Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Sandwiches

Hello! Welcome to Enjoy Delicious...! My name is Claire and I love to cook and try new recipes. I have had a pretty delicious run lately, and I thought that I would share some of them with you! My first recipe is one that I have been making for years, updating it here and there along the way. I had it for lunch today, and took a quick photo of it. Here we go! Let's enjoy delicious...

...Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Sandwiches
Serves 1

For this recipe, you'll need:

*10-15 large basil leaves
*1 tbsp pine nuts (walnuts are a delicious substitute!)
*2 tbsps parmesan cheese, shredded
*1 clove garlic, minced
*olive oil
*salt and pepper
*1 crusty bun
*1/2 a small tomato
*2 slices red onion (optional)
*2 large or 4 small slices of mozzarella cheese

I like to start with the pesto. I use a mini Cuisinart for this, but you can also use a mortar and pestle. If you don't have either, chop everything extremely fine, and mix in a small bowl. There are endless recipes for pesto online, so go ahead and find one that works for you and your kitchen!

Start by roughly chopping the basil, reserving two leaves for the sandwich. Add the pine nuts, parmesan, and garlic. Using either setting (I like to switch back and forth), grind everything into a thick paste. Add about a tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Remember that the parmesan cheese is salty on it's own, so don't overdo the salt. Grind everything up for another ten seconds, and check the consistency. If it is too dry, add a little more oil.

Note: I like a drier pesto for this sandwich, so the sandwich itself doesn't get too oily. I find that store bought pesto is far too oily, but feel free to use it to save some time. Just try to get as little oil as possible on the bun, or it will be pretty messy when you try to eat it!

Set your oven to 500F on the broiler setting. Remember to keep your oven door open a crack. I wouldn't want anyone setting their kitchen on fire!

Slice the bun in half and spread half the pesto on each piece. Put them on a baking sheet covered in tin foil. (Note: I like to save myself a mess later, but the tinfoil is totally optional!) Slice the tomato and arrange two or three pieces on each half. I find they fit better if you take a little bite of every second slice. Or maybe I was just excited to eat the sandwich... :) Put the reserved basil leaves on top of the tomato, followed by the red onion. Top it all with the mozza slices, and pop it in the oven once your broiler is ready. Keep the oven door open a crack. Once the cheese is nice and golden, the sandwiches are ready. Try and wait long enough for them to cool a bit and then enjoy delicious Tomato, Mozzarella, and Pesto Sandwiches!

xoxo,
Claire