Sunday E-dition: The Market Basket Sandwich Guide
By Georgeanne Brennan
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — When I joined the Saturday-morning crowd, ambling along the tree-lined streets to the corner of Pearl and Yajome, basket on my arm, to shop the Napa Valley Farmers’ market, I had summer sandwiches on my mind.
I wanted to make the kind I’d had in Nice and Naples, in Rome and Biarritz on plump rolls or slices of country bread, stuffed with fresh vegetables and fish, seasoned with garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs. Maybe some briny pickles added to the mix, chopped olives or spreads.
It was easy to find what I wanted. Local tomatoes, eggplants, plump sweet red peppers and a new crop of garlic from Napa and Sonoma, Capay and Sacramento valleys. I could choose my rolls and bread from multiple artisan bakers, including gluten-free options.
Although I like to make my own condiments, for a shortcut, different types of pesto, tapenade, hummus and jam spreads, such as fig and peach, were ready-made and ready to use. There was a good selection of olives and pickles, always welcome in a sandwich or on the side. Cheese, of course, was available, and fresh fish, too. Although I wasn’t shopping for meat, it was tempting to buy some ground lamb or pork from Channa Ranch.
I needed some lettuce, too, and found that from growers to the south of us, in the cooler coastal climates of Watsonville and Salinas.
Dessert wasn’t in my shopping plans, but the array of fresh stone fruit and early melons was irresistible, and they were so impeccably ripe (I tasted the free samples being offered) they didn’t need to be turned into a pie or tart. They were perfect on their own.
Here are a few of my favorite summer sandwich recipes to inspire you. Feel free to improvise, and I’m sure you’ll find your own inspiration at the corner of Pearl and Yajome.
Pan Bagnat
This is the famous street food of Nice, essentially a Nicoise salad turned into a sandwich.
All the flavors are there – tomatoes, olive oil, tuna, olives and anchovies, if you want them. It has long been a portable favorite of fishermen, beachgoers and picnickers. It’s best made ahead to let the flavors soak into the bread, so that’s why a sturdy roll is best.
All the fresh ingredients can be found at the farmers market, as well as olive oil and bread, and the rest are most likely already in your pantry.
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
4 large, round, sturdy country-style rolls
2 cloves garlic
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 can olive oil packed tuna, flaked
8 olive oil-packed anchovy fillets (optional)
2 small green peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
4 green onions, chopped
8 basil leaves
2 hard-cooked eggs, cut into round slices
¼ cup chopped olives, preferably olive oil cured
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cut the rolls in half crosswise. Scoop out some of the crumbs from the inside of each side. Rub the insides of the buns with the garlic, then sprinkle evenly with the olive oil and vinegar.
Divide the rest of the ingredients, in order, among the four bottom pieces of the rolls, tucking them into the hollowed-out space, though they will overflow. End with a sprinkle of the salt and pepper.
Serve immediately or wrap well in aluminum foil or plastic wrap if you’re traveling with the sandwiches. They can be messy!
Grilled Eggplant Sandwiches
I first saw these stacked in the counter of a shop facing one of the main streets in Asti, in the Piemonte region of Italy.
I could see the purple skin and the edges of the eggplant, grilled golden-brown, tucked between the rolls, with fresh lettuce peeking out. Although it hadn’t been long since lunch, I had to have one.
I wasn’t disappointed. During summer, there are plenty of types of eggplant at the farmers market, but for this sandwich, globe types fit best into the roll, though others can be used, as well. Sometimes pre-made aioli is available for purchase, but it’s also easy to make your own, especially delicious when made with fresh, new-crop garlic.
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
For the aioli
3 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 egg yolk and 1 whole egg, at room temperature
For the eggplants
2 medium globe eggplants
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 rolls or 2 baguettes, each cut crosswise in thirds
12 large butterhead or red lettuce leaves, more if desired
For the aioli
In a mortar, pound the garlic cloves and salt together with a pestle, and set aside. Combine the grapeseed oil and the olive oil and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the yolk and whole egg. Very slowly, drizzle in about ½ teaspoon of the oil mixture at a time, gently whisking it into the egg yolks. Repeat this until a thick emulsion has formed. Once the emulsion has formed, continue whisking in the oil, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until the mixture is thick and most or all the oil has been incorporated. Gently stir in the garlic and salt mixture. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
Makes about 2/3 cup
For the Eggplant
Preheat a gas grill or build a fire in a wood or charcoal grill. Alternatively, use a stovetop grill pan.
