Heirloom Tomato Sandwich with Basil Pesto

Sponsored by Wolf Trap

Photo by Peyton Weikert

Summer has officially arrived here in the District! Check out which ingredients are in season, and try your hand at an heirloom tomato sandwich recipe from Wolf Trap's Chef Chris Faessen.

What's in season:

• Apples
• Apricots
• Beans
• Beets
• Blueberries
• Broccoli Rabe
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Chard
• Collards
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Currants
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Gooseberries
• Green Beans
• Herbs
• Kale
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Lettuces
• Mushrooms
• Nectarines
• Okra
• Onions
• Peaches
• Peppers
• Plums
• Potatoes
• Radishes
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Salad Greens
• Shallots
• Sprouts
• Strawberries
• Sugar & Snap Peas
• Summer Squash
• Sweet Cherries
• Tomatillos
• Tomatoes
• Watermelons

Executive Chef Chris Faessen shares a guaranteed crowd pleaser for a Wolf Trap picnic—delicious, easy-to-pack —serving up these tomato sandwiches will make you very popular indeed. Often called “Caprese” sandwiches, which means in the style of the Italian island of Capri, food served Caprese-style, in this case a sandwich, are constructed of sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, sweet basil and seasoned with salt and olive oil. A cold white Italian wine or prosecco would complete the picture. Enjoy the summer evening and manga!

No time to pack a picnic? Wolf Trap has you covered. Their restaurant offers on-site dining, and also the option to call ahead and order a custom picnic to pick it up before the show. To order, call 703-255-4017 or to explore all dining options, visit www.wolftrap.org/visit/dining-and-concessions.aspx

Heirloom Tomato Sandwich with Basil Pesto
Serves 4.

1 red heirloom tomato
1 yellow heirloom tomato
1 teaspoon basil pesto
4-6 thick slices fresh buffalo mozzarella (depending on the size of your rolls/sandwiches)
4 fresh ciabatta rolls (or a loaf of ciabatta)

Basil Pesto

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¼ cup pine nuts (or substitute walnuts)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Put all the ingredients in a blender and ½ cup of the olive oil and blend well. Finish with the remaining olive oil. To assemble sandwiches, cut the rolls in half, removing a bit of the bread on each side to create room for the tomato and cheese. Spread pesto on top and bottom, layer the tomato and mozzarella. Press the sandwich down and refrigerate for 30 minutes. To use the loaf, cut it in half lengthways, remove some of the bread and assemble as above. After refrigeration, slice into serving size sandwiches.

Mushrooms en Croute with Charred Spring Onion Dressing

By Executive Chef David Fritsche, Stable DC
Serves 4

Mushrooms en Croute
1 sheet puff pastry
2 cups white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 cups oyster mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 cups Hen of the Woods mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 tablespoons cottage cheese
½ cup gruyere cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon chives, chopped
2 shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a medium sauté pan, add the olive oil and bring it to high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté them until they get some nice light brown color. Next, add the chopped shallots and season with salt and pepper; finish cooking the mushrooms until the shallots and mushrooms are soft. Finish the mushrooms with the chopped chives and let them cool down.

Once the mixture has cooled, add the cottage cheese, gruyere cheese and check seasoning.

Cut the puff pastry into circles and place them into a dome mold or a sauce ladle. Fill the pastry domes with the mushroom mix and cover with another puff pastry disk to seal the little domes or pies from the bottom. Carefully remove the domes from the mold or ladle and place on a baking tray that is lined with parchment paper.

Brush with egg wash and bake by 340°F for about 15–20 minutes, until the pies are nice and golden brown.

Charred Spring Onion Dressing
1 bunch spring onions
1 shallot, chopped finely
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2½ tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a sauté pan, add a little bit of olive oil and turn up the heat. Add the cleaned spring onions and roast them until they soften and get some brown color; remove from heat and let cool.

