by jessica yoon
This month is my grandparents’ 60th anniversary. To celebrate we’ve planned a number of festivities, the first of which was a family dinner party. They put me in charge of the menu, which was a big responsibility, especially because the other hosting candidates were professional caterers and fancy hotel restaurants, but I gave it my all and played the granddaughter card, which definitely scored me some extra points!
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I’m in San Diego! It was such a spontaneous, impromptu trip that I still can’t believe I’m here. It’s been over two years since I was last in the States, I’m having so much fun visiting even the most mundane of places (ie. supermarkets). Obediently waiting for me when I got here was 1.5 years worth of Food & Wine magazines my grandparents diligently saved for me! It’s been so much fun going through them and tagging recipes and ideas I like.
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To enjoy the dog days of summer, I thought it would be nice to go on a picnic with some friends. Cold drinks, food, and a nice spot in the shade seemed like a good idea. I didn’t plan on making most of the food myself, but my secret wish came true. I don’t go on picnics very often, so if I was confined to one dish, I think I would’ve had an even harder time picking out what I wanted to bring. I mean, I thought about the picnic menu for days and ended up with almost two types of everything. It probably didn’t help that I went to Whole Foods without a definite plan or grocery list. My friend kept on telling me to get inspired by the seasonal ingredients, but I couldn’t! I’m just not experienced enough to know what I can do with what. Every time I get something, thinking I can make a certain dish, I end up having to run to the local deli in front of my house midway through a recipe because I don’t have fresh chives, tarragon, or heavy cream. Well, after more than an hour I finalized what I was going to make, and bought almost everything I needed. I did end up going to the deli once though.
The first sandwich I made is made with roasted tomatoes and onions with feta, black olives, and oregano. It was inspired by Martha Stewart’s amazing Tomato Hand Pies. I made them a couple of weeks ago for a potluck and everyone devoured them. I wanted to make them again but didn’t really want to be bothered by the Pate Brisee again. So I decided to make it into a sandwich! It was really incredible. The roasted tomatoes were sweet and savory while the soft onions really provided a depth to the flavor. The feta, olive, and oregano topping gave the sandwich a nice greek twist. I thought about using mozzarella instead of the feta and olive combination, but just decided to stay closer to the original recipe. Next time, I may lay a piece of mozzarella on the bottom of the sandwich because my bread did get soggy by the time I got to the picnic. But I think it was good, soggy bread and all. The juices were all soaked up in the crusty soar dough slice. If you have the time and patience, I really recommend making the hand pies, but if you want a faster and easier version, make this sandwich!
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