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We all know that a good sandwich is a true thing of beauty, but it's completely dependent on being able to get delectable things to put in it. Although we were lucky at the start of the year and didn't suffer too badly trying to get hold of ingredients there were some occasions when things like lettuce and deli meats didn't arrive and I was even more grateful than ever for my little pantry of jars and tins. These occasions were when my 'isolation sandwich' was born.
Gone are the days when 'things in jars and tins' just meant hard syrupy fruit, bone filled pilchards and condensed soup. Now we have at our fingertips all manor of scrummy preserved prepared vegetables, salty olive tapenades, meaty Omega 3 packed sustainable fish and antipasti ready to plate up straight from the jar.
I'm a big lover of pickled and preserved veg so our larder always contains gherkins and cornichons, charred roasted peppers, plump butterbeans, sweet yet sour beetroot slices and at the moment some olive oil packed griddled courgette slices I made a few weeks ago. You'll also always find good quality tuna and anchovies, a variety of pestos and a few par-baked rustic French baguettes which are all used here, but the real star that I just adore is the oil preserved artichokes.
I have to admit I've only eaten fresh artichoke once and I've never prepared it - honestly it seems like such a faff that I'm happy to leave that to the chefs - plus I'm such a fan of prepared marinated artichoke hearts that I'm just not fussed! Although this post is kindly sponsored by
Ciao Gusto who have a marvelous selection of Italian foods available via Ocado, I've actually been buying their
Ponti brand jarred artichokes with fine herbs for a while now and they've become my go to choice. You can tell that the oil is of a better quality than most and the herbs are subtle so it doesn't mask the flavour of the vegetable.
Jarred Artichoke and Tuna Sandwich
Makes 2 generous sandwiches
Ingredients
1 large par-baked baguette, baked and split (I use this one)
Half jar of Ponti marinated artichoke hearts
One jar or tin of good quality oil packed tuna, drained and crumbled
One jarred roasted red pepper, torn into strips
A few leaves of chopped basil OR a teaspoon of pesto
1 tbsp honey mustard
2 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
Cook the baguette to the packet instructions and let cool a little, then cut into two and split. Spread with the mayo and honey mustard (and pesto if using) then put on the crumbled tuna - it may not seem like a lot but you want to let the vegetables shine here. Now layer on the pepper strips and pile on the artichoke hearts - use as many as you wish! Finally season with freshly ground pepper and a sprinkling of good sea salt, then drizzle over a teaspoon of the artichoke oil and sprinkle on the basil if using. Pop on the baguette 'lid' and enjoy your pantry sammich!
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