Christmas is all about family traditions. Up until we became grown-ups (and my brother was no longer psyched to sleep on the floor) my siblings and I would all sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve. This gave me, the youngest, ample opportunity to wake everyone every hour after 1am to see if it was an appropriate hour to open presents yet. Usually this lasted until about 6am when I was finally sent to check out the loot, report back and wake my parents. After an elaborately slow display of getting out of bed and first making coffee, my parents would finally let us start opening presents, slowly, one at a time. The slow ritual of it all made everything all the more exciting. This changed a bit once we all hit the age when waking up before 10am on a weekend seemed impossible and our parents were dragging us out of bed.
But there’s still a lot to get excited about as a grown up. One thing is the Christmas meal. Due to our constant requests, my mom has made the same meal for the past few years. It sounds odd, but she makes the world’s best Christmas sandwich. We have literally avoided having guests for dinner on Christmas eve in order to preserve more sandwich for ourselves. The sandwich is also an amazing Christmas gift. You can make it ahead of time, stick it in the fridge and then heat it up whenever you want deliciousness. If you’re trying to cut a few carbs, you can just make the chicken and fixings and bake it with no bread – it’s still an amazing dish. I finally made this legendary ‘wich on Sunday and realized that despite the amazing flavors it’s actually very simple. So continue reading for the greatest sandwich of all time, the Christmas sandwich. From my family, to yours.
The Christmas Sandwich
Makes about 6 big servings – but it goes fast!
Ingredients
-2 long loaves French Bread (with a crusty crust)
-1 cup chopped black olives
-4 minced scallions
-1 can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
-1 small red bell pepper, sliced
-1 lb. sliced roast chicken (buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken)
-3/4 lb. thinly sliced imported provolone (can use yogurt cheese if you’re lactarded like me)
DRESSING
-1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley
-4 anchovy fillets (come in a can)
-2 tbsp. capers
-Juice of 1 lemon
-1 cup olive oil
-Halve loaves of bread and scoop out center
- Mix dressing ingredients in Cuisinart or blender until smooth and spread ¼ cup on inside of bread loaves.
-Mix remaing dressing with vegetables and arrange on one side of each loaf.
-Top with chicken and cheese; put two halves together; wrap in foil and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
-Bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees or stick in toaster oven until cheese is melty and bread is crusty.
Eat and enjoy!
