Although I write about Italian food, I now live in France, so the food traditions of the Mediterranean town of Nice (Nizza in Italian), with their strong Italian influences, are particularly interesting to me. The cuisine of the French Riviera town -- perhaps the most well-known examples being salade niçoise, tapenade, and ratatouille -- blends typical Provençal ingredients and cooking methods with those of the Italian regions of Liguria and Piemonte and often features olives, olive oil, anchovies, and plenty of vegetables. Think of it as French-Italian fusion!

This no-cook recipe for Niçoise-style stuffed bread makes a great quick-and-easy lunch or antipasto for warm-weather dinners and is a great way to use up day-old baguettes. Even somewhat hardened loaves of bread can be used, with the following modification: After slicing the loaf in half lengthwise, wet it with cold water, let sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out any excess water and continue with the regular recipe (below).

See Also

Pan Bagnat -- a Niçoise-style sandwich

Ingredients

• 1 baguette/long, thin loaf of French-style bread
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled, slightly crushed with the broad side of a chef's knife, and sliced in half crosswise
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium cucumber
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 stalk celery
• 4 oil-packed anchovies, drained well and finely chopped
• 1 red onion
• 1 small bunch fresh basil leaves, washed, dried, and minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 0 minutes

• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Preparation

Slice the bread in half lengthwise, rub both cut surfaces with the garlic clove, and then sprinkle evenly with olive oil. Peel the cucumber and slice it croswise into even rounds. Wash the tomatoes, cut them in half crosswise, remove the seeds and excess juice, then cut them crosswise into thin slices. Trim the celery and chop it finely. Peel the onion and cut it into thin slices.

Place the bottom half of the bread on a large baking sheet and cover evenly spread with the tomato, cucumber, onion, and celery.

Cover vegetables with the chopped anchovies and minced basil. Finish with an additional sprinkle of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Place the other half of the bread on top and press it (you can either use a couple of bacon presses or place another baking sheet on top and use a few heavy items -- such as canned tomatoes -- as weights) for 5 to 10 minutes so that the flavors are infused into the bread. 

Slice crosswise and serve either as lunchtime sandwiches or a before-meal antipasto/finger food. This makes a great barbecue or picnic dish as well.