Pan Bagnat Recipe

Right here is one thing I’ve by no means heard in my life:

“I favor my pasta deconstructed, with plain noodles subsequent to every particular person sauce element so I can assemble the right chunk precisely as I want.”

Frankly, I am unsure I’ve heard a remark like that about any dish. But with regards to Niçoise salad, many stay caught on the concept that serving all of the parts individually with the seasonings and dressing on the aspect is the easiest way to do it, as if such excessive customization is the logical highest precedence.

It is a basic case of affirmation bias—folks favor the salad served this manner as a result of that is how they’re used to seeing it. However, as I’ve written earlier than, there may be neither clear historic precedent nor culinary rationale for that method. It’s a lot better dressed, seasoned, and no less than considerably mixed, similar to another good salad can be. Positive, you’ll be able to artfully organize the parts within the salad bowl, however there may be nothing distinctive a couple of Niçoise that makes it higher in an unfinished state.

Why am I beginning a chunk about pan bagnat, the well-known Niçoise tuna and tomato sandwich, with a return to my years-old polemic in regards to the salad? Principally as a result of I am a cussed SOB who cannot let go of an argument. But additionally as a result of it is straight related right here: Pan bagnat is actually only a Niçoise salad sandwich. We have to agree about what a Niçoise salad can (and arguably ought to) be if we need to make an ideal sandwich out of it.

Step one to reaching that’s doing precisely what I argued for in my Niçoise salad recipe—it have to be seasoned, dressed, and assembled thoughtfully.

Now, I will admit, I took some liberties in my salade Niçoise recipe. I added potatoes and inexperienced beans as a result of they’ve turn out to be widespread in lots of renditions exterior of Good, even when not thought-about to be “genuine.” I will not be including these components right here, as a result of I do not assume the sandwich advantages from them.

That is simply as properly, as a result of there’s lots else so as to add to the sandwich, and a few essential technical particulars for easy methods to make it nice. Observe these tips and you will get a superlative pan bagnat that’s each mild and contemporary because of the numerous seasonal greens within the filling, and likewise wealthy and satisfying with its beneficiant serving of hearty boiled eggs, loads of briny olives and aromatic olive oil, meaty tuna, and salty anchovies.

Pan Bagnat’s Important Substances and Its Non-compulsory Ones

Simply as with a Niçoise salad, there are some components one would anticipate finding in nearly any pan bagnat, and a few that you may add or pass over relying in your choice and the season. Please do not take this division between “required” and “non-compulsory” too rigidly, it isn’t an official checklist printed and framed by the Société Historique pour la Préservation et la Défense du Pan Bagnat Traditionnel*, however extra a tough guideline meant that can assist you take into consideration what the core components are versus the nice-to-haves.

[*This is not real, though I would not be shocked to learn that such an organization existed.]**

[**Update: There IS a real organization because of course there is! HT to David Lebovitz for that little tidbit.]

Important Substances

• Tomatoes: The important thing right here is to make use of lovely summer season tomatoes—this can be a peak-season sandwich, and will not be practically nearly as good in the event you attempt to make it in the midst of February, or with mealy grocery store tomatoes that have been picked whereas nonetheless embryonic. Don’t fret in regards to the particular tomato selection, many can work so long as they’re flavorful and ripe.
• Eggs: Historically onerous boiled, however I occur to love a barely jammier yolk right here—roughly a nine-minute boiling time versus 11 minutes for a hard-cooked yolk (however do whichever you like).
• Basil: The contemporary, natural aroma of the Mediterranean. Tear the leaves by hand, scatter them all through.
• Olive Oil: Get some respectable extra-virgin olive oil and do not maintain again, glug it on, then glug it on some extra. Your fingers ought to turn out to be greasy while you maintain this sandwich, which is nice as a result of it is good to your pores and skin anyway.
• Tuna: Use silkier oil-packed, not dry water-packed—it’s going to matter right here in texture and taste. Even higher, get ventresca tuna, which is a buttery, fatty stomach lower. It’s going to price extra, however the improve in texture is simple.
• Anchovies: As soon as once more, oil-packed anchovy fillets are greatest, and high quality issues. Higher ones, corresponding to from Angostino Recca, are plump and flavorful with out being painfully salty (do not get me fallacious, they’re lots salty, simply not on the scrape this off my tongue proper now! degree). One ongoing debate within the land of Niçoise salads and associated dishes like pan bagnat is whether or not tuna and anchovies belong collectively or whether or not it is extra of an both/or state of affairs. Some argue one ought to solely use one and the choice needs to be given to anchovies, however I really like each, I see no motive to not use each—I do not assume they compete with one another—however you’ll be able to resolve for your self.

• Olives: Small Niçoise olives which are brown to deep plumy black in coloration are the basic alternative, however any related olive from the Mediterranean can work. For the sake of your tooth, get them pitted or take away the pits first.
• Garlic: The concept right here is to run a clove all around the lower sides of the bread in order that the sandwich is perfumed with garlic with out being rank with garlic, however if you would like a much bigger garlic hit, be at liberty to mince it up and add it to the sandwich filling.
• Scallions: Primarily based on my analysis, scallions or the same however barely extra bulbous white spring onions appear to be the commonest decisions, however you would additionally use a thinly sliced white onion, which is one other widespread ingredient in conventional Niçoise salads.
• Bread Rolls: It is a sandwich, therefore you want bread. When you do not stay in France, you are most likely not going to have the ability to get the precise sort of roll they use there, however any generously sized white sandwich roll with a reasonable crust and dense but tender crumb will work. Remember to scoop out a few of that crumb so you’ll be able to pack in additional of the ample fillings with out the entire thing falling aside or changing into preposterously tall.

