Seasonal Pantry: Celebrate the 4th of July with a sandwich

With Independence Day falling on a Saturday this year, there’s a bit of leisure about the holiday, don’t you think? Most people will take off at least half of Friday, and maybe the whole day, and then there’s Sunday, a full day of leisure before most people must get back to work.

So, what about the Fourth itself? Will you grill, adhering to a favorite family menu repeated year after year? Will you harvest from your own garden, zip to a farmers market before cooking or let someone else take care of it all while you linger in the shade, cold drink in hand?

One of the difficulties I have with some of the holiday’s iconic foods is that they are not in season yet, not here anyway. We don’t have local watermelons yet, there’s very little fresh corn, and there may or may not be vine-ripened tomatoes. These foods are really more suited to a Labor Day fete, when the harvest should be at its peak.

So, how about something a little different? Inspiration comes from the TV series “Downton Abbey” and the shooting party that took place in the season’s final episode. Right about the time it aired, I came across something called Shooter’s Sandwich, which is exactly what it says, a large sandwich hunters took with them to share during a shooting party. It’s a perfect picnic or potluck dish as it is designed to be portable.

Add an early summer potato salad alongside, with a basket of Santa Rosa plums as dessert, and you have a perfect early summer feast.

Both of these recipes are adapted from “The Good Cook’s Book of Mustard” (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015).

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Mostarda is an Italian condiment, typically made with fruit, syrup and mustard seeds. It is available commercially at such markets as Oliver’s and Pacific, as are a wide array of chutneys.

If you’d like to make your own mostarda or chutney, visit “Eat This Now” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com for the recipes.

Shooter’s Sandwich

Serves 6 to 8

1 round loaf of rustic hearth bread

3 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, minced

1 pound specialty mushrooms, such as maitake, chanterelle or oyster, broken into pieces

¾ cup dry white wine

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 boned grass-fed ribeye steaks, about 1 pound each

- Coarse-grain mustard

½ cup dry red wine

- Dijon mustard

- Dill pickles

- Mostarda or chutney, homemade or commercial

Cut off the top of the bread just before the loaf begins to flare out. Use your fingers to pull out as much of the bread as possible from the main part of the loaf; reserve the bread to make breadcrumbs for another use.

Set the bread aside.

Put the butter into a large sauté pan set over medium-low heat, add the shallots and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, turn to coat them in butter, add the wine, cover the pan and cook until the mushrooms are limp; time will vary depending on the type of mushrooms.

When the mushrooms have wilted, remove the lid and continue to cook until all the liquid is reduced and the mushrooms are very tender.

eason with salt and several very generous turns of black pepper. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

Set a cast-iron frying pan over high heat. Season the steaks all over with salt and pepper, pressing the pepper into the meat.

Gently brush the steaks with coarse grain mustard.

When the pan is very hot, add the steaks and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook 3 minutes more or just a bit longer for medium rare.

(If using corn-fed beef, cook about 4 to 5 minutes per side.)

Carefully add the red wine, standing back as it will likely flare up. When the wine is completely reduced, transfer the steaks to a plate.

Spread Dijon mustard over the inside of the bread shell and press a steak into it.

Spoon the mushrooms on top and spread them evenly.

Top with the second steak. Spread Dijon over the inside of the bread’s crown and set it on top.

Wrap the sandwich in a large sheet of parchment and tie it in place with kitchen twine.

Set the sandwich between two heavy cutting boards and set weights (large cans of tomatoes or a couple of bricks, for example) on the top board. Set in a cool place for at least 4 hours and as long as overnight.

If you don’t have a cool place to leave the sandwich overnight, put it, weighted, in the refrigerator but remove it at least 2 hours in advance of serving.

To enjoy, cut the sandwich in wide slices or wedges and serve with pickles and mostarda or chutney.

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There may or may not be local green beans by July 4; they are just starting to come in.

Check the farmers market nearest you.

Summer Potato Salad with Radishes & Green Beans

Serves 6

2 pounds small new potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled

- Kosher salt

- mustard vinaigrette, see Note below

¾ pound small Blue Lake green beans or haricots verts, trimmed

1 Armenian cucumber, trimmed, cut in half lengthwise and sliced

1 bunch radishes, trimmed and cut into very thin rounds

1 bunch green onions, trimmed and cut into very thin rounds

- Black pepper in a mill

4 hard-cooked farm eggs, sliced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Cut the potatoes in half or in quarters, depending on their size.

Put them into a large saucepan, add water to cover them by at least 2 inches and season generously with salt.

Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat and simmer gently until tender, about 20 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the potatoes to a colander to drain.

Tip them into a wide shallow bowl, add half the vinaigrette, toss and set aside.

Cut Blue Lake green beans into 1 ½ inch lengths (leave haricots verts whole) and carefully tip them into the cooking water.

Simmer until tender, about 4 minutes for larger beans, 90 seconds for little ones. Test to be sure they are done.

Drain and add to the potatoes, along with the radishes and onions.

Toss very gently, taste and season with salt and pepper.

Add the remaining dressing, toss gently and fold in the eggs.

Sprinkle the Italian parsley on top and serve.

Note: For a simple Mustard Vinaigrette, combine 1 minced shallot and 2 minced fresh garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Season generously with salt and set aside for 15 minutes.

Season with several turns of black pepper and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (Italian parsley, thyme, oregano).

Whisk in ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, taste and correct for salt, pepper and acid balance, adjusting as necessary.

Michele Anna Jordan has written 21 books to date, including the new “Good Cook’s” series. Email Jordan at michele@saladdresser.com. You’ll find her blog, “Eat This Now,” at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com