Sandwich for dinner, s'il vous plait.

Every now and then, you just get a yen for something. My housemate Shayla and I were walking through Propect Park after work today, which was shady and damp and beautiful in that rainy day way. We got lost for a while in the trees, taking dead-end paths by the lake, and suddenly she said "I just got the strongest craving for a tuna sandwich."

Odd, perhaps, but that reminded me of the sandwiches you get in Paris, simple baguettes with tuna and egg that hit the spot. And the dinner was on.

This can be made for one, or a group, and adjusted as needed (as usual!). Similarly, good ingredients go a long way, because you really taste what goes in there. A leaf of lettuce would work nicely. You could leave out the tomatoes, or the anchovies. You might add a cucumber, or put it on a roll instead, and make a pan bagnat. The world is your oyster.

Here's a rough outline:

1/4-1/3 of a baguette

1 egg per person, hard boiled

1/3-1/2 a can tuna, preferably of good quality, packed in olive oil

2-4 anchovy fillets, optional

2-4 black olives (nicoise or kalamata)

good mustard

good mayonaise.

veggies of choice

I like to toast the bread slightly, until still soft in the middle but a little crunchy outside. You can toast it whole, and then cut all the way or only part way through the baguette--in the latter situation, open it like a book to fill it. Spread mayonaise on one side, mustard on the other, then add tuna, flaked in big chunks. Put the slices of anchovies if using, then the egg. Add desired veggies, then the olive, sliced or whole, in a little line.

Add a simple, lightly dressed salad, and there you go. Bon appetite.