Open Faced Caprese Sandwich

by Eric N Gibson
Contributing Writer

I wanted something simple for dinner. Still up to our Waahzoo in tomatoes I had made a sauce, at least I think it was a sauce, or something similar, from some roasted cherry tomatoes; leftovers from a previous endeavor. And now there was an abundance of Roma’s coming in.
This recipe for an Open Faced Caprese Sandwich is so delicious! And, so simple! I credit the basic idea of this sandwich to a chef I worked with back a few years ago.
It was actually served as a sandwich seared on a “flat top” like Grilled Cheese. We would make these on a hearty white sliced bread or on French sticks, pressed on a grill under weighted sheet pans. Over the years I changed it up here at home to be more like a pizza or ¨open face¨ done under the broiler.
For years my kids couldn’t figure out if I was looking for something under the stove or having a vertigo episode. Our gas range had the broiler on the very bottom where others would have a drawer for pans. I´d be on my knees with the side of my head pressed to the kitchen floor just to see if these sandwiches were burning. This would always be the time one of the kids would find me and sound the alarm.
Kid: “Mom! Dad’s on the floor again!”
Wife: “Are his arms and legs spread out like he´s trying to hold on at the Tea Cup ride?”
Kid: “Nooo….”
Wife: “Is the bottom door of the oven open?”
Kid: “Yaaaa…”
Wife: “He´s okay. He’s just checking on dinner.”
Kid: “How´s it lookin’, Dad?”
Me: ”Fine! Go away!”
Kid: “I was just askin.”
If it was easy enough to ask me how dinner looked, would it really have been that difficult to just ask me if I were okay, rather than tell everyone in the house what I was doing? It was awkward enough getting down on the floor to use the broiler. They really need not bring attention to me in this position. But, that is why we have children, to bring attention to all of life’s little embarrassing oddities, maladies, and conundrums.
So, over the years I moved these yummy sandwiches up from the ground floor, trying them in the fry pan as a grilled sandwich, but the flavor just wasn’t the same. I admit, I really liked the crisp buttered outsides of the hearty white bread when cooked as a sandwich, but I just like these served as an open face. The plate presentation alone is worth it, seeing the vibrant colors: Green, White, and Red come alive. And the taste! The crust and exposed edges of the bread get just enough crisping. The tangey sweet flavor of meaty tomatoes is drawn out by the heat from the oven. The fresh Mozzarella just beginning to melt and bubble. The fragrant aroma created by fresh sweet basil, sharp earthy garlic, pleasingly pungent grated Parmesan, and a nose tickling pinch of fresh cracked pepper corns all come together in an alluring ensemble, a perfume, wafting throughout the kitchen.
What’s not to like?
The history of the “Caprese,” according to multiple sources, has its humble beginnings within post war Italy; in this case, World War One. A patriotic young man, a mason by trade, wanted to celebrate his country. In a land known for finer yet simple culinary fare, he gathered his ingredients, those reflective of his country’s colors; tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil. Arranging them on a plate and garnishing the trio with a drizzle of olive oil, the Caprese Salad was born. Eventually this beautiful ensemble found its way onto the menus of some of Italy’s, and the world’s, most noted hotels and restaurants. The Grand Hotel Quisisana, a resort of royalty and jet setters alike, in Capri, Naples, Italy was one of these.
Not until later, into the 1950´s, did the Caprese Sandwich appear on the culinary scene. While its roots truly are the Caprese Salad, the sandwich was a whim of the chef of King Faruok. The king desired a light snack and summoned his chef to oblige. The conversation details are lost to history, but I can only imagine it was most likely a one sided affair. Moments later, placed before the king was a most pleasing combination of cheese, fresh basil, and tomatoes, with, what one can only assume was, a most delectable hint of that region’s best olive oil. All delicately arranged within a light Aish Baladi, a type of flatbread, the life bread of Egypt and a topic for another time.

But this version of the Caprese Sandwich, the recipe I share with you here, is delicious as an open face on French Bread, and yes, you can use a hearty artisan white if you so choose, making a closed sandwich to grill like a grilled cheese. I have, however, found the best results to be served as an open face. The presentation is much more impressive with its eye appeal. A smattering of your favorite red sauce over a bread prepared with a garlic and oil base then topped with slices of vibrant red meaty tomatoes, in stark contrast with the fresh mozzarella, and a smattering of torn green basil that fills the kitchen with its unmistakable sweet bouquet. Finished with a few twists of cracked pepper corns and perhaps more mozzarella, I hope you too will agree that the Open Faced Caprese Sandwich, a delicacy worthy of royalty, is truly made for the Simple Feast.
Enjoy!