February, I took a short, basketball-related trip to Kelowna with my daughter Keeley. We had lunch at a friendly, downtown sports bar. One of those places with signed sports memorabilia covering the walls and smiling people at every table. I can’t remember the name of the place, but I know from what we ate that there was a great chef in the kitchen. My daughter and I ordered the same lunch special: tomato basil soup with a parmesan-crusted grilled cheese, bacon and avocado sandwich. It was the most memorable soup and sandwich I'd had in a long time. The MA in the Kitchen version of this became Tomato Lentil Soup with a Parmesan-crusted grilled cheese sandwich made with Brie, Bacon, Avocado and Tomato. I present them here for your enjoyment, with special thanks to the chef in Kelowna who inspired this re-creation.

For my soup, I used white lentils, but you can use any kind of lentil you want, as you will be cooking them before adding them to the soup. (Canned lentils are okay, too.) Cooked lentils are good for you: high in calcium, potassium, zinc and iron. I used canned tomatoes, which made the soup really quick and easy to prepare.

For my sandwich, I used a triple-crème goat Brie because it was in the fridge (a special treat for me from my husband). You could substitute any creamy soft cheese, but I recommend trying this one for its richness and tang. I think an aioli sauce would be great on this sandwich and will try it next time. If you try it before I do, please let us know how it worked out. Because of the extreme nature of this grilled cheese, it comes with a warning: you will need extra napkins to eat this cheesy, buttery, bacon-y sandwich and because it is very cheesy, buttery and bacon-y, it's best not to indulge in it too frequently. 

Okay, let’s start with the soup.

MA's Tomato Lentil Soup

A few things you'll need for the soup

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrots, diced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes including juice

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cups cooked or canned lentils*

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp turmeric

*To cook lentils: Wash 1 cup of lentils in cold water. Place in saucepan with 3 cups water and bring to boil. Boil furiously, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent sticking. Cover the saucepan, lower heat and simmer for 25 to 45 minutes or until lentils are cooked through.

Stirring in the love: an important step

In a large soup pot, sauté garlic, onions, celery and carrots in olive oil on medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the stock, tomatoes, lentils, pepper and turmeric and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Printable Recipe for MA's Tomato Lentil Soup

MA's Parmesan-crusted BBAT 

BBAT sandwich ingredients

To make 4 sandwiches:

8 slices bread, your favorite kind

½  180 gram wheel Triple-Crème Goat Brie, cut into about 12 pieces

3 or 4 Roma tomatoes, sliced

1 avocado, cut into about 12 slices

6-8 strips bacon, cooked quite crisp

several tablespoons of mayonnaise

several tablespoons of butter

1/3 to 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, coarsely grated

Building the BBAT

To assemble each sandwich: 

• spread mayonnaise on the inside of both slices of bread
• add 3 or 4 pieces of Brie 
• add tomato slices 
• add avocado slices 
• add bacon 
• top sandwich with second slice of bread

Topping the bread with butter and Parmesan

Spread outside top slice with butter. Put Parmesan on buttered bread and pat down slightly to keep it in place.

Once you’ve built all 4 sandwiches, place them Parmesan-side down in a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. 

After a few minutes, check the Parmesan-side of the sandwiches to see if the Parmesan is crispy and well toasted. When it is, it's time to spread some butter on the top of each sandwich and add the Parmesan, patting it down on to the bread. Carefully flip over each sandwich and cook until the second side is crispy.

Get out the napkins and enjoy!

Printable Recipe for MA's Parmesan-crusted BBAT Sandwich

Time for soup