When Italy comes to mind, Italian food is not far behind. And then next thoughts tend towards pasta. Or gelato. Or cheese. Or pizza. Or gelato. (Yes, gelato is deserving of a double mention, since I tend to eat it twice daily when I am there)
Prosciutto is basically the perfect blend of rich, salty and slightly sweet
The thing missing from most Italian food lexicons are the amazing sandwiches. Not the panninis that have become Americanized to the point of not being actually Italian anymore (we could have the same conversation about most pizzas).
Creamy and sweet ricotta is the perfect foil to the the salty and rich prosciutto
I’m talking about the quick sandwiches on long thin loaves of crusty bread. They are found in train stations and Italian bodegas and are designed to be serviceable and travel easily. With stellar but simple ingredients they are well worth a trip to a train station.
The famous view from the top of cathedral in Florence
We first became acquainted with these guys in Florence – our train was delayed and then delayed again. We were getting anxious – we had a day to get back to Rome in order to catch a flight to Istanbul. Forgetting my travel mantra that ‘everything works out and if it doesn’t there is a reason’ I was having nightmare visions of a mad scramble and missing our flight anyway.
Florence is one of the art capitols of the world and this bit of street art perfectly illustrates how I feel about the city.
I’ve found that when I am traveling and have a moment of panic, it has a root in being hungry. If I take a deep breath followed by a bite of something delicious my nomadic fears travel on.
With all that being said, I wanted to share my favorite Train Station Sandwich – the one that saved my sanity in Florence. With only 4 ingredients it hits every note: crusty, creamy, salty, peppery. It was good enough that we even made a special trip TO the terminal just to get a one.
With just 4 simple ingredients this Italian Train Station Sandwich is deceptively simple
So, here it is:
- Bread – a crusty Italian answer to the French baguette
- Ricotta – taking care of the sweet and creamy notes
- Prosciutto – rich and salty as a contrast
- Arugula – peppery and tart for a slight bitter note
You can heat this sandwich slightly. Or not. You could also add a drizzle of good olive oil. Or not. Make it as easy or as complicated as you’d like
Ingredients
- 1 Long Narrow Demi Baguette
- 1/3 cup Fresh Ricotta
- 2-3 Slices Cured Italian Prosciutto, sliced paper thin
- 1/2 cup Arugula, loosely packed
- Optional Extras:
- Fresh Cracked Pepper
- A Drizzle of Olive Oil
Method
- Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Spread the ricotta along the bottom half.
- Lay the prosciutto in thin strips on top of the ricotta. Add the arugula and top with the 2nd slice of bread.
- If you'd like you could add some fresh cracked pepper or a drizzle of olive oil on top of the ricotta before layering the prosciutto, but totally optional.
- Another variation would be to heat the sandwich in a 200 degree oven for 5 minutes until everything is warmed through but not toasted.
– Lydia, constantly craving ricotta
Well, I will be finding myself in a train station in Florence very soon….can’t wait to try this out. And then come home and recreate it with your recipe.
Enjoy your trip (a little jealous, won’t lie). Be sure to have them heat it ever so slightly. Heaven.
I love the sound of this, I’ve never had a sandwich with ricotta before!
Thanks! It is creamy and salty and spicy in all the right places!
This sandwich looks amazing! My husband would be all over it. He would have no problem traveling trying different foods from around the world (I just worry about vegetarian options being available anywhere we go!)
I love the name of this sandwich; that alone makes me want to make it! It sounds delicious and I love your photos to go along with it. A fun ‘souvenir’ to bring home to your own kitchen.
Beautiful! Making me miss Italy so much!!
Thanks you Christine. I was having reverse-homesickness for Italy too when I decided to write this post… Hope your travels take you back soon!