Cookin’ With Hoss: The Trish Sandwich

It’s the time of year when the weather is miserable, and people tend to eat lighter and refrain from using their ovens. On the positive side — produce is plentiful so, as we do in Missouri, we deal with the oppressive humidity and get on with our meal plans.  

Several years ago at Hoss’s Market we were brainstorming ideas for a new sandwich offering. The old faithfuls were still very popular, but we needed to add a new sandwich to shake things up and add excitement and interest. One might think that this would be a simple task, but there is quite a bit that goes into making a decision such as this. 

• Do we need to add new ingredients to our inventory for a new menu item? 
• Will it fit into the current sandwich station? 
• Is it quick and simple to assemble? 
• And, most importantly, will it sell?  

As long as we were open, customers would ask why we had sandwiches named after me (The Big Hoss) and both of our sons (The Joe Joe and Seaner Deluxe/Seanski) but not one for my wife, Trish. Good question! She never wanted a sandwich named after her or had a unique sandwich that was her go-to.  

We always bought as much fresh produce from local farmers as possible, and it was the time of year when we were running the Caprese salad as a feature. Trish often made up her own concoctions when she ate lunch and she loved Caprese salads but did not want to take the time to sit down at a table and eat while she was working at Hoss’s Market. 

Fresh basil and tomatoes were abundant, and we already had pesto mayo and fresh mozzarella balls on hand, but what would make this perfect? She put it on a ciabatta roll and added local country bacon! Voilà! The Trish Sandwich was born, and the rest, as they say, is history.   

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Pesto

Yields 2 cups  

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)  
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts)  
• 2 large cloves garlic  
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil  
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan  

Directions 

Pulse all ingredients together in a food processor.

Pesto Mayo Directions 

Blend 1 part pesto and 4 parts mayo.

Trish Sandwich  

• ciabatta roll  
• 2 oz. fresh mozzarella balls sliced  
• fresh basil leaves  
• fresh tomato slices  
• crispy Patchwork Farms cured bacon (4 slices per sandwich)  
• pesto mayo  

Directions

• Toast the ciabatta roll with the mozzarella balls and bacon. 
• Layer on the basil leaves and tomato.
• Spread pesto mayo to taste. 

Fresh, light, and delicious!