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My father would call these sandwiches for “ladies who lunch”, and in fact, I first encountered them at a luncheon gathering of women friends.
One can’t really go wrong with lightly toasted flatbread and an insalata Caprese filling of tomatoes, fresh Mozzarella, and basil. The original recipe comes from a friend’s Pampered Chef recipe; the following, my adaptation.
Caprese Mini Sandwiches Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Middle Eastern flatbread (pita bread rounds without pockets)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) coarsely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon mixed dried Italian seasoning herbs (basil, oregano, marjoram)
- 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vinaigrette or light balsamic salad dressing
- 2 cups mixed baby salad greens or spinach leaves
- 2-3 balls fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (about 8 ounces)
- 2 large plum tomatoes, sliced
Method
1 Sprinkle flatbread with Parmesan and toast in the oven: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place flatbread rounds on a pizza stone or baking pan; drizzle with oil, spreading evenly.
Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan cheese and seasoning mix. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown and cheese is melted.
2 Make pesto with walnuts, basil, garlic, salt: While the flatbread is toasting, create a light pesto by mixing together in a small bowl the walnuts, fresh basil, garlic and salt.
3 Assemble the sandwiches: Remove flatbread from the oven to a cutting board. Turn the pieces over. Drizzle with dressing, spreading evenly to the edges.
Using a sharp chef's knife, cut each round into six wedges. Top each wedge with a small amount of the greens. Place one slice of mozzarella cheese over greens; top with pesto and one slice of tomato.
Top with remaining pita wedges, cheese side up forming 12 mini sandwiches. Serve immediately.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Caprese Mini Sandwiches
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It’s so fun to get new ideas from what looks to be an amazing labor of love. This site is just awesome. I’ve now made 4 recipes from it and have gotten rave reviews from family, co-workers and, of course, my love.
Can’t WAIT to try this on my dad, who lived in Italy and loves any variation on his beloved cuisine.
This shows, once again, the tremendous versatility of flatbreads. They hold flavor, allow balancing of ingredients, and most of all their texture complements rather than competes with the stars of the show, which ought always to be the fillings.