This is my first recipe for a sandwich; which seems odd because sandwiches are very much one of my favourite food groups. It's a sandwich based on one of my all-time favourite, which I ate a couple of months ago on holiday. Gazela is a small but very busy bar/restaurant in Porto known for their cachorrinhos (little hot dogs). Elegantly small baguette-like buns are filled with sausage and cheese before being grilled heavily, bruised with a little chilli oil and sliced into little chunks. Weirdly, it's something about how small these little chunks are that makes it so good.
'I have put together a Somerset-y version of it below, including a bread recipe that is genuinely very simple and perfect for the sandwich but of course a good baguette will very much do the trick if time is a pressure. A focaccia-type dough roughly shaped and baked hot and dark. Filled with fried sausage, mozzarella and finely chopped wild garlic. A cold beer is emphatically the serving suggestion.
INGREDIENTS
Makes 6 indulgent sandwiches
For the bread:
- 300g strong bread flour
- 1 x 7g sachet fast action yeast
- 6g fine salt
- 240ml water
- Semolina or polenta for dusting
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea Salt (Halen Môn is the best)
For the sandwich filling:
- 6 x very good quality pork sausages (something like this)
- 3 x balls of buffalo mozzarella
- 2 x handfuls of wild garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp runny honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Tabasco sauce
- Mayonnaise
- Butter
METHOD
Mix the flour, water, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix with one hand to form a soft dough, use a dough scraper to tip out onto a clean work surface and knead vigorously for five minutes.
This is a super soft/ wet dough, so if it feels sticky or uncomfortable, don't be put off; you haven't done anything wrong. If you're struggling, this video offers some tips on dealing with wet dough.
Use a dough scraper to transfer to a well-oiled bowl, cover lightly with a damp cloth and allow to prove for 1.5 hours.
Preheat oven to 220°C.
Gently tip out the dough onto a worktop heavily dusted with semolina or polenta. Drizzle the top of the dough with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and an extra sprinkle of semolina.
Use a dough scraper to divide the dough carefully into 6 equal-sized lengths. Transfer to a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack.
Remove the sausage meat from their skins and fry in little patties.
Cut open the bread and fill it with the sausage, torn mozzarella and wild garlic, along with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Replace the top of the sandwich and brush the top and bottom with a little mayonnaise.
Grill in a toastie machine or fry gently in a little butter with a weight on top until golden and crunchy.
Make a quick spicy dressing by stirring the mustard, honey and Tabasco together. Brush over the hot sandwiches, slice them into nice little pieces, and serve.
Read our review of Briar here.
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