Saturday, December 10, 2011

Fennel, caramelised onion, ricotta, toasted almond & rocket sandwich

Hello :) You know those enticing words that cafes use, to make a dish sound a little bit fancy? Here are some examples:

...slow oven-roasted tomatoes
...biodynamic muesli
...macerated strawberries
...organic fruit spelt bread
...heirloom carrots

Well yesterday, before my ballet concert rehearsal at the Seymour centre I was walking along King St, Newtown in search of lunch. Since I was going to be dancing quite soon after, I wanted something light yet satisfying if that makes sense. I came across Luxe bakery and had a look at their sandwich options- and decided I shall have one for lunch!

Shaved fennel, sweet & sour caramelised onion, fresh ricotta, toasted almond & rocket is the option I decided to have. Doesn't it just sound like an amazing combination? I'm one to be enticed by those words such as "caramelised" and "toasted"...it turns simple ingredients such as onions & almonds into something totally scrumptious!

The toasted sandwich was totally scrumptious, although I realised after I'd eaten half, I had to rush off so I ate the rest on the way. I did manage to take a quick snapshot of it...


A fresh loaf of bread is always the perfect way to start the weekend in my opinion anyway, so I decided to recreate my delightful lunch I had yesterday, today using some wholemeal spelt bread. 

~ Fennel, caramelised onion, fresh ricotta, toasted almond & rocket on wholemeal spelt bread ~

Serves 2 

What you'll need: 

1. Wholemeal spelt bread (any kind of fresh bread is fine)
2. Fennel, fresh ricotta, a small brown onion, handful of rocket and small handful of almonds 

How to make: 

1. Caramelise a small brown onion. On very low heat add about a tablespoon of butter in a pan and add sliced onion. Cook for about 10-15 minutes (adding a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar to the pan), or until the onions are brown and cooked well. 

Whilst you're waiting I suggest you enjoy some bread with extra virgin olive oil & dukka :) 
2. Let's arrange our sandwich! Lay two slices of bread on a board
3. Add fresh ricotta to both slices and add half the caramelised onion
4. Next, add toasted almonds (simply chop almonds and toast under the griller for a few minutes) and sliced fennel 
5. And add a handful of rocket 
6. Toast lightly under a griller, a few minutes of each side until slightly brown or crisp around the edges 
7. Cut diagonally & serve. 
8. Repeat this process to serve another! 

This was a seriously good toasted sandwich! I can't say I've ever used fennel before, but I really like the subtle liquorice taste! I did used to drink fennel seed tea in the past which is lovely & good for digestion, as is fresh fennel.  

I'm wondering what sandwich combination have you been loving lately? Perhaps you had it in a cafe or made it yourself!

Hannah x

8 comments:

  1. this looks delicious Hannah.

    Luxe bakery is on my to do list!

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  2. Wow :)

    Hannah, where can I email you? I'd love to talk to you about the possibility of you doing a guest post for me! xox

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  3. That is one hell of a sandwich! I'm going to comb through all your backpages now for more delicious vego inspiration!

    By the way, I see you made pumpkin cranberry loaf a little while ago... and I wonder if you've ever seen fresh or frozen (as opposed to dried and sweetened) cranberries here in Aus? I really want to use them in a few holiday dishes, but can't find them anywhere!

    x Catherine @ The Spring (in Brisbane)

    http://www.thespringblog.com

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  4. That Brunette One- oh yes it was :)

    Leah- totally recommend Luxe bakery, they are just epic at everything...great coffee, pastries, bread, lunch... :)

    Annette- Oooh that sounds awesome, I'll get in touch :D

    Catherine- To be honest I used those dried & sweetened craisins in the recipe...definitely let you know if I see fresh cranberries though!!

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  5. I'm totally going to whip this bad boy up for luncheon this week!!!

    Thanks for the recipe honey, as I was reading it I was thinking... I hope there's a recipe and ta daaa!! There was!!

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  6. This is such a beautiful sandwich (the bread looks divine). I so appreciate a fancy sandwich :) caramelised onions I usually reserve for burgers but I should totally put them in my sandwiches too! Alas, I have been decidedly boring with my sandwiches of late. Always the same salad (+ beetroot & cheese) + tuna :)
    Heidi xo

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  7. Hannah, your sandwich looks delicious! You've inspired me to make my own version ... I'll blog about it soon. :)

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