White bread. A thick smear of mayo, full-fat – preferably homemade. Crispy slices of thick-cut bacon. Cool, crisp Boston lettuce leaves. Thick, juicy bright red slices of heirloom tomato…well-seasoned, of course.
It’s a good time.
That folks, is a real BLT – a traditional BLT. It’s a truly perfect sandwich, if you ask me. The only problem with this sandwich is that it’s fairly limited by season. If you can’t get your hands on the perfect tomato, then you’re missing an imperative part of the sandwich. A BLT is the poster-child of simple food = beautiful food, and that means all of your ingredients must be, well, perfect.
Which is why I bring you this winter-friendly version of everyone’s favorite sandwich, the BLT.
Sun-dried tomatoes replace our summer bounty, while arugula replaces the standard Iceberg or Boston lettuce for extra bite and flavor. You could clearly use any bread you like here, but I opted to use wraps because they’re easy to grab at a party and a lower-carb alternative as well.
And then…there’s the basil aioli. I have a real obsession with making aioli, because it’s just so. damned. easy. to do. And it will take basically anything you’re eating to the next level. A little garlic aioli on those sweet potato fries? Aioli on any type of fries? Necessary. Throw it on fresh vegetables, roasted chicken or lamb, burgers – any type of sandwich, really…I even roasted fish in a quick aioli last week.
Have you ever seen someone lick the mayonnaise off a knife? Disgusting, right? My dad used to do that. It used to make me cringe. But I’ll totally do that with aioli.
My very favorite part about this wonder-condiment is that it’s so adaptable. Add whatever fresh herbs you like, whatever seasonings, whatever you’ve got on hand…as long as you’ve got mayo, garlic, lemon or lime, and salt, you can get at it.
And other than that, your aioli is open for business – for whatever strikes your fancy.
{This recipe is part of a Super-Bowl party menu. Check it out here!}
- 1 large bunch fresh basil, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
- 1 cup light mayo made with olive oil
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 pounds bacon (about 25 – 30 slices)
- 10 – 15 wraps (depending on how big they are)
- 8.5-ounce container sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (figure roughly 2 tomatoes per wrap)
- ½ pound baby arugula (about 1½ 5-ounce containers)
- Make the Basil Aioli: Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to get wrappin’. It’s best to make this in advance if you can, to allow the flavors to meld.
- Fry the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels.
- Now, for the wrap assembly. Take one wrap and lay it out in front of you. Spread a heaping tablespoon of the aioli on the wrap, leaving a border around the edges. Add about 2 (again, these are all estimates as everyone’s ingredients may be slightly different sizes, so use it as a guide) slices of bacon to the center of the wrap. Don’t let the bacon stick too far out on either end – keep the pieces more in the middle, or you’ll have trouble folding the sides. Sprinkle a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes on top. Add a generous handful of arugula. Fold the sides of the wrap in, and then roll from the bottom up. Cut in half on a diagonal, and place halves on a platter.
- Repeat until…it’s a wrap. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yum, those look so good!
Annie @ Annie’s Cooking Lab recently posted..Gooey Cookies ‘n Cream Bars
That is my kind of BLT! Yum.
Cookie and Kate recently posted..Pecan Butter