This is a delicious lunchtime sandwich inspired by a recent chat with Kaye Adams on BBC Radio Scotland. She was discussing a trend on Chinese social media platforms about our sad sandwiches!
Nothing sad about this one!
You will need:
Focaccia – I made my own but feel free to buy from a quality bakery
500g strong white bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of instant yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
350ml warm water
30g olive oil
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix gently. Leave for 2 minutes. Mix more thoroughly, then knead for 4 – 5 minutes. Leave in an oiled bowl to prove somewhere warm until doubled in size. Around 1 hour should do it.
Tip out into a deep, oiled baking tray and leave to prove for a further 30 – 40 minutes.
Drizzle with olive oil and gently press your fingertips into the dough to create indentations and bubbles. Top with whatever you like. I use olives, sun dried tomatoes, sliced preserved lemons, rosemary and oregano. Bake at 220°c for 25 minutes. Drizzle again with olive oil and sea salt.
For the caponata:
1 courgette
1 aubergine
1 shallot
1 clove crushed garlic
3 large tomatoes
splash red wine vinegar
Add all the ingredients to a large frying pan and cook slowly over a low heat for 30 minutes. Add some tinned tomato pulp if it looks too dry. Season with salt and pepper and leave to cool.
Open a tin of chickpeas and drain. Place half on a baking tray with 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp ground coriander. Roast for 20 minutes with the bread.
Whizz up the rest of the chickpeas with olive oil and garlic to make a quick hummus.
Spread on the bread, add the roasted chickpeas and the caponata on top. I added some leftover grilled courgette, but salami or parma ham would be great too.
