French tartines, or open-faced sandwiches, are a delightful meal for any time of day—and with any number of toppings. Our gourmet tartines start off with a deliciously crusty loaf of rustic bread. We’re slicing it up and layering it with a succulent, delicate cut of beef (browned on the stove in just a couple of minutes), creamy cheese and tangy capers. We’re also making a simple pistou, a Provençal green sauce similar to pesto, to brighten up the rich tartines and their side of sautéed zucchini.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 10 oz Thinly Sliced Beef
- 1 Round Pugliese Bread
- 2 oz Spinach
- 1 Garlic
- 1 Zucchini
- 1 Lemon
- 1 1/2 oz Fontina Cheese
- 1 tbsp Capers
- 1 tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese
Instructions
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut the bread into four 1-inch-thick slices (you may have extra bread). Quarter and deseed the lemon. Cut off and discard the ends of the zucchini; quarter lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2-inch-long wedges. Peel the garlic. Cut off and discard any rind from the Fontina cheese; small dice the cheese. Roughly chop the capers.
Cook the spinach & make the pistou:
In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the spinach; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 2 minutes, or until bright green and wilted. Transfer to a cutting board and finely chop. Transfer the chopped spinach to a medium bowl; stir in the Parmesan cheese and the juice of 2 lemon wedges. Slowly stir in enough olive oil to create a rough paste; season with salt and pepper to taste. Wipe out the pan.
Cook & dress the zucchini:
In the pan used to cook the spinach, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and slightly softened. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add half the pistou; toss to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Wipe out the pan.
Make the garlic toasts:
In the pan used to cook the zucchini, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on medium-high heat until hot. Add the bread and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and crispy. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan. When cool enough to handle, carefully rub the cut sides of the toasted bread with the garlic clove; discard the clove. Transfer the garlic toasts to a sheet pan.
Cook the beef:
Using your hands, separate the sliced beef; pat dry with paper towels. In the pan used to toast the bread, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil on high until hot. Using tongs, add the beef in a single, even layer; season with salt and pepper. Cook, without stirring, 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned on the first side. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until browned and just cooked through. Remove from heat.
Finish the tartines & plate your dish:
Divide the cooked beef between the garlic toasts. Evenly top with the Fontina cheese and capers. Bake 2 to 4 minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven. Divide the baked tartines and dressed zucchini between 2 plates. Top the tartines with the remaining pistou. Serve with the remaining lemon wedges on the side. Enjoy!