I called it the Sicilian sandwich because that’s where I ate it for the first time. It will always remind me of the atmosphere of narrow streets in Catania, right next to the fruit and fish market. This kind of unique flavor combination is something I would never serve in one dish, and here you are! And the execution will take you 10 minutes max!
Peanut butter has a very intense flavor, slightly sweet, but in combination with beetroot marinated in balsamic vinegar and pesto it tastes absolutely unique. In my photos I used a salad mix, but I absolutely encourage you to use rucola, which has a nice kind of spicy flavor! Ordinary lettuce turned out to be just a space filler, and rucola will add character to these sandwiches.
The choice of bread is also huge. If you’re on a diet, I suggest you use pumpernickel bread or other whole grain bread. Originally, this sandwich was served on focaccia, but I know that getting focaccia in Prague is almost impossible. In stores you can also find something like flatbread, low-calorie bread packed in foil. one serving has only 100 calories and fills up your belly well.
BEETROOT – buy ready-made, boiled and peeled beetroots in a package, Sicilian sandwich is an easy and quick food, we don’t want to waste time peeling and cooking beets.
RED PESTO – you can buy ready-made in the store, or you can very easily make it at home. Just use dried tomatoes, sunflower seeds, olive oil and garlic, it will taste incredible!
MUSHROOMS – when you buy them fresh they can be eaten even raw. Pick the freshest ones in the store and use them for your recipe here. In the original sandwich, the mushrooms were raw, only salted beforehand to soften and bring out the flavor. In my recipe, we fry the mushroom slices very briefly just to heat them up a little bit.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 bread rolls / flatbread / dark bread slices
- 2 cooked beets
- rucola or salad mix
- 100g of white mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons of red pesto
- 2 tablespoons of kalamata balsamic vinegar (THE THICK ONE)
- 1 teaspoon of honey
SICILIAN SANDWICH – PREPARATION
- We start with quick beets marinating. Mix balsamic vinegar and honey together in a bowl, chop the beetroots into thin slices (almost like for carpaccio) and coat each slice in the marinade. Leave the beets a bowl for 5 minutes.
- Cut the mushrooms into 1cm-thick slices and put them in the pan with a minimum amount of oil, add salt. Fry very briefly on each side and set aside before they release the water.
- Start folding sandwiches: spread the bottom bread with peanut butter, then put a handful of rucola on it, a few slices of beetroot and a few slices of mushrooms. Smear the top with red pesto. Fold the sandwich and serve it to our loved ones.
