Ingredients

• 3/4  cup dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
• 1  1-lb. loaf Italian or French bread
• 1/2  an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3  cup basil pesto
• 4  oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 8  oz. thinly sliced peppered or regular salami
• 1  medium fresh banana pepper or 8 bottled peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
• 4  oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
• 1/2  medium red onion, thinly sliced
•   Small salad peppers and/or pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)

Directions

1. Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes and place in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Or finely chop tomatoes by hand.

2. Split loaf in half horizontally. Remove some soft bread from the bottom half of the loaf, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell.

3. Spread cream cheese on cut sides of both bread halves. Spread top half with dried tomatoes and bottom half with pesto. On bottom half layer provolone cheese, salami, banana peppers, onion, and loaf top, spread side down.

4. If toting, tightly wrap loaf in plastic. To serve, slice loaf crosswise into six sandwiches. If desired, spear a salad pepper and olive on long toothpicks; insert through sandwiches. Makes 6 sandwiches.