One of the things I love the most about food is it's ability to transport you back to a previous place and time...My senses of smell/taste, as anyone who has lived with me knows, is insanely potent (which is good news if you're a self-proclaimed foodie, and bad news if you're walking down NY streets in the summer on garbage day!)
My mom and I just returned from a fantastic trip to Italy to celebrate her 60th birthday. One of the best and simplest meals we shared were some nice toasty panini at a little outdoor patio in Siena. They couldn't have cost us more than about 2E each (and perhaps it's because I had just schlepped up the 400+ stairs to the top of the tower!) but they were wonderfully savory and delicious.
Mama's sandwich had thick-cut prosciutto, melty mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and artichoke hearts marinated in lemon juice that were nice and tart. And the bread. Ohhhhh, the bread. Kinda like how bagels are better in NY, *all* bread is better in Italy. The gelato is too, but that's another post for another day ;)
My "little" slice of heaven was stacked full of some fabulously fatty pancetta and nice peppery arugula. That's it. I'm a purist, I suppose! Here's a shot for you to feast with your eyes:
Now that we're home, I find myself having these intense cravings for all of the wonderful tastes that we had while in Italy...If I'm this bad now, heaven help me and my cravings when I'm pregnant!! Since one of my favorite pastimes is enjoying a meal then whipping up a similar concoction at home, I thought I would give it a whirl this weekend. So I bring you the Sapori d'Italia Sammy:
Voila!! The fig preserves are what complete the recipe - a little trick I stole from a sandwich in an airport lounge somewhere during my travels...Mom and I sat out on the balcony, enjoyed this manna from heaven, and reminisced about our trip to Italy. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Ciao a tutti!!
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