Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
Looking for a new summer dinner idea? We have you covered. Ciabatta with pesto, chicken, tomato, and mozzarella captures the flavors of summer, but comes together easily. Recently I made a couple batches of pesto, freezing half to preserve our delicious basil for the months ahead. We enjoyed some of the fresh pesto on gnocchi, but I could not get visions of ciabatta, chicken, and pesto sandwiches out of my head. It took a few weeks for the grocery store to restock their ciabatta, but once it was back, two packages of those crusty, square pillows of bread came home with me.
One thing you must learn when you have a houseful of children that enjoy cooking—hide your ingredients. Otherwise, never assume what you bought or made the day before will still be available. Nevertheless, days in advance, everything was purchased and safely stored away for our future dinner. But the ciabatta rolls were already beginning to disappear, with only crumbs as evidence. So I stowed the remaining rolls in the secret hidden recesses of the pantry, knowing we had to make this meal soon. Meanwhile, a beautiful Jersey tomato was basking in the light on the window sill, mozzarella cheese was waiting in the refrigerator, and homemade pesto was hiding in the freezer. At least that’s what I thought. Apparently, my dear children enjoyed the homemade pesto so much, they had already consumed the entire batch from the freezer, unbeknownst to me. Fortunately, pesto is quick and easy to make. After a trip from the garden to the food processor, we were soon back in business.
Now for some ciabatta goodness. To make these sandwiches, take boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half, then slice across. This will give you smaller pieces to fit nicely on the sandwiches and thinner slices that cook quickly. Sprinkle salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika on both sides of the chicken and cook on medium-high in a little bit of olive oil. Make sure your chicken is cooked through and nicely browned. Meanwhile, slice the ciabatta bread in half and toast in the toaster or toaster oven. Spread one half of the ciabatta with mayonnaise and the other with pesto. Top the mayonnaise with some crisp romaine, a slice of a Jersey tomato, fresh mozzarella slices, and your chicken. Close your sandwich and slice diagonally (because sandwiches always taste better when sliced diagonally).
For a vegetarian version of this sandwich, omit cheese from the homemade pesto and leave out the mayonnaise and mozzarella cheese. For some extra protein add soy curls, which resemble chicken and take on the flavor of the pesto.
Now that I realize how much my family enjoys pesto and found another way to enjoy it, we will be ramping up pesto production in our house. Basil plants will start to decline once temperatures go below 50°, so the race is on. What’s your favorite meal to make from the garden? We would love to hear from our readers. Send your comments, questions, and photos to: shorelocalgarden@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