In a blender, add the roasted spring onions, shallot, mustard, champagne vinegar and blend together until smooth. Slowly add the olive oil to the dressing while running the blender on medium speed to create an emulsion. Adjust the seasoning. Chef tip: If the dressing is too tart, add a pinch of sugar, which will soften the edges.

To serve, drizzle a generous amount of dressing among 4 small plates. Place the mushroom pies atop the dressing on each plate. Serve.

Stable DC, 1324 H St. NE, Washington, DC; 202-733-4604

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

By Jason Miller, Corporate Executive Chef at Balducci’s

The best holiday dinners are a time of indulgence and contentment; you’ve eaten well and are relaxing with friends and family. And a great meal is one that delivers great flavor (and compliments!) but that doesn’t exhaust you or your patience in the kitchen. I think of tender pork loin as the perfect center course for a small dinner party. It’s moist, not too rich, and always pairs well with side dishes such as the ones we have here. Of course great ingredients matter too, so stopping by Balducci’s in Alexandria, Bethesda or McLean for meat, produce, wine and everything else means a one-stop shop that will really deliver for the home cook.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Served with Tasso Ham, Root Vegetable, White Bean Ragu

Serves 4.

• 6 slices prosciutto (Balducci’s Private Label)
• 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed and patted dry (Balducci’s Private Label Heritage Pork)                                      
• Black pepper   
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 ounces tasso ham or andouille sausage                                                                                             
• 4 ounces mixed-color carrots, cut on a slant                                        
• 4 ounces celeriac, peeled, cut on a slant
• 4 ounces parsnip, cut on a slant
• 1 large shallot, minced                                                                        
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 ounces white beans, cooked (drain if using canned)                                   
• 3 ounces pearl onions, roasted and peeled                                                                   
• 8 ounces veal demi glaze                                                                                
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage, cut in chiffonade                                                                             
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced                                     
• 3 tablespoons cold butter                                                                                                          
• Salt                                                                                               

Lay prosciutto slices vertically on 8½- by 11-inch wax paper on a baking sheet, slightly overlapping by an inch. Season the pork loin with fresh ground pepper. Lay pork loin horizontally on sliced prosciutto and roll tightly. Once prosciutto is tightly wrapped around loin, let rest in refrigerator for 1 hour.

To cook: Heat large sauté pan over medium heat, add the oil, sear pork loin on all sides until crispy, roughly 2 minutes per side (4 sides) being careful not to burn. Chef’s note: The pan must be hot enough for the pork loin not to stick but not too hot or the prosciutto will burn.

Once seared on all sides, remove from pan and transfer to baking sheet and cook at 350° for roughly 12–15 minutes, or until it reaches internal temperature of 120°. Allow the meat to rest for at least 10 minutes, carve and serve.

To make the ragu: Heat saucepan over medium-high heat, use leftover oil in same pan as you cooked pork, add the tasso ham and render down until crispy, 3–4 minutes.

Add all the root vegetables and cook for another 4–5 minutes, until they begin to caramelize. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for another minute.

Deglaze pan with veal demi glaze. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until sauce reaches desired thickness. Add the white beans and pearl onions, cook for another minute. To finish: Add fresh herbs, remove from heat and add the cold butter; stir constantly until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm until served.

Fennel-Apple Salad

This piquant salad is a perfect marriage for this meal and uses apples fresh from the farm market. This is a perfect time to use a mandoline slicer if you have one.

• 1 fennel bulb, sliced very thin                                                             
• 1 apple, cored, sliced thinly crossways
• 1 large shallot, sliced very thin                                                                                    
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar                                                                                           
• 2 ounces honey                                                                                                                                   
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced                                                                                                 
• 1 cup of microgreens (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients except the greens; let marinate for 30 minutes before serving. Just before serving, toss apple and fennel salad with the microgreens.

To plate for dinner: Dish some ragu on plate or shallow bowl, slice the pork loin about 1 inch thick, lay slices on top of the ragu and garnish with the apple-fennel salad.