Non-compulsory Substances

• Fava Beans: The place I stay, favas are likely to peak within the spring and disappear from the market by the point good tomatoes present up, however in different places you could discover there’s extra seasonal overlap (or perhaps you simply have a supply for favas even once they’re not rising regionally). If you may get favas, they are a common alternative. Simply take away the beans from the big pods, blanch, peel off the outer pores and skin of every bean, and add to the combo.

• Inexperienced Pepper: I went forwards and backwards on whether or not inexperienced peppers needs to be listed as non-compulsory or required—they’re undoubtedly an especially widespread element, a lot so that they are borderline important. The peppers I’ve seen utilized in France are usually not the identical as a inexperienced bell pepper, however bell peppers can work in a pinch. Even higher, a Cubanelle pepper, which is narrower than a bell pepper and thus yields smaller rounds as soon as sliced, works properly.
• Radish: Ideally French breakfast radishes, sliced very thinly on a mandoline.
• Artichokes: I messed round throughout my recipe improvement with artichokes I cooked myself, however in the end determined it was extra scrumptious and far, a lot simpler to simply use a marinated artichoke coronary heart from a jar or a market’s antipasto bar. They’re tender, they’re flavorful because of their vinegar and olive oil marinade and—bonus—they’re usually flavored with herbs. The good chef Paul Bocuse used skinny slices of uncooked small purple artichoke hearts from Provence in his Niçoise salad recipe, so one thing like that might work right here too if you wish to go the uncooked route.

• Cucumbers: Typically present in a Niçoise salad, and absolutely a welcome addition right here.
• Vinegar: Most basic recipes don’t embrace a supply of acidity like vinegar, relying solely on the olive oil and salt to decorate the greens and proteins. Nonetheless, everyone knows how good a contact of acidity is in a French dressing and the way properly it brightens up a contemporary salad, so it is hardly a loopy thought so as to add a contact right here. I will go away it as much as you if you wish to stick extra to custom or go wild with a jolt of additional taste, however in the event you do, be at liberty to simply use a splash of wine vinegar or go all in with an precise French dressing.
• Knock Your self Out: Have an thought for one thing else you assume can be good in a pan bagnat? Go for it. That is clearly a sandwich that’s adaptable and open to interpretation.

The Key Methods for Pan Bagnat Success

A few of my suggestions, like ensuring to make use of very ripe, in-season tomatoes, searching for high-quality oil-packed tuna (ventresca particularly) and anchovies, and scooping out a few of the tender crumb from the rolls to pack in additional of the fillings are within the components rundown above. There are a couple of extra technical particulars that can make an enormous distinction in your outcomes, they usually embrace:

• Do not Combine The whole lot: As a lot as I am in favor of seasoning and dressing salad components and mixing them collectively in order that the’re flavorful and evenly seasoned, some components are greatest omitted till they’re layered straight into the sandwich. Extra particularly, I like to recommend not tossing the boiled eggs, the tuna, or the anchovies with the opposite components. That is to keep away from breakup up the tuna and eggs, which might muddy the combination. As for the anchovies, they’re strongly flavored, so it is higher to manage precisely what number of go into every sandwich.

• Maximize the Tomato: Pan bagnat interprets to “bathed bread,” which describes simply how splendidly oil- and tomato juice–soaked the bread needs to be. To ensure to essentially get the tomatoes infused into the bread, I borrowed a way from Kenji’s previous pan con tomate recipe by grating a portion of the tomatoes to make a fast puree and spooning a little bit of that onto the lower sides of the rolls. The remainder of the tomatoes are then sliced and added as a part of the filling.
• Season Completely: There are quite a lot of parts to a sandwich like this, and in the event you do not evenly season all of them with salt you danger the sandwich tasting bland. Meaning not solely including salt to the filling components that get tossed along with olive oil, but additionally the boiled egg quarters, the sliced tomatoes, and the grated tomato puree. The purpose is not to over-salt, however to make sure no a part of the sandwich tastes bland. A little bit of contemporary black pepper does not harm both.

• Make Full Use of Your Oils: The oil that is available in a jar of high-quality tuna, anchovies, or marinated artichokes is not all the time one of the best stuff, but it surely’s usually infused with taste from the fish or vegetable. I would not use it totally instead of good, contemporary extra-virgin olive oil, but it surely’s not the worst thought to drizzle a little bit of it onto the sandwiches in the event you assume it has some worthwhile taste so as to add to the combo.
• Wrap and Relaxation: There are numerous sandwiches that profit from being wrapped up and allowed to take a seat for some time earlier than being eaten. Lots of these are sizzling sandwiches like rooster and eggplant parm hoagies, or an excellent previous bacon, egg, and cheese, with the steam of the recent fillings serving to to melt the bread and glue the sandwich collectively. However a pan bagnat is a superb instance of a chilly sandwich that additionally advantages from a relaxation, permitting the juices to soak into the bread, the filling to settle and compress (some folks even put a weight on high of the wrapped sandwiches to assist this alongside), and provides all of the flavors an opportunity to infuse and mingle. Do not skip it.