blissful eats with tina jeffers: Roasted broccolini sandwich with meyer lemon fennel relish
I love a good sandwich. You can pick it up and have an entire world of flavors all in one bite. Crisp fresh vegetables, succulent slices of meat, creamy spreads all wrapped up in some crusty bread, it’s the perfect portable meal. I always turn to a sandwich if I’m short on time and imagination, but sometimes I want a sandwich to be more than the sum of it’s parts. This is one of those sandwiches, tender roasted broccolini, creamy white bean spread, tangy sweet meyer lemon relish all come together to make a sandwich that is mouthwateringly delicious and unforgettable.
The relish is part of the Bon Appetit Food lover's cleanse and I knew I had to try it. While I haven't committed myself to doing a cleanse I am trying to eat healthier and stay away from dishes that weigh me down, literally and figuratively. This is a vegetarian sandwich that is hearty and satisfying but it won't leave you feeling like you missed out on anything. As an added bonus I don't feel like I need to lay down and take a nap after I finish one of these off. As much as I love a thick juicy french dip or a grilled cheese sandwich with all the fixings, I usually don't feel so great after indulging in one.
This sandwich can easily be made vegan by omitting the egg and would also be amazing with asparagus or green beans in place of the broccolini. If you want to make it a bit more decadent a slice of bacon would be divine. This sandwich has a lot of components but they come together quickly and the white bean spread, and meyer lemon relish are very versatile and are great on their own. The spread is delicious with pita chips or crudités and the relish is delicious served with scrambled eggs or on top of grilled fish.
If you are looking for some more healthy inspiration I just posted a weeks worth of detox smoothie recipes. You can check them out on my website at www.scalingbackblog.com I would love to have you come visit!
Roasted broccolini sandwich with meyer lemon relish
Ingredients:
Makes 4 servings
2 bunches of broccolini
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
4 hard boiled eggs sliced
4 6-inch baguettes, split in half horizontally
For the white bean spread:
1 can white cannellini beans
¼ teaspoon red chili pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the meyer lemon relish:
1 meyer lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
½ fennel bulb, trimmed and diced into ¼ inch pieces
½ onion, trimmed and cut into ¼ inch pieces
½ tsp fennel seeds
2 tsp honey
½ tsp kosher salt
Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and trim the broccolini and place on a baking sheet toss with the tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the broccolini 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp-tender and it starts to brown.
For the white bean puree:
Rinse the beans and place them in a blender or food processor, add the red chili pepper, garlic, and olive oil. Process until smooth thinning with a little water if needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the meyer lemon relish:
Cut the lemon in eigths and trim out any seeds and strings. Then finely chop both the remaining lemon peel and flesh. Set aside. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss in fennel, onion and fennel seeds and cook, stirring occasionally until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add honey, salt , reserved lemon, and ¼ cup of water and turn heat to medium. Continue cooking and stirring until liquid is completely reduced. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and more honey, if desired.
To assemble the sandwich:
Spread a generous amount of white bean spread on the bottom half of the baguette, top with a few stalks of broccolini, a few slices of hard boiled egg and spoon the relish on top.
