Using leftover ingredients and homemade focaccia bread, a delicious and innovative sandwich was created, blending Italian and Mexican culinary influences. The focaccia, baked to perfection, provided the ideal foundation for this culinary experiment. Slicing it in half revealed its soft, airy interior, perfect for absorbing the flavorful fillings.
A close-up of a sliced focaccia bread, showcasing its airy texture and golden crust.
A fridge raid yielded a variety of promising components: pickled white onions (with garlic, cilantro stems, and cumin seeds), roasted red peppers, fresh cilantro, plain yogurt, leftover braised beef, and black beans from a recent Taco Tuesday. While red onions are typically preferred for pickling, the white onions provided a similar tangy bite. The braised beef, a simple yet flavorful preparation, was cooked with onions in beef broth, inspired by a recipe from the Diana Kennedy cookbook.
A collection of ingredients laid out on a table, including pickled onions, roasted red peppers, cilantro, yogurt, black beans, and braised beef.
The yogurt was transformed into a creamy sauce by combining it with chopped cilantro, hot sauce, and a touch of the pickled onion liquid. This cilantro-yogurt crema added a refreshing and spicy kick to the sandwich filling. The black beans, a staple of Mexican cuisine, provided a hearty and nutritious element.
The sandwich assembly began with a torta-style preparation, inspired by the street food of Mexico City. The braised beef and cheese were first heated together on a griddle, allowing the cheese to melt and form a crispy crust around the meat, reminiscent of a “quesadilla.” This mixture, combined with the other ingredients, offered a unique blend of flavors and textures.
The sandwich being assembled on a griddle, showing the beef and cheese melting together, and other ingredients being added.
Once the meat and cheese were cooked to perfection, the focaccia bread was toasted on the griddle. The beans were spread on the toasted focaccia, followed by the beef and cheese mixture. The sandwich was then topped with the cilantro-yogurt crema, roasted red peppers, and pickled onions. This combination of ingredients offered a symphony of flavors: savory beef, creamy cheese, spicy crema, tangy onions, and sweet peppers.
The finished sandwich, cut in half to reveal the layers of focaccia, beef, cheese, beans, crema, peppers, and onions.
The resulting sandwich was a delicious fusion of Italian and Mexican cuisine. The crispy focaccia provided the perfect contrast to the soft, flavorful fillings. The creamy cilantro-yogurt sauce, spicy hot sauce, tangy pickled onions, sweet roasted red peppers, and hearty black beans all complemented the savory braised beef and melted cheese. This leftover transformation resulted in a truly satisfying and innovative lunch.
