See Kelsey Cook: Vegetable Sandwich

A while back, I came across a recipe for a sandwich that I found particularly Pinteresting. (pun!)

1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, separated into rings

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 medium tomato, seeded and diced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 16- to 20-inch-long baguette, preferably whole-grain

2 slices provolone cheese, (about 2 ounces), halved

2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini, (optional)

As I looked at the photo & recipe, I imagined the flavors this sandwich had to offer: Pickly spice of the pepperoncini, tangy vinegar, crunch of the lettuce, surprise element of an artichoke, bite of an onion, juicy tomato... my mouth began to drool. I made a mental note to one day try and make this sandwich.

One day, trying to use up ingredients and hungry for lunch, I remembered this particular sandwich. And while the stars & planets weren't aligned on this day (meaning that I didn't have every specific ingredient listed), that was okay. I didn't rush out to the grocery store. I simply set out to try and recreate the flavors of that sandwich all on my own.

Ingredients:
3-4inch hunk of French Bread
Canned Artichokes
Onion
Tomato
Garlic
Jarred Cherry Pepper
Provolone Cheese
Oregano
EVOO
Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:
Deseed & slice cherry pepper. Peel and thinly slice garlic. Slice tomato and onion. Drain artichokes. Slice bread. Layer on the top slice: EVOO, cherry pepper, artichokes, and cheese. Layer on the bottom slice: Balsamic vinegar, tomato, oregano, garlic, and onion. Combine top and bottom. Slice in half.

Slice the french bread through the middle.

Drizzle EVOO on top slice and balsamic vinegar on the bottom.

Deseed and slice one cherry pepper. Peel and thinly slice one clove of garlic. Slice two slices of a large tomato. Add the cherry pepper to the top slice of bread. Add the tomato, sprinkle with oregano, and garlic to the bottom slice.

Fish out (with a fork) 5-6 artichoke quarters. Slice 2 slices of onion. Layer the artichokes on the top of the cherry peppers. Layer the onions on top of the tomato/garlic/oregano. (sorry for the fuzzy photo)