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Friday, March 26, 2010

Simple Joy of Mozzarella Sandwich

My phone rang as I was driving home from work. It was Jaya reminding me to rush home so I could take her to the piano lessons. Since last few weeks Jaya has been taking weekly piano lessons with a local Taiwanese lady. The lessons start at 6.30 pm and last for about 45 minutes. Since 45 minutes is not sufficient enough time to be back home and return in time to pick Jaya up, I have made a ritual out of spending 45 minutes in the local grocery store Stop & Shop. Spending 45 minutes planning dinner and entertainment is a welcome relief from the hectic week end day.

There is a nice little Redbox dvd dispenser which carries many a new releases. Today, I decided to pick up a copy of "Precious" one of the movies that recently hit the Oscar jack pot. While browsing the store I noticed that the store was once again selling 99cent Italian bread baked fresh right in the store. I had noticed this once before and purchased a loaf then, but I didn't know that Stop & Shop has made this into a regular feature.

Thanks to this new "special" Stop & Shop has started something of a tradition in our home. Today, like the other day, I brought home a loaf of fresh Italian bread, some fresh mozzarella cheese, fresh basil and lettuce, and treated la famiglia to the joys of a simple tomato mozzarella sandwich, a sandwich that has become the family favorite not only due to the fact that it is easy to make but also because it is as delicious as it is filling.

You need very simple ingredients to make tomato mozzarella sandwich - clearly you need tomato, and mozarella cheese. But besides this I typically add a layer of jalapeno peppers preserved in vinegar, a thick layer of basil leaves along with some lettuce. If you have never made this sandwich, here is how to make it...

Make chutney (or pesto sauce) out of basil (Italian tulsi), pine nuts (use cashews if pine nuts are not available) and olive oil. Make the chutney in olive oil instead of water - it will stay green longer. Smear one slice of bread with the basil chutney, and lay flat. On top of this add a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle salt and black pepper for taste. Add a layer of fresh basil leaves, fresh spinach, sprinkle a few slices of jalapeno pepper preserved in vinegar (you can substitute with regular hot pepper if you like, but sprinkle some vinegar to give you the tangy taste). Place the other slice of bread on top and you are all set. Cut the sandwich into two pieces, and serve with potato chips.

I can only tell you that this simple sandwich has become one of the favorite sandwiches in the Joshi household!

I only found out about the joys of mozzarella sandwich once I arrived to US, which is a true wonder because there is no reason why this sandwich should not be easily available in India. The mozzarella cheese is nothing but "chenna" nuked in microwave for a few minutes. Here is an easy recipe to make mozzarella cheese, in case you want to try to make it at home!