UNCOMMON TASTY SANDWICHES

 

Uncommon Tasty Sandwiches

             If you like sandwiches for lunch at home, work, picnics, or the day out on a boat, you contribute to the statistic of 300 million sandwiches consumed per day in the USA.

Not a bad growth in popularity from 1762, when the 4^th Earl of Sandwich, too obsessed with gambling to break for a meal, asked his cook for some roast beef between two slices of bread to keep his fingers clean for the cards.  The cook never made history, but the concept gained immediate popularity and retained the Earl’s name. Americans were somewhat resistant to accepting something invented by aristocracy, but it first appeared here in an 1815 cookbook and now you can even get a gluten free sandwich.

A sandwich has been an adaptable means for creating a quick satisfying meal. Some sandwich names have curious origins. The Po’Boy became popular in a New Orleans eatery from the name given to each streetcar striker during Depression, who came to claim a free meal. Amazingly, the Reuben did not originate in NYC, but during a card game in a hotel in Omaha Nebraska, the name of one of the players. And then there are sandwiches which have different names such an Italian hoagie, grinder or sub, depending on location. There are hot sandwiches, such as the famous Philadelphia cheese steak, Italian meatball sandwiches and the quick supper many of us remember, Sloppy Joe, probably named after a short order cook named Joe. 

                                                         Open faced sandwiches

Interestingly, in Europe most sandwiches are open faced, meaning that the filling is on top of a single piece of bread with a decorative topping for eye appeal. It can be ham, fish, eggs, cheese, turkey or even cottage cheese.  Cut in small sizes or made on cocktail rye they make an excellent accompaniment to gazpacho and other summer cold soups. They also make fine finger food for larger gatherings.  Since cocktail rye is very thin, it also adapts well to open or closed format with fillings such as smoked salmon or trout patè with a thin slice of cucumber.

The current popularity of wraps presents another tool for preparing attractive finger food as tasty sandwiches in a different form for large gatherings. The following is made with Lavash, a thin flat bread of Mideastern origin, that is locally available in supermarkets. Other wraps can be used but should not be too thick or too soft. Choose your preferred filling, but the recipe below uses roast beef, or combinations of smoked ham and turkey and Provolone cheese, 

                                                                 Lavash cocktail sandwiches

1)      Have ready to assemble for a large tray: 4 pieces of Lavash, some flavorful onion dip, thin slices of roast beef, smoked ham and turkey, sharp Provolone cheese, strips of tender lettuce, fresh basil leaves and thin sliced Pepperoncini.

2)      Spread each Lavash with the onion dip not too thick, covering the entire surface. Place a layer of selected meat over the entire surface. Layer 2 layers of the beef, but only one layer of turkey and ham since these are covered with 1 layer of Provolone.

3)       Layer a strip of lettuce crosswise along the middle and cover it with a single layer of fresh basil leaves. Spread a thin light layer of Pepperoncini on top of the basil leaves.

4)      Starting with the edge closest to you wrap the Lavash flat bread as tightly as you can in a long cylinder. Wrap the cylinder tightly in aluminum foil, twisting the ends. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

5)      Remove from refrigerator and unwrap. Cut of the ends of each cylinder and slice the rest in ½ inch slices. Arrange slices on the tray and decorate with parsley and cherry tomatoes.

As we appreciate the ease of summer, we look for ways to simplify our time in the kitchen.  Resuming social obligations does not have to mean giving up that simplicity if we utilize the convenience and variety of the sandwich for tasty and colorful presentations at the table.

 (I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)

 

 

HOT OR COLD SHRIMP

 

Hot or Cold Shrimp

           Summer meals seem to be made for shrimp and prawns. Both are aquatic arthropods, part of the broad class of Crustacea that also contain lobsters and crabs. However, prawns are not just big shrimp. They differ in means of reproduction and number of claw-like legs. A prawn will have 3 pairs of legs, while even a very large shrimp will manage with only one pair. This may appear to be a trivia fact, once they are served cooked in a dish but may be used as a quick means for identification at a seafood market.

          Asian cuisine is famous for their shrimp dishes, especially from China, Thailand and Vietnam, with succulent tempura shrimp being a specialty from Japan.  Imported shrimp are usually farm raised.  Much of the wild caught shrimp in the US come from coastal waters, especially from the Gulf coast, where one can still see different sizes of typical shrimp boats at the dock, with their high held graceful nets. With the Gulf coast in mind, here is a colorful and delicious recipe that evolved recently in my kitchen.

 

                                             Creole Shrimp Jambalaya

1)    Set aside the following vegetables: 1 small zucchini cut in 1 inch dice; 1 thinly sliced large shallot, ½ seeded and julienned green pepper, 2 chopped Roma tomatoes, 1 cup frozen corn kernels, 2 chopped garlic cloves, ½ cup fresh or frozen peas.

2)    Shell and devein 12 oz. fresh or frozen large shrimp.

3)    In a large pan heat 1 tablespoon each olive oil and butter. When hot, but not smoking, sauté the shrimp with ½ teaspoon salt and one of the chopped garlic cloves until pink,1- 2 minutes on a side and remove from the pan.

4)    Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and cook the zucchini, shallot and pepper with stirring for 5 minutes.

5)    Stir in the chopped tomatoes, 1 chopped garlic clove, ¾ cups water, peas, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoons each: Creole seasoning, fish sauce and lime juice. Cook for 5 minutes. Add a shake of red pepper flakes if you like it quite spicy.

6)    Return shrimp to the pan, cook for 1 minute, stir in the corn kernels and cook until heated through for another 2 minutes. Serve hot with pasta or rice. Garnish with torn fresh basil leaves.

Shrimp salad makes a refreshing meal on warm days, either served on toast or lettuce leaves.  This salad is usually made with a mayonnaise dressing, but in the following recipe for a pretty composed salad, a tangy lime and mustard dressing picks up the combination with bright flavors.

                    Tangy Lime Shrimp Salad

1)    For the dressing: in a blender puree until smooth: 2 teaspoons chopped shallots, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, 1 teaspoon capers, ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, ¼ teaspoon sugar. Whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil

2)    Cut 12 large, cooked shrimp in 3 pieces and place in a small bowl. Add 1 large avocado cubed the same size as the shrimp and enough of the dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3)    In another small bowl toss 1/3 cup crumbled Feta cheese, with ¼ cup chopped red onion, 1 tablespoon capers and 1 tablespoon of the dressing.

4)    Cut bib or leaf lettuce in strips to make 1 cup.

5)    To assemble the salad: slice some vine ripened tomatoes in very thin slices and set around the edges on 4 medium plates, leaving the center open. Place a ¼ of the lettuce in the center of each plate, top the lettuce and part of the tomatoes with the Feta mix. Top the lettuce with the shrimp and avocado mix and drizzle all lightly with additional dressing. Garnish with chopped chives.

 “Shrimp boats is a-comin’, their sails are in sight….The shrimp boats is a-comin’ there’s dancin’ tonight”, sang Jo Stafford.

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in coastal Maine and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)