My wife and I had been driving for hours, heading to Kobarid in Slovenia for a week of fishing and food at Hotel Hvala. We’d been swallowing up kilometre after kilometre of autostrada for what felt like an eternity and we were done. Then finally we turned onto roads that hugged the rivers and started to wind and twist, our heads beginning to spin. We stopped in Cividale del Friuli and pushed open the door of a gas station that doubled as a little café, we ordered some sandwiches and a bottle of acqua frizzante. They simply brought us what was, at that precise moment, the best sandwich in the world. Francesca, questo è per te!
It’s one of the best sandwiches to take along on a fishing trip — it explodes in your mouth, you’ve got all of Italy on your palate, it’s a guaranteed journey. Close your eyes and you’re transported to the banks of the fiume of your dreams!
Ciabbata & Mortadella
You’ll need: a ciabatta, some olive oil (the good stuff, not the supermarket kind…), sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, burrata, mortadella (or really GOOD cooked ham), pepper, salt and love! Got all that? Ready? Let’s go!
Cut your ciabatta in half (or any other bread that might do the trick), slice it lengthways, and pull out a bit of the soft inside if you think there’s too much of it.
Drizzle olive oil over both slices (be generous).
Add the sun-dried tomatoes. Go on, cover it generously!
On the left side, pile on a good handful of Arugula..
On the right side, place half of your burrata (careful, it can get runny). Season generously with pepper and add a pinch of coarse salt.
Lay your slices of mortadella on top, and close it up!
We recommend cutting your sandwich in half — it’s much easier to eat! Wrap it up well in baking paper (Otherwise it’ll go all soggy!), tuck it in your bag, and you’ll thank us when it’s lunchtime!
