Sandwiches

[bixaorellana]

So it really is a Cuban sandwich, then!

[auntieannie]

I like my sandwich to have some air-dried beef in. with butter, mustard and maybe pickled onions.

[bixaorellana]

I made a wonderful sandwich Tuesday, when I came home from the market with cucumbers and small, very dense "artesanal" breads. Sliced bread in two, mayo on both slices, cucumber slices sprinkled with both black & red pepper & a little salt, then some adobera cheese (a heavy, creamy, somewhat salty cheese).

[mich64]

Yummy sound sandwich Bixa!
Cheers,
Mich

[bixaorellana]

Do you like banana sandwiches? I like them with some curry powder sprinkled on, and they're fabulous with chutney.

[imec]

I'm with mich on this one! I too believe there are few things that don't belong between slices or folds of bread.

Where to start???

Well, no one's menioned several of my faves, starting with the Chip Butty! Being from the northwest of England, as a child I didn't eat the formal "Sandwich" but feasted on Butties - jam butties, bacon butties, chip butties.... My preferred form of the Chip Butty is VERY good chips/fries with plentyo of salt and vinegar (preferably malt) piled on a single slice of the freshest slice of soft white bread - buttered right to the edges - folded over and eaten faster than it was put together.

While I'm here, let me also mention peameal bacon on a fresh buttered white roll, Kaiser or otherwise. This could quite happily form my last meal - whether acquired from the St. Lawrence Market ino Toronto or hastily assembled at home and eaten as soon as it's lifted from the cutting board.

I don't go in much for the BLT, but I'm a major fan of the BAT - Bacon Avocado and Tomato - on toast, buttered, no mayo - lots of pepper. If they don't serve these in heaven then send me to hell!

I could go on all day but will save room for others (maybe I'll come back).

OH! I'm also one of those people who also can't resist proving this while at the dinner, lunch or breakfast table! Manners be damned!

[mich64]

Well, Imec, I could not have written it better myself, "I am also one of those people who also cannot resist proving this at the dinner, lunch or breakfast table! Manners be damned!"

Fried Egg and Breakfast sausage Sandwich
Beans from the Bean with Bacon Soup Sanwich
Lasagna between Roasted Garlic Bread

Any meal of the day, I can make a sandwich.
Cheers!
Mich

[hwinpp]

Had the Cuban reuben yesterday. A Cuban with sauerkraut. Quite good! To add even more sourness I ordered big pickled chillies.

[Deleted]

The last sandwich I had was "poulet citronnelle" with grated pickled carrots and cucumber strips at Tang Gourmet. Even though it was good, I kind of regretted afterwards that I had not just ordered a simple banh mi.

[mich64]

Not so surpisingly, my sandwich today was turkey.

My sandwich yesterday, well there was some deviled eggs left and some buns so I chopped up some onion and mixed it in with some of the deviled eggs and put onto the bun, a Deviled Egg Sandwich!

Cheers,
Mich

[bixaorellana]

Wow -- the Cuban Reuben sounds like an idea whose time has come. Really, Cuban sandwiches can be too dry & too lacking in essential interest. The sauerkraut &/or pickled chiles would elevate it.

Great idea for the deviled eggs, as they can lose their charm rather quickly when leftover, plus already have one foot in the egg salad camp.

[bixaorellana]

I never buy peanut butter, but you can buy home-style Spanish peanuts in all the little stores around here. They're roasted stove-top with garlic & whole cayenne peppers & sold salted in cellophane bags.

Sandwich:
Marmalade of your choice on one slice of bread
Layer of peanuts
Either thin slices of cheese or of avocado
Dusting of cayenne pepper (optional)
Light layer of marmalade on the second slice of bread, for glue.

Yum!

[mich64]

Wow, that sounds like the most exotic peanut butter sandwich ever! Sounds delicious Bixa!
Cheers,
Mich

[hwinpp]

Had a Philly steak& cheese sandwich last night, first time ever! Not too bad, I'll have to have it again.

[Deleted]

I had one of those in NYC once rather than in Philly. It was indeed rather tasty.

[bixaorellana]

I had one once, in N.O., I think. Yeah, good. I believe it's one of those regional foods that attracts vicious infighting over the correct way to make it.

I just made a cheese and tomato sandwich and it occurred to me that we haven't discussed the burning issue of how to cut a sandwich. I say French bread sandwiches should be cut diagonally into manageable slices. Regular sliced bread sandwiches should be cut diagonally twice, into four neat triangles.

