Camp 2008 -- Chicken tender sandwich with tomato-basil sauce

The first meal went off with few problems last night. Since I've written about the meal for the past few years, I won't discuss the meal in detail. Click the blogs about the opening night meal for 2005, 2006 or 2007.

I tried something different with the chicken tenders this year. Instead of serving the baked tenders with barbecue sauce on the side, I made two sandwiches using steak rolls from Smart and Final.

The first was served with barbecue sauce. To improve the sandwich, you can serve it with sliced tomatoes, onion and lettuce. About two-thirds of the campers took the sandwich with barbecue sauce.

I introduced a simple tomato-basil sauce with sauteed red and green bell papers. The sweet peppers adds a lively fruity element to the sauce. About 32 of the 135 campers took the sandwich. We'll definitely serve it next year.

CHICKEN TENDER SANDWICH WITH TOMATO-BASIL SAUCE

Bake the chicken tenders in a convection oven until the breading is crisp and brown. This adds a crunchy element to the sandwich. Substitute a sauteed chicken breat if desired.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 large red onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large red bell peppers, sliced
2 large green bell peppers, sliced
2 (28-ounce) cans chopped plum tomatoes in puree
2 bunches fresh basil
6-1/4 pounds chicken tenders
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
25 French or Italian rolls

Heat olive oil in a saucepan and saute onion and garlic until translucent, being careful not to burn. Stir in sliced peppers and gently cook until softened. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently to blend flavors. Makes 2 quarts sauce.

Place pre-cooked chicken fillets on sheets pans. Using a convection oven, bake 12 to 14 minutes or until thoroughly heated in a 375-degree F. convection oven on high fan.
Briefly warm French rolls.

To build each sandwich, split open one roll. Set 2 tenders (about 4 ounces) on the bottom piece and spoon 1/4-cup sauce over chicken. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese over sauce and close sandwich. Make 25 sandwiches.