ARTFUL SANDWICH MAKING


















I want to have a little fun here with the humble sandwich, which conversely can be mighty in its impact on the palate if done well. I’ll leave you some of my favourite recipes and invite you to try them and share your preferred fillings.

I used to own a catering business and deli, which is still a going concern, back in the UK. We experimented with all sorts of exiting fillings and bread and managed to grab a decent market share despite our higher prices.

One of the best sandwiches I ever enjoyed was also very simple. I had stopped in a French village on my way to my friend’s wedding in Carcassonne and asked for a ham baguette.

The café owner crossed the street to grab a fresh baguette from the boulangerie and spread some exquisite salted butter onto the hot dough. She then laid two large slices of country ham with a slight rind still hanging onto the ruddy flesh. Pure Heaven!


I have five basic rules when I am constructing a snack or planning a treat:

1. I do not lay sliced tomatoes next to the bread, in fact I try to avoid them altogether on the sandwich itself. They can make the entire thing soggy. (See my Smoked tomato Bruschetta for a solution).

2. Iceberg lettuce is hugely overrated and inferior to romaine or butter lettuce.

3. The bread is so important – in my opinion two-thirds of the pleasure so try to get it right. Fresh Sourdough, focaccia, rye, multigrain are all great – try thinner slices so it’s not too bready and I never skimp on the filling.

4. Anything goes for the filling. I use whatever is left in the fridge and if I like two flavours separately, I will usually unite them between two slices of bread at some point!

5. I Try to avoid poor quality luncheon or deli meats - go for veggies, tapenades and spreads instead for a higher level of nutrition and satisfaction if you can.



Six Great Sandwiches
1 Freshly pan-fried crabcakes on a onion kaiser roll or egg bread, with honey chipotle sauce, bacon and a slice of sharp farmhouse cheddar.

2 Thick country ham sandwich with garlic soft cheese and grilled onions.

3 Chunky slice of leftover steak, creamed horseradish, melted cheddar, roast turkey and red bell pepper. Put it on some sourdough or multigrain as shown in the picture.



















4 Gourmet tuna salad
It’s a filling that would actually stand alone without the bread but will always be enhanced by a good sourdough or toasted baguette.
2 cans tuna chunks in water, drained
2 green onions chopped finely
2 hard boiled eggs
sweet pickles to taste or caramelized onions
2 ribs celery finely chopped
2 handfuls finely chopped cilantro leaves to taste
1 small vine tomato chopped finely
sea salt and coarse pepper to taste
4 tablespoons Full-fat mayo to make it moist
2 oz Shredded sharp cheddar or low fat cottage for calorie counters
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Squeeze half a lemon over all

For a cajun version of the above, use shredded habanero cheddar and douse with a little tabasco if you are a heat junkie.

Smoked Tomato Bruschetta
2 large tomatoes. Smoke them but not so they go mushy
Half a red onion diced finely
1 tsp of capers
10 Basil leaves chopped finely
Dash of sea sdaly
Dash of coarse onion
2-3 Tbsp of aged balsamic vinegar

Halve tomatoes and smoke. Dice tomatoes and mix all other ingredients together. Leave one hoour before spreading on toasted French bread.

6 Wholewheat bread, 2 large slices roast turkey, slice of gruyere or emmenthaler swiss, tblsp of pepper jelly and spinach or arugala as a buffer to the buttered bread. If you don’t want to use butter, drizzle a tsp of olive oil on each side of the bread.

Please try these and also share with me some of your own favourites!