Who doesn’t love — at times, desperately crave — a really good Cobb? The combination of deli meat, blue cheese, crumbled bacon and egg is wrapped and elevated in this recipe by the addition of arugula and a summery basil aoili.
The recipe is featured in the new cookbook, “Tailgreat: How to Crush It at Tailgating” (Ten Speed Press; $28) by John Currence. The James Beard award-winning Mississippi chef and restaurateur is a self-described tailgate fanatic, and many of his accessible recipes, including this one, work well for individually-packaged picnic eating.
Turkey and Ham “Cobb” Wraps
Makes 10 wraps
Basil Aioli:
1½ cups mayonnaise, preferably Duke’s
¾ cup chopped fresh basil
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Salt (optional)
Red Wine Vinaigrette:
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced shallot
½ teaspoon minced garlic
The wraps:
4 cups arugula
4 cups thinly-sliced romaine lettuce
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
10 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1¼ pounds sliced smoked turkey, cut into thin strips
1¼ pounds sliced honey-smoked ham, cut into thin strips
2 ripe medium tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely chopped
2 cups chopped crispy cooked bacon (10 to 12 strips)
½ cup chopped fresh chives
2 cups crumbled blue cheese
Directions:
To make the aioli, combine the mayonnaise, basil, lemon zest and juice and garlic in a deep bowl and blend with an immersion blender until smooth and uniformly green. Allow to sit for 30 minutes. Taste and season lightly with salt, if needed.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk together both oils, the vinegar, mustard, shallot and garlic in a small bowl until well combined.
Place the arugula and romaine lettuce in a large salad bowl and drizzle with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Toss until the greens are just coated, add the salt and black pepper, and toss again. Set aside.
Pit, peel and slice the avocados. In a medium bowl, toss well with the lime juice and set aside.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. One at a time, warm the tortillas for 10 to 15 seconds on each side. Transfer to a work surface and again, working one at a time, spoon out and spread about 1½ tablespoons of basil aioli evenly across the center of a tortilla. Lay out 2 ounces each of turkey and ham across the center of the tortilla. Layer the avocados, tomatoes, eggs, bacon, chives and blue cheese in thin lines next to each other across the center of the tortilla. Cover with ½ cup of the dressed greens.
Bring the bottom of the tortilla up and over the filling, tucking it under to make a tight cylinder. Fold the sides over toward the center, and then finish rolling up the wrap. Secure it with toothpicks. Repeat until all of the wraps are made. Store in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.
— Recipe courtesy of “Tailgreat: How to Crush it at Tailgating” (Ten Speed Press; $28) by John Currence