Slice the eggplant a scant ½ inch thick. You should have about 12 slices. Place them in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with the olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and turn several times.
Place as many as will fit on your grill or grill pan and cook until golden and a slight crust has started to form, about 5 minutes. Turn and repeat on the other side, about another 5 minutes or until the interiors are soft and creamy.
Slit the rolls in half, if needed. Slather the inside of the rolls or bread with the aioli and add two slices of eggplant and 1 or 2 leaves of lettuce, and close.
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, French Style
The most well-known French grilled-cheese sandwich is the Croque Monsieur, made with ham and Gruyere, Comté or a similar cheese on pain de mie or pain au levain bread and then grilled with a bechamel sauce covering all.
My sandwich here captures the flavor of the grilled bread and cheese of the classic but uses roasted red peppers in lieu of the ham and omits the sauce, not because I don’t love the sauce, but sometimes, especially in summer, it’s nice to skip that extra step.
Sometimes you can purchase jarred roasted red peppers at the market, so you can skip the roasting step, too, if you want.
Start to finish: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
2 red bell or other sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh thyme
8 slices pain au levain or other country style bread, cut in half, or use sliced pain de mie
6 tablespoons butter at room temperature
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
4 ounces Comté, Gruyere or Emmenthaler cheese, sliced
Heat a broiler. When it is hot, place the peppers on a baking sheet about 2 inches from the heat source. Broil until the skin chars, about 4 minutes. Turn and char the other side. Place in a plastic bag for 10 minutes, then remove the skin. Cut the peppers in half and discard the seeds. Place the peppers in a shallow bowl or baking dish and sprinkle with the olive oil and thyme. Set aside. (This can be done a day or two in advance, refrigerating the peppers. Bring to room temperature before using.)
To make the sandwiches
Butter 1 side of each of the 8 bread slices with about 1 teaspoon each of butter. Spread equally with the mustard. Divide the cheese equally among the buttered bread. Lay a pepper half on each. Top with another slice of bread, butter and mustard side inward. Butter the top slice now of each sandwich.
Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Place the sandwiches buttered side down and gently press until the edges begin to turn golden, about 3 minutes. Butter the tops and turn the sandwiches over and cook until the other side is golden, pressing gently, about another 2 minutes.
Serve hot.
Other summer sandwich ideas:
Grilled swordfish or ahi tuna sandwich with aioli or pesto
Rotisserie chicken salad
Rotisserie chicken, roasted red peppers, tapenade
Grilled broccoli with melted cheese
Lamb burgers, Romesco sauce
Grilled zucchini, charred onions, pesto
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Georgeanne Brennan is an award-winning cookbook author who divides her time between her farm in Northern California and a home in Provence. Learn more about her at her website.
Poem of the Day
A Summer Day
By Lucy Maud Montgomery
I
The dawn laughs out on orient hills
And dances with the diamond rills;
The ambrosial wind but faintly stirs
The silken, beaded gossamers;
In the wide valleys, lone and fair,
Lyrics are piped from limpid air,
And, far above, the pine trees free
Voice ancient lore of sky and sea.
Come, let us fill our hearts straightway
With hope and courage of the day.
II
Noon, hiving sweets of sun and flower,
Has fallen on dreams in wayside bower,
Where bees hold honeyed fellowship
With the ripe blossom of her lip;
All silent are her poppied vales
And all her long Arcadian dales,
Where idleness is gathered up
A magic draught in summer's cup.
Come, let us give ourselves to dreams
By lisping margins of her streams.
III
Adown the golden sunset way
The evening comes in wimple gray;
By burnished shore and silver lake
Cool winds of ministration wake;
O'er occidental meadows far
There shines the light of moon and star,
And sweet, low-tinkling music rings
About the lips of haunted springs.
In quietude of earth and air
'Tis meet we yield our souls to prayer.
About the author: Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874–1942) was a Canadian author best known for her novel “Anne of Green Gables.” Born and raised on Prince Edward Island, Montgomery spent much of her life surrounded by the island’s natural beauty, which deeply informed both her fiction and poetry. She began writing poems and short stories as a young girl and published widely in Canadian and American periodicals before gaining international fame as a novelist.
Montgomery’s poetry reflects the same close observation of nature and emotional sensitivity found in her fiction. Her verses are steeped in the rhythms of rural life, the changing seasons, and the quiet mysteries of the landscape. Though often categorized as a romantic, Montgomery’s writing is grounded in a keen sense of place and an enduring curiosity about human experience.