Anyone else have something to say about that?

[mich64]

I always cut my sandwiches across the center.

Cheers,
Mich

P.S. Scrambled eggs sandwiches for breakfast this morning! YUM.

[Deleted]

Baguette sandwiches are not cut. You just have to deal with the (variable) size.

The most common sandwich in France is the jambon-beurre, with just ham and butter.

[bixaorellana]

You have to deal with the size. I would cut it.

That is a gorgeous hunk o'sandwich. I deeply approve of not putting anything on ham, if there's good bread. Butter would be nice on it, though.

Mich you mean you make rowboats, not sail boats?

Rowboats:


Sailboats:

[zona]

The previously mentioned BAT (Bacon Avocado Tomato) sandwich made my stomach growl! Has anyone ever tried peanut butter, sliced banana, and raisins? As a child my mom used to make that strange combo for me when we ran out of jam. I have read/heard that peanut butter is not commonly found in grocery stores outside of North America/U.S. -- would most of you say this is the case? Just curious.

The simplicity of the jambon-beurre is such an interesting concept to me -- I remember my first time ordering this sandwich at a Delifrance and being a bit surprised/underwhelmed (although I really shouldn't have been surprised since the name is very specific as to what the ingredients are!). I just found it curious that the most popular pre-assembled sandwich consisted of such simple ingredients that could easily be assembled at home. I'm sure this comes from growing up with our Subway chain where such a major production is made out of moving the customer along through all the myriad choices of what can go on their sandwich. I think if I went through the subway line and only asked for ham with butter, the "sandwich artist" would be sure to ask "Are you sure you don't want anything else on that?"

I wonder if it would be okay to order one of these in France and ask very nicely for them to add brie and sliced tomato...or is this something where I would get a blank stare and a polite "this is not done"?

[mockchoc]

Peanut butter is in almost every home in Australia zona.

This thread has me craving a sanwich. The baguette above is the cause of this I think.

[auntieannie]

I see peanut butter in British supermarkets, zona. Can't say it is common in Switzerland, though! Although the international community in Geneva and such places has brought it to the shelves.

[fumobici]

Jun 6, 2011 4:52:09 GMT zona said:

I wonder if it would be okay to order one of these in France and ask very nicely for them to add brie and sliced tomato...or is this something where I would get a blank stare and a polite "this is not done"?

The Parisians make such frequently wonderful bread that it doesn't require much dressing up to make a fine sandwich. You however did just almost perfectly describe one of my favorite of the typical Italian bar sandwiches which is prosciutto crudo, brie and tomato. I don't ordinarily think of brie as a sandwich cheese but it works here. For fellow cheapskates, while in Italy I highly recommend having a lunch in a bar of a sandwich and a coffee which can be accomplished for 3-4 Euro outside of really touristy areas as the inexpensive bar sandwiches are usually quite nice.

[Deleted]

A "mixte" would be ham and butter but also emmental and lettuce -- maybe even a bit of tomato on rare occasions. Otherwise, the second most popular sandwich is the camembert-beurre.

[auntieannie]

shudder shudder... as much as I like camembert (sometimes a very bland supermarket bought is just what's needed and sometimes a strong, eat-me-with-a-spoon-before-I-leave-the-premises-on-my-own Brie de Meaux is required) I cannot imagine it with only bread and butter in a sandwich.

Admittedly my idea of sandwich nirvana is a roasted vegetables and goats cheese panino caldo, ordered in a deli in Rome (at the bottom of the Aventino hill) and eaten en route to the seaside...mmmmmhhhhh! bliss!

[Deleted]

Just to finish off the French list, #3 & 4 of the favourites are saucisson-beurre and pâté-cornichons.

I just don't understand why the pâté doesn't get any butter.

Anyway, these 4 sandwiches are the basics that can be found in 95% of French cafés.

[onlymark]

Just had salted butter, Cheshire cheese and Granny Smiths apple on thick cut white bread.

Superb.

[auntieannie]

would have been better on wholegrain bread, Mark... tut tut!

[onlymark]

Wholegrain?! WHOLEGRAIN!
Wash your mouth out young lady. That abomination of a bread will never cross my lips whilst the creme de la creme of breads, the thick sliced white Warburtons exists.

[auntieannie]

They sell Warburton's at Poundland here, these days. That's typically the kind of bread that makes me physically sick. Can't eat it without severely regretting it within a few hours. partly due to the raising agents.