Published by mel on October 2, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Lately, I’m loving big, delicious sandwiches full of meats, cheeses and “slaws”. I tried looking up the definition of a slaw, but all I got was “sliced cabbage”, which isn’t really what I had in mind. Here’s my definition. Slaw (n.): A crunchy mix of thinly sliced vegetables and herbs, dressed with mayonnaise or vinaigrette, and usually served as a side or topping with a sandwich. There. I feel better. Now I can use the term slaw as loosely as I have been and we can get back to talking about the sandwich.
I like to think of this sandwich as a transition meal between Summer and Fall. The fennel and basil make it taste Summer-fresh, but the green apple definitely says Fall. The rest of the sandwich is a neat little stack of prosciutto, Saint Albray Cheese — a creamy, Brie-like, spicy cheese — and the slaw. It was perfectly simple, a nice balance between meat and cheese and vegetables, and absolutely delicious!
Continue reading ‘Prosciutto Sandwich w/Basil Apple Fennel Slaw’
Published by mel on September 11, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
Is it wrong to dress tofu in chimichurri? Maybe. But, it makes a damn good sandwich. Chimichurri is a delicious Argentinian sauce usually drizzled over freshly grilled meat, and most often over skirt steak. It’s made by blending olive oil, parsley (I like Italian Parsley myself), lemon juice, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt together like you would a pesto. The bright green sauce is rich, herbal, tangy and a little spicy. Just the thing for grilled meats, and apparently just the thing for spicing up an otherwise bland piece of tofu.
As you all know, I’m by no means a vegetarian. I love my bacon, beef, pork and lamb. Seafood, too. Yum! So, it may seem surprising that I’ve also grown to love tofu. You just can’t think of it as a meat substitute. It’s no replacement for steaks and burgers, but it has its own unique flavor and texture. I love how it soaks up its marinade and develops nice, crisp grill lines. Paired with some greens and piled onto toasted pumpernickel, it made a hefty and flavorful sandwich.
My beef-jerky-loving Midwestern man ate it up and asked for seconds. Chimichurri and a grill are always a winner, and can probably turn the most rabid tofu haters into tofu lovers.
Related: Steak Sandwiches with Chimichurri Jicama Slaw
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Published by mel on September 5, 2008 in entree and recipe.
The idea for this sandwich started out as a vague thought about Vietnamese-style tacos. Why Vietnamese-style tacos you ask? Well, I’m not sure. I was thinking that taco toppings are like Vietnamese-style salads with generous amounts of fresh herbs, cabbage, onions and hot peppers.
So, I tried it. I marinated some pork tenderloins with shoyu, honey and ginger. I made a slaw from mango, cucumber, serrano peppers, mint, cilantro, green onions and lime juice. (Napa cabbage would be great here, but I didn’t have any.) Then I stacked everything on a corn tortilla. Hmmm, interesting, but ultimately the corn flavor of the tortillas didn’t complement the Asian flavors.
Not to be deterred, I tried again with ciabatta rolls. Much better this time! The sweet and spicy slaw was perfect on the pork and the ciabatta roll didn’t compete with the other flavors. I love a good sandwich for dinner, and I think this one might be making another appearance soon.
Continue reading ‘pork sandwich w/ spicy mango cucumber slaw’
Published by mel on April 3, 2008 in breakfast, recipe and sides & bites.
I posted a grown-up grilled cheese last month that made for a wonderful dinner. There’s really nothing as versatile and virtually indestructible as the grilled cheese sandwich. Infinite fillings! Dipping sauces! Soups! Experimenting is the best part.
I especially like a grilled cheese breakfast. Sunday morning, I made a version with cheddar, basil and apricot jam. Sweet and herbal, they were a perfect match for both Tom’s sweet tooth and my salty one.
Continue reading ‘grown-up grilled cheese breakfast-style’
Published by mel on March 4, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Lately, paninis are everywhere I look. On the cover of Gourmet, inside Food & Wine, on the internet. Last night, I felt the need to satisfy the grilled sandwich craving. Since I don’t have a panini maker or grilling device, I’ll just call it a grilled cheese. Mine was stuffed with thinly sliced green apple, red onion, Jarlsberg & Cheddar cheeses and crisp watercress.
I also thought it would be fun to make some dipping sauces. I always love to dip my sandwich triangles in something tasty, so I made two yogurt sauces: super spicy Sriracha and curry. I was partial to the Sriracha (because I’m obsessed with it), but they were both tasty and complemented the sandwiches well.
I also made a nice green salad with fennel, arugula and walnuts, simply dressed with olive oil, a splash of sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. It was a lovely light meal for a weeknight that really inspires experimentation with different sandwich fillings and dipping sauces.
Continue reading ‘grown-up grilled cheese’
Published by mel on February 5, 2008 in entree and recipe.
As if Chorizo nachos weren’t enough, there was more to Sunday’s Superbowl feast. So, I have a guilty pleasure. I absolutely love boneless buffalo wings, which are essentially chicken fingers with buffalo sauce smothered on them. Gross, I know, but we all have our weaknesses and this is (one of) mine. That said, I never order them because I know that they’re over processed, previously frozen, fried and terribly bad for me. I thought that I’d try to make my own, but didn’t really expect much. I used naturally raised boneless chicken thighs, whole wheat panko breadcrumbs and organic (I swear!) buffalo sauce that I found at The Fresh Market.
After a quick brine, I breaded the thighs and threw them in the oven (ok, the Crisper) for 20 minutes and then covered them in sauce. Voila! Homemade buffalo wings! And they were better, much better, than any sampler platter at a sports bar. A perfect Superbowl Sunday treat.
They were also pretty darn tasty the next day on a sprouted whole wheat bun with some reduced fat blue cheese and greens.
Continue reading ‘buffalo chicken’
Published by mel on September 27, 2007 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
This is the best I can do when I get home after 8:30—Prosciutto, tomato, Havarti, watercress & fried egg on five-grain sourdough bread. I served these sandwiches with polenta fries, which I made by using the pre-made polenta in a tube (cheating, I know!) and slicing into fry-size pieces, lightly covering in parmesan cheese and broiling for about 20 minutes. The polenta fries are just about perfect for mopping up any drippy yolk.
Published by mel on January 29, 2007 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I’ve decided to start documenting dinner. This way I can keep track of recipes and keep this blog semi-updated…if only with the various foodstuffs I’m making.
Tom said he was in the mood for tuna steaks, and I wanted to make something that was less boring than seared tuna on salad. I did a little research and adapted a recipe from Gourmet for tuna bruschetta.
I used chipotle peppers, granny smith apple, sour cream and basil to make a kind of dressing for the seared tuna. At first I was afraid of the combination, thinking that basil and chipotle would never taste good together. I was wrong, and the sandwiches were really delicious.
recipe
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