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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.

Ethan Mick

with Zucchini au Pistou

Beef Tartines

Thinly Sliced Beef

Round Pugliese Bread

Spinach

Garlic

Zucchini

Lemon

Fontina Cheese

Capers

Grated Parmesan Cheese

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.

Prepare the ingredients:

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 the spinach & make the pistou:

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.

Cook & dress the zucchini:

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.

Make the garlic toasts:

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.

Cook the beef:

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!