Cheese Sandwich with Mozzarella and Pepper

Bread

For a tasty, crispy cheese and pepper sandwich or bruschetta with cheese on toasted bread, a French baguette is ideal. The fairly porous structure of the baguette soaks up olive oil well, and the hard crust holds its shape, so the sandwich doesn’t fall apart. By the way, you don’t have to use very fresh bread; slightly dried bread even fries better, and the sandwich will have a pleasant crunch. But of course, don’t use completely stale bread; better to make garlic croutons.

1. Slice the baguette and toast the slices. Cut the baguette into slices 12-15 mm thick, at a steep diagonal. This increases the surface of the sandwiches. It’s best to cut with a special bread knife with a serrated edge. A grill pan is handy for toasting. Toast the bread without oil over medium heat on both sides until the surface is slightly dry and crispy and starts to brown. By the way, wipe the crumbs off the hot pan; they char and smoke instantly, and a sandwich with dark crumbs on it looks unappealing.

   

2. Rub the bread with garlic and brush with oil. Let the toasted bread cool a little, since the sandwich is served cold. Meanwhile peel a garlic clove and rub it over one side of the toasted bread. The dried surface of the bread acts as an abrasive, and the garlic grates beautifully. Then brush the rubbed side with a little fresh, top-quality olive oil. Put the prepared bread on a plate.

   

Cheese, pepper and basil

3. Cut the mozzarella into very thin slices as wide as the prepared bread.

   

4. Roast the sweet pepper. I recommend peppers of different colors, so the sandwiches are colorful. You can roast the pepper in the oven. I do it more simply: brush the pepper with a little olive oil so the surface is coated with a film, put it on a plate and microwave for 5-6 mins at full power until the pepper is soft. If you like, you can peel the outer skin off the roasted pepper; it comes off easily. But from experience, the skin doesn’t get in the way and goes unnoticed in sandwiches with pepper.

5. Cut the pepper and prepare the basil. Let the roasted pepper cool a little so you can handle it, and remove the seeds. Cut the pepper into small slices, like the mozzarella. Pick the basil leaves off the stems, wash them and, if they are too big, tear them into pieces.

   

Assembly

6. Assemble the sandwiches. On each slice of prepared bread, layer a slice of mozzarella, roasted peppers of different colors and a basil leaf, in any order and proportion.

   

   You can lightly salt the sandwich and sprinkle with a pinch of oregano.

Serving

7. Put the finished mozzarella and pepper sandwich on a plate and serve. A pepper sandwich like this goes well with roast chicken and can work as a light appetizer with an aperitif.