Pan Bagnat

Here in G-Vegas, our downtown offers a free outdoor movie once a week throughout the month of May & Sept. It's a great excuse for a picnic in my opinion. We loaded up this amazing little sammie and a bottle of wine and met a friend out there for a moonlight movie.

This sandwich was a huge hit and one we'll definitely be repeating soon. The flavors are so good! We added some yummy sardines to ours but you could also add good quality can tuna. The dressing seeps into the bread and the affect is pretty delicious!

Pan Bagnat is a classic french tuna sandwich that means "wet bread". Very popular lunch time sandwich that is sold in Nice, France in the markets and cafe's. What's interesting about the town of Nice is that it is around 18 miles from Italy's border, which means there is some Italian mingling going on in their cuisine!

I'm hoping to try a few more recipes from Nice very soon. I really like the Italian/French fusion that this town is known for!

Pan Bagnat
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Recipe modified from Food & Wine
Serves 4

1 fennel bulb, halved and cut crosswise into very thin slices
1 cup drained and rinsed canned chickpeas (from one 15-ounce can)
1/3 cup black olives, such as Niçoise or Kalamata, pitted and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
4 teaspoons wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
4 large crusty rolls, split

In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the fennel, chickpeas, olives, capers, parsley, garlic, and tomato. Add the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper and toss.

Remove some of the soft center from each half roll, leaving a 1/2-inch shell. Mound the filling onto the bottom of each roll. Drizzle any remaining juices over the filling. Cover with the top of each roll.

If you have time, wrap each roll tightly in aluminum foil and let sit for 15 minutes or up to 2 hours. Otherwise, press down on the rolls firmly so that the dressing moistens the bread.

Notes Variations
Other delicious ingredients to add to the sandwich include strips of raw green bell pepper or roasted red bell pepper, sliced hard-cooked egg, a small can of drained tuna, a few chopped anchovy fillets, or a handful of fresh basil leaves.