Are you a poet, or do you have a favorite piece of verse you'd like to share? Napa Valley Features invites you to submit your poems for consideration in this series. Email your submissions to napavalleyfeatures@gmail.com with the subject line: "Poem of the Day Submission." Selected poets will receive a one-year paid subscription to Napa Valley Features (a $60 value). We can’t wait to hear from you.
Today’s Caption Contest
Pick your favorite caption or add your own in the comments below.
Possible Captions:
“How long do you plan to stay?”
“We meet again.”
“And yet, you float.”
“The prophecy is true.”
“Sir, you’re in my kombucha.”
Last week’s contest results
In “Sunday E-dition: Watching Your Son Become a Father,” the winning caption was, “You’re doing great, Dad. Only 73 more parts to go.,” with 70% of the votes.
“You’re doing great, Dad. Only 73 more parts to go.”
“The instructions say ages 3 and up?”
“It’s OK. I can walk until college.”
“It’s a bike, not open-heart surgery… right?”
“Good news: I’ve already outgrown it.”
Last Week
Tim Carl explored the human and economic impacts of stepped-up immigration enforcement in "Wine Chronicles: ICE’d Wine — No Immigrants, No Wine." Carl reported widespread fear among Napa’s immigrant labor force, crucial to the region’s vineyards, wineries, restaurants and hospitality industry. Despite no ICE raids reported locally this year, actions in other agricultural regions have already caused labor shortages, operational disruptions and mounting uncertainty. Many growers and workers are taking improvised steps to protect themselves, as industry groups remain largely silent. The article underscored how this climate of fear could jeopardize the upcoming harvest and the region’s long-term stability.
Sasha Paulsen shared "Watching Your Son Become a Father," reflecting on her son Sam's journey from an inquisitive child to an interventional cardiologist and new father. Paulsen recounted Sam’s early adventures and how those experiences might have influenced his medical career. She detailed how Sam navigated the challenges of balancing a demanding fellowship with new parenthood, including advocating for and taking paternity leave. Despite professional pressures, Sam prioritized family, eventually accepting a Bay Area job with a family-friendly culture. Paulsen concluded with her pride in seeing her son embrace fatherhood with care and intention.
Tim Carl reflected on the state of local journalism in "Under the Hood: Year Three in a Fractured News Landscape." Carl described how recent acquisitions of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat and the Napa Valley Register mirrored a national trend of media consolidation and decline. He detailed the impacts of shrinking newsrooms on civic life and highlighted Napa Valley Features’ commitment to independent, community-focused journalism. Now entering its third year, the publication operates ad-free with reader funding and aims to expand coverage. Carl urged readers to view local journalism as essential civic infrastructure.
Janet Fletcher shared "Friday Encore: When California Cheese Experts Meet Napa Cabernet," recounting her experience curating a cheese course for the Top Donor Dinner at Auction Napa Valley. Fletcher selected three California cheeses made by women cheesemakers to complement Alpha Omega’s 2018 ERA cabernet sauvignon, focusing on flavor balance and avoiding elements that might overpower the wine. Her final choices included Toma from Point Reyes Farmstead, Aries from Shooting Star Creamery and Estero Gold Reserve from Valley Ford Cheese. Fletcher also highlighted pairing principles and her preference for minimalist presentation. She publishes the Planet Cheese blog and teaches cheese classes in Napa.
Chris Benz detailed in "Reforesting the Valley Floor – A Community Forest Takes Shape" how the Napa Valley Community Forest project evolved from a timber concept to a thriving community space. Led by Paul Asmuth and supported by local partners, the forest now spans 16 acres near St. Helena’s wastewater treatment plant, using treated water to sustain diverse plantings. Since 2012, more than 1,800 redwoods and various native species have been planted, enhancing biodiversity and creating vital wildlife habitat. The project also offers climate benefits and future educational opportunities for students. A Community Forest Planting Day was scheduled for June 21.
Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County, shared in "Passionflowers Are Beautiful — and Indestructible" her experience cultivating blue and purple passionflowers over three decades. Watter described the plant’s history, religious symbolism, propagation methods and appeal to pollinators, particularly the gulf fritillary butterfly. She recounted how a once-modest vine now flourishes over her kitchen window, thriving with minimal care. Watter emphasized the plant’s resilience, beauty and suitability for naturalistic gardens in Napa Valley. The piece also included announcements for upcoming Master Gardener workshops and events.
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