This book is all about relishing and re-imagining the noon-day meal. As Peters so rightly notes in her book, “Lunchtime can easily be as exciting as dinner; we just need to keep pour recipe choices realistic.”
To that end, she provides 115 recipes to whet the appetite with the likes of “Lemony Fennel, Persimmon, and Burrata” salad, “Fifteen-Minute Chicken Soup with Lime and Vegetables,” “Mac and Fava Bean Carbonara,” and “Tuna with Tomato Olive Salsa.”
Ciabatta with Balsamic Blackberries, Coppa di Parma, and Mustard
(Makes 2 sandwiches)
4 ounces (110g) fresh blackberries
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
8 very thin slices coppa di Parma or 4 slices prosciutto di Parma
1 medium loaf ciabatta, cut into 2 buns and each cut in half, toasted or not
2 to 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Heat a small, heavy saucepan over high heat, not adding any fat. When the pan is hot, add the blackberries, and sear, shaking the pan and gently stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the vinegar and salt and cook for 1 minute or until the blackberries start to soften, but still hold their shape; mind that they don’t burn. Take the pan off the heat and set aside.
Divide the coppa di Parma between the bottom halves of the buns and arrange the warm blackberries on top; you can also prepare the blackberries in advance and briefly warm them up. Drizzle the blackberries with the mustard and place a top on each bun — or enjoy as an open sandwich, which is less messy.
