Turkey Pesto Provolone Sandwich
A Cure for the Common Cold Cuts….. (Part 1)
Premium deli turkey breast, piled high and topped with melted mozzarella and provolone along with fresh pesto on toasty bread — it’s no wonder the Turkey Pesto Provolone Sandwich was the number one best-selling sandwich of all time back when I owned a cafe.
But, in actuality, its origins date back to several years earlier…
I don’t like to think of myself as a helicopter parent, but I definitely have always kept a close eye on my kiddos. I volunteered at least once a week at their schools, I (or one of the grandparents) went along on their field trips, I made sure I knew who their friends were.
And then came high school…
When my eldest daughter was a freshman, she went on an all-day field trip to the Shakespearean Festival in Ashland, several hours south of where we live. Only the teachers went as chaperones, but I had gone on this trip myself thirty years earlier, so I understood how eager my daughter was to go. I couldn’t say “no.” Even though I was slightly appalled that the day’s schedule called for “lunch on your own in Ashland” with “free time for shopping.”
Back in my day, we brought a brown bag, and everyone ate together in the park. And no one was allowed to buy souvenirs, lest it make the poor kids (most of us) feel badly.
Anyway, I lectured both my daughter and her friend who was also going on the trip about the importance of staying together no matter what. Everywhere. Every minute. All day. And I worried about my precious little 14-year-old firstborn offspring inordinately. She would have rolled her eyes if she knew how much. She probably did. Roll her eyes, I mean.
Of course, she was fine. She had a wonderful day, which she gushed about at length. And the one thing that impressed her the most was the lunch she and her friends had at a little place called Zoey’s Cafe. She described her turkey pesto sandwich in great detail, and asked if I could, possibly, re-create it at home for her.
Quite a Turkey…
And, thus, the Turkey Pesto Provolone Sandwich was born — which my daughter kindly claims is even superior to its antecedents. Or maybe she just wants ol’ mom to keep on happily cranking out sandwiches for her. I guess she knows on which side her bread is buttered, errr… pesto’d.
Turkey Pesto Provolone Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 lb. deli-sliced oven-roasted turkey breast
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese or 1 cup shredded
- 4 slices provolone cheese
- 4 large bakery croissants, split or 8 slices of sourdough bread
Instructions
- On inside top of each croissant (or one side of 4 sourdough slices), spread 1 T of pesto per each sandwich.
- On inside bottom of each croissant (or one side of 4 additional sourdough slices), place slice of provolone.
- If using a croissant: Place mozzarella on pesto on each sandwich. Place 4 oz. of turkey on provolone on each sandwich. Heat, open-faced, on cookie sheet at 350F for 10 minutes. Assemble sandwich, and serve.
- If using sourdough bread: Place 4 oz. of turkey on provolone on each sandwich. Top with mozzarella, and other bread slices (pesto side down). Cover outside of both slices of bread on each sandwich with butter or mayonnaise. Pan fry over medium-low heat until outside is golden brown, and inside is hot and melty. Cut in half before serving.
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