If you hate a dry sandwich, this vegetable-packed, delectably messy ciabatta is for you
Nothing disappoints me more than a dry sandwich. So intense are my feelings on this subject that I once threatened on social media to ship a case of mayo to a popular - and now-closed - D.C. sandwich chain before I would ever place another order.
Mayo isn't the only way to get good moisture into a sandwich, naturally. There are your other standard condiments, and I've also had (and made!) great ones enlivened by romesco, vinegar and oil, salsa and more. You name the sauce and it can probably find a place on the right sandwich.
My dear friend Pati Jinich, beloved host of the public-television series "Pati's Mexican Table," thinks the same way I do on this subject, even for sandwiches without meat. For a few years now, I've occasionally made one from her most recent cookbook that has you bathe grilled vegetables in a tart cilantro vinaigrette before piling them between ciabatta rolls and topping with cheese.
They're packed with personality - and plenty messy, but that's a trade-off I'm willing to make.