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summer picnic sandwich

(1 rating)
SBcooks avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Suzanne Banfield
@SBcooks
Basking Ridge, NJ

This sandwich holds up very well in a cooler and seems to get more flavorful after a couple of hours when the ingredients have melded together. Cut a big wedge, pour a glass of iced tea or lemonade, and enjoy the day. If you’re short on time, buy the grilled vegetables from the salad bar at your supermarket.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

Now, this is a sandwich! The smoky flavor from the grilled veggies with the spicy candied bacon is superb. Cheese, turkey, and creamy roasted red pepper aioli just make the sandwich perfect. It will be great for a picnic, football game, or any time you're in the mood for a phenomenal sandwich.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(1 rating)
yield 6 serving(s)
prep time 40 Min
cook time 45 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For summer picnic sandwich

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp
    brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1/4 tsp
    cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp
    black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 8 oz
    sliced bacon
  • 2 lg
    red bell pepper
  • 1 lg
    zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch thick planks
  • 1 lg
    yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch thick planks
  • 1 lg
    red onion, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
  • 1 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 1 tsp
    kosher salt, plus more as needed
  • 2/3 c
    mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp
    ketchup
  • 1 Tbsp
    mustard, spicy brown
  • 1 tsp
    hot sauce
  • 2 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp
    capers
  • 1 md
    round loaf of bread, about 8-inch diameter
  • 4 oz
    muenster cheese
  • 4 sprig
    fresh basil
  • 8 oz
    sliced turkey breast

How To Make summer picnic sandwich

Test Kitchen Tips
You can use any round bread found in your supermarket bakery. We used a round loaf of Hawaiian sweet bread. It was a delicious choice.
  • Mixing spices and brown sugar in a bowl.
    1
    Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the brown sugar, cayenne and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper together and set aside.
  • A sheet pan lined with aluminum foil.
    2
    Cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  • Cooling rack placed over the aluminum foil.
    3
    Set a cooling rack in the pan.
  • Slices of bacon placed on the rack.
    4
    Arrange bacon slices on it.
  • Flipping pieces of bacon.
    5
    Bake for 25 minutes. Then remove pan from oven and flip the slices.
  • Sprinkling brown sugar with spices over bacon.
    6
    Sprinkle with sugar and spice mixture.
  • Fully cooked bacon.
    7
    Bake for another 15-20 minutes or until bacon is thoroughly cooked.
  • Charring red peppers on the grill.
    8
    Heat grill to medium-high heat. Place whole red peppers on the grill. Cook for about 15 minutes, turning every five minutes, until skin is charred and peppers are softened.
  • Brushing vegetables with oil.
    9
    Brush zucchini, yellow squash and onion with oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.
  • Cooking vegetables on the grill.
    10
    Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until vegetables are tender.
  • Removing the skin from the peppers.
    11
    When peppers have cooled, pull off most of the charred skin.
  • Cutting peppers into quarters.
    12
    Cut each into 4 fillets.
  • Making the red pepper aioli.
    13
    For red pepper aioli, put 3 of the red pepper fillets, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, and garlic into a small food processor. Blend until peppers are pureed and ingredients are well mixed.
  • Folding in capers.
    14
    Stir in capers.
  • Cutting bread in half.
    15
    To assemble sandwich, cut bread horizontally to leave a thinner bottom and thicker top.
  • Removing part of the bread.
    16
    Pull out most of the soft dough in the top piece to make room for the fillings.
  • Spreading red pepper aioli onto the bread.
    17
    Spread red pepper aioli on the inside of both pieces.
  • Layering cheese, bacon, and basil on the bread.
    18
    On bottom piece, layer cheese, bacon and basil leaves.
  • Arranging remaining ingredients on the other half of bread.
    19
    On the top half, arrange turkey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add remaining red pepper fillets, zucchini, squash and onion.
  • Putting two halves together.
    20
    Put the halves together.
  • Wrap tightly with aluminum foil.
    21
    Wrap snugly in foil.
  • Pressing the sandwich together.
    22
    Press on the sandwich with your hands to encourage the ingredients to meld.
  • Cutting the summer sandwich pizza into pieces.
    23
    When ready to serve, cut into 6 wedges.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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