Weekend Cook and Tell: Sandwiches!
Hello, and welcome once again to Weekend Cook and Tell. Every Wednesday we search through the food sections of various national newspapers and come up with an article or recipe to inspire a weekend cooking project. We want all of you to cook along with us and share your experiences, recipes, and photos.
This week's inspiration comes from Francine Segan of the Chicago Tribune. Tips for Making Great Sandwiches shares a brief history of the sandwich along with a few professional opinions on why it is one of the most popular and perfect foods out there. Dr. Judith Steinhart, a health consultant, sites a caveman-like positive response to the sandwich, "a compact mass of food, sustenance and pleasure." Sisha Ortuzar, who co-founded 'wichcraft with Tom Colicchio offers a variety of helpful sandwich making tips, and two wonderful mustard recipes.
This week's Weekend Cook and Tell is simple, all you have to do is make a great sandwich and tell us all about it. The definition of a sandwich is pretty straight forward, two or more slices of bread or a split roll having a filling in between, so go crazy!
Keep us posted over the weekend and let us know what you are making, where your inspiration came from. Show us your photos on Photograzing (make sure to include "Cook and Tell" in your submission title) and tell us about your recipes in Talk with comments on this thread! If you'd like to blog along from home, leave a link to your Cook and Tell blog post in the comments. Next Wednesday we will be posting a round up of your photos and recipes. We can't wait to see what kind of great sandwiches everyone is going to build over the weekend!
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52 Comments:
My fav sandwich is on a sweet roll, sliced cooked beets cold, red onion, mint, feta, s&p. Thats it! Great during the summer- you can put salami on it but it is so unecessary.
pamstar at 4:49PM on 06/10/09
Here are a few of my favorites
1. lamb, sausage, mozzarella and arugula
2. Brie, roasted red pepper, watercress and steak
3. tilapia, avocado and tomato
4. smoked salmon and brie
orchidgirl at 5:03PM on 06/10/09
i am a sandwich girl... looking forward to this!!!
MadelynRodriguez at 6:34PM on 06/10/09
Um...so far I've enjoyed a grilled halloumi and black forest ham sandwich on an onion bagel.
Carnal at 8:38PM on 06/10/09
I could eat soup and sandwiches every day...something I used to do when I vacationed in San Francisco each summer.
My current favorite, which I may try to make but won't be as good as the corner sandwich shop, is the one I always talk about -- grilled eggplant, bocconcini, tomatoes, and spinach with basil pesto mayonnaise on fresh nearly foot long rosemary ciabatta. I don't have a panini press at home, so it won't be the same.
Cassaendra at 8:44PM on 06/10/09
any sandwich is a good sandwich
pjracz10 at 9:20PM on 06/10/09
I'm with you, pjracz10.
I love bread. And rolls. And anything in between.
BLTs are heaven, especially with thick-sliced pepper bacon and the spelt bread (toasted, of course) from Great Harvest. A basic grilled cheese using real butter and three or four slices of American is good with this bread.
A tomato warm from the garden sliced a half-inch thick, Hellmann's/Best Foods mayo, and a gentle sprinkle of kosher salt between some nice sturdy French bread.
Braunschweiger, butter and lettuce on a white bagel, untoasted.
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey, swiss cheese, mayo or Miracle Whip, lettuce and leftover cranberry-orange sauce on lightly toasted honey wheat bread.
Leftover roasted or fried chicken, pear slices, good cheddar, lettuce, mayo and dijon on a kaiser roll.
Tuna, mayo, lemon pepper, dill pickle, celery and apple on toast with Bibb lettuce. Or chicken and grapes instead of the tuna and apple. With or without green onion.
Leftover rare roast beef or leftover ham (not canned) and cream cheese on rye.
Italian beef piled on a hard roll dipped in au jus with oregano and garlic, topped with mozzarella and baked until melted.
Scrambled egg and sauteed bell pepper in the color of your choice with mayo on cheap but soft white bread. Or an over-hard fried egg with American cheese and mayo on white. Or chopped boiled egg and Miracle Whip, no celery, no onion, no nothing else, on white.
Fried salami and mustard.
If I could get away with it, we'd have sandwiches every other night.
betteirene at 1:04AM on 06/11/09
A steakwich...French stick, split, with hot, thick-cut, melt-in-the-mouth steak, fried onions, mustard, salt and pepper! Off to make one for breakfast!
snowmoonelk at 3:31AM on 06/11/09
I love putting avocado on sandwiches...any sandwich. It's so creamy and good. Yum! I also like a cream cheese and fig spread sandwich.
arm1970 at 6:40AM on 06/11/09
@arm I love fig too but I usually pair it with blue cheese, the stinkier the better!
I just finished making potato bread, and rye and sourdough bread, SO is in elenth heaven. so since a local farmstand has fresh lovely tomatoes, Blt's and tomato sandwiches are on the list for this weekend as well as rubens.
and I'll be making breakfast sandwiches with almond butter and homemade peach/mango and jalepeno preserves I made yesterday.
huneybumper at 8:02AM on 06/11/09
Take a look at the King Arthur flour website - on the blog this week they have a grilled vegetable panini sandwich that sounds fabulous. I am definitely trying this one
maryannm at 8:47AM on 06/11/09
This would have been perfect for me last weekend! I made delicious turkey meatball subs! @arm - I love using avocado on sandwiches too. I think I just love avocado...made an avocado omelet for myself this morning! Good spicy mustard and hummus make me pretty happy as well.
Goldilox at 9:47AM on 06/11/09
I have kind of a notorius hatred for deli meat, so easy sandwiches that I like are few and far between. But I always love roast turkey, horseraddish cheddar, spinach, good tomato, and a little dijon. mmm
joyyy at 12:05PM on 06/11/09
best...open face....ever...
top a slice of rye (i like to butter it first) with thin sliced avacado and a slice of swiss cheese, salt, pepper.
pop in the oven until cheese is melty.
then do a dance because you just ate the best sandwich ever.
slograffiti at 12:10PM on 06/11/09
I'm a panini girl - fresh deli turkey, swiss, and tomato with either some funky mustard or miso mayo...YUM...
Late at night it's my husband's college throwback favorite - pepperoni and Lay's Sour Cream and Onion chips on potato bread...don't laugh!
dharmon at 12:21PM on 06/11/09
last night i had leftover brisket from weber grill with provolone cheese and Dijon mustard and horseradish on rye, panini style. so good.
biabiaboiler at 12:27PM on 06/11/09
If it weren't for my food poisoning, I'd make these bad boys again - http://drcharleshighway.com/2009/04/06/how-to-make-a-steak-sandwich/
terplinz at 12:44PM on 06/11/09
Not everyone thinks this is appetizing, but there is a sandwich my mother introduced me to early, that I later saw was also enjoyed by James Beard.
Very simply, two slices of freshly baked bread spread with butter, with a thick slice of sweet onion between.
Of course, it is important the bread be freshly baked to pull this off.
I am also a big fan of panini, as well as a good reuben and a good pastrami.
magtured at 2:04PM on 06/11/09
gotta give the cubano some love...two types of pork! what could be better?
nhfoodie at 2:32PM on 06/11/09
Cream cheese, tomato, and basil on a toasted bagel.
sorahatch at 2:59PM on 06/11/09
Fresh mozz, basil and tomato (or sundried tomato), drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and you got the perfect sandwich. Hot or cold.
flavacrisp at 3:17PM on 06/11/09
Peanut Butter and bacon on toast. Just do it.
Embackus at 6:37PM on 06/11/09
Any sandwich can be great.
dmcavanagh at 6:57PM on 06/11/09
My personal favorites are:
~Turkey, tomato and fresh mozzarella on a ciabatta roll that has been spread with tapenade--good cold or pressed and hot.
~Turkey, guacamole, tomato and swiss or cheddar on sourdough, grilled.
~Grilled zuchinni, onions