They’re good to go

EVERY summer I wonder if the picnic basket is really an urban myth. Does anyone pack a restrained meal anymore?

The usual splendor on the grass is at least six bulging bags of salads and cheeses from some takeout shop where the olive choices outnumber the prospective ants. Or else it’s a home-cooked feast that can’t be tackled without knife, fork and many napkins while you struggle to keep a wine glass upright on a blanket.

A picnic is supposed to be easy eating, a portable meal that fits all venues from the park to the beach. The ideal entree is something designed to be eaten one-handed, with at least two of the basic food groups loaded into a tidy package that won’t fall apart as you sprawl on the grass or reach for a beer.

That might sound like the definition of a sandwich, but there are sandwiches and then there are sandwiches.

What works for me is one that can be made large and cut down to tidy size when it’s time to eat. I owe my solution to Elizabeth David, the most inspired culinary thinker of the last century. In her book “Summer Food,” she includes a 1932 recipe for a shooter’s sandwich, meant to be taken on hunting trips with nothing more than a knife (well, a flask of whiskey and water too). It’s the perfect model for make-ahead, slice-to-order road food.

You first grill a steak, season it copiously and stuff it into a hollowed-out loaf of bread with a few grilled mushrooms for juice and flavor. You then wrap the whole assemblage in butcher’s paper, tie it with kitchen twine and “let the thing endure pressure for at least six hours.” When it’s finally sliced, you get a solid sandwich, the meat melded to the bread.

It takes more time and work than a BLT, but the result is much more substantial. And it fits right into a picnic basket.

Over the years since I first made this, I’ve constantly tweaked the original recipe. Apparently England in the 1930s had no ciabatta, which makes a far superior casing for the meat since it’s almost all crust and requires no hollowing out. I’ve also found skirt steak is juicier and more flavorful than flank. And I’ve added chipotles for heat, and thyme for spice, although salt and pepper are enough.

The weighting and compressing of the sandwich works so well -- like a panini without the heat of a grill -- that I transferred the technique to the muffuletta. The sandwich, essentially a cold answer to the New Orleans po’ boy, was invented at the Central Grocery in the French Quarter. Think of it as a round hero: a loaf of special Italian bread is sliced in half, dressed with a pungent olive salad and layered with cured meats such as mortadella and salami with plenty of provolone. The oily olives help the sandwich adhere when it’s cut into wedges, but pressing it turned out to make it even more suitable for travel.

The same combination of a round bread and a fat filling works well with a pressed sandwich of eggs scrambled with Spanish chorizo and onions. A layer of Gruyere or Cheddar on the hot filling keeps the sandwich together, while the chorizo adds enough spicy heat that the eggs are still appealing after they cool down.

(An even easier chorizo sandwich can be made with a ficelle, sliced open, brushed with good olive oil and lined with thinly sliced chorizo and mozzarella plus arugula. After it’s wrapped, tied and weighted for only an hour, it holds together almost as well as a panini.)

A fatter baguette will hold roasted zucchini, eggplant and sweet onion, sauced with a tapenade of sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies and basil. If the combination of vegetarians and hunters weren’t so unnerving, it could be called a meatless shooter’s.

All these sandwiches will satisfy the type of picnic planner who knows shopping is as important as cooking. The right bread is crucial: Cottony supermarket loaves are not going to work. You need bread with a serious crust and a sturdy crumb so that it doesn’t turn sodden as it sits. Any bread will go rubbery on you if the weather is too humid, though, so these sandwiches are best saved for a sunny day.

Some cheeses work better than others -- creamy types such as Saint Andre taste great but tend to squirt. Fresh mozzarella is perfect because it’s soft enough to meld with other elements while hanging onto its shape and integrity.

The little things matter a lot too. Most loaves need to be hollowed out, leaving only a “retaining wall” so the filling stays where it belongs without bulging out as it would against a flat surface. The loaf should not be sliced all the way through; a hinge on one side will keep the insides inside.

And anything that gets in the way of decisive bites has to be removed, from the chewy casing on chorizo to the stringy stems on arugula.

The extra effort, though, makes a sandwich worth its weight for any picnic, either the old-fashioned al fresco kind or the increasingly necessary ones, when you find yourself strapped into a tiny seat 30,000 miles above Nebraska on a food-free flight.

*Muffuletta

Total time: 1 hour, plus 2 to 4 hours marinating and 4 hours pressing

Servings: 8

Note: To blanch the cauliflower and carrot, cook in boiling water for 2 minutes, then plunge into cold water.

1/2cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

1/2cup pitted oil-packed black olives, coarsely chopped

1 (2-ounce) jar pimentos, drained and coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, trimmed and minced, about 1/3 cup

1/4cup cauliflower florets, blanched and minced

1 carrot, peeled, blanched and minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped Italian parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4cup red wine vinegar

1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large round loaf semolina bread

1 cup very finely shredded lettuce

1/4pound thinly sliced ham

1/4pound thinly sliced mortadella with pistachios

1/4pound thinly sliced Genoa salami

6 ounces thinly sliced provolone

1. Make an olive relish by combining the green and black olives with the pimentos, celery, cauliflower, carrot, garlic, parsley, oregano, vinegar and oil. Stir to blend, then set aside to marinate at least 2 hours, but preferably 4.

2. Slice the bread in half horizontally. Scoop out some of the bottom part, leaving a retaining wall on all sides. Drain the olive mixture, reserving the liquid. Spread half the relish onto the bread. Top with successive layers of lettuce, ham, mortadella, salami and cheese. Drizzle with a little of the reserved marinade. Spread the remaining olive relish over the layers. Top with the reserved half of the loaf.

3. Wrap the sandwich in plastic film. Place it on a baking sheet and weight it with something heavy such as an iron skillet or canned tomatoes. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to compress. Cut into thin wedges to serve.

Each serving: 362 calories; 1,212 mg. sodium; 43 mg. cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 17 grams protein; 2 grams fiber.

*Chorizo and egg sandwich

Total time: 20 minutes plus 1 hour pressing

Servings: 4

Note: Pea shoots are found fresh in Asian markets.

1 round olive or plain sourdough bread

3 to 4 handfuls pea shoots or stemmed arugula leaves

1/2pound Gruyere or Cheddar cheese, thinly sliced, divided

6 large eggs

1 tablespoon milk

Salt, pepper

1/4pound Spanish chorizo, casing removed, diced

1/2small onion, peeled, halved and very thinly sliced

1. Slice the bread in half horizontally, leaving 1 side hinged. Carefully hollow out the center of each side, leaving a retaining wall. Place on large sheet of waxed paper or foil. Lay the arugula or pea shoots in the well in the bottom half, then layer half the cheese over that. Set aside.

2. Beat the eggs with the milk and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Combine the chorizo and onion in a large saute pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat slightly and pour in the eggs. Cook, stirring with a spatula, until set but still moist. Using a spatula, lift the cooked egg mixture onto the cheese-lined bread and arrange in an even layer, pressing down to compact. Lay the remaining cheese evenly on top.

4. Close the top of the bread, pressing down. Wrap the sandwich tightly in paper or foil and weight with cast-iron skillet or other heavy object for 1 hour to compact.

5. To serve, use a serrated knife to cut into wedges.

Each serving: 659 calories; 984 mg. sodium; 406 mg. cholesterol; 39 grams fat; 39 grams saturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 39 grams protein; 2 grams fiber.

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Roasted vegetable sandwich

Total time: 35 minutes plus at least 1 hour pressing

Servings: 4 to 6

2 medium zucchini, scrubbed and trimmed

1 medium eggplant, trimmed and peeled

1 sweet onion ( such as Vidalia or Maui), peeled

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2cup roughly chopped fresh basil, divided

1/2cup extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

10 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, coarsely chopped

2 oil-packed anchovies, coarsely chopped

1 baguette

1/2pound fresh mozzarella

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the zucchini lengthwise into thin slices and place in large bowl. Cut the eggplant and onion in half lengthwise, then crosswise into very thin slices and add to bowl. Add the garlic and half the basil. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons of the oil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss until well mixed and coated.

2. Transfer the vegetables to 2 large baking sheets. Roast, stirring and turning every 5 minutes, until very soft, 25 to 35 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

3. Combine the tomatoes and anchovies with the remaining basil in a blender. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil and process until chunky, adding more oil to make a spreadable paste.

4. Slice the baguette lengthwise, leaving one side hinged. Hollow out the center of each side, leaving a retaining wall all around. Spread both sides lightly with the tomato- anchovy mixture. Carefully lay the roasted vegetable mixture evenly in the hollow. Lay the mozzarella in slices or in mounds over the vegetables.

5. Carefully close the top half of the bread. Using a spatula, press any protruding cheese or vegetables back into the sandwich. Wrap in waxed paper and tie at 2-inch intervals. Top the sandwich with cast-iron skillets or other heavy weights and let it stand at least 1 hour to compact. To serve, use serrated knife to cut into thick slices.

Each serving: 448 calories; 409 mg. sodium; 31 mg. cholesterol; 29 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 5 grams fiber.

*

Shooter’s sandwich

Total time: 30 minutes, plus 6 hours pressing

Servings: 4 to 6

10 shiitake mushroom caps, wiped clean

Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 1/2pounds skirt steak

2 chopped chipotle chiles with their adobo sauce, or to taste

1 loaf ciabatta, about the same length as the skirt steaks

1. Heat a grill, a broiler or a large skillet over high heat. Lightly brush the shiitakes with a little oil and season well with salt and pepper. Cook until tender. Sprinkle with the thyme and set aside to cool.

2. Grill, broil or fry the steak until rare (if frying, use 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil).

3. While the meat cooks, slice the ciabatta lengthwise, leaving a hinge attached on one side and opening the loaf. As soon as the steak is done, lay it into the bread and season lavishly with salt and pepper. Spread with the chipotle chiles, then with the shiitakes. Fold over the top side of the ciabatta to close. Transfer the sandwich to a double layer of butcher’s or waxed paper. Fold the paper over the sandwich and tie it with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals. Wrap it with more paper. Place it on a baking sheet and weight it by placing a skillet or heavy cans on top. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

4. To serve, unwrap and slice off sandwiches as needed. Serve with a sharp cheese and chipotle mayonnaise, if you like.

Each serving: 424 calories; 519 mg. sodium; 59 mg. cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 42 grams carbohydrates; 31 grams protein; 3 grams fiber.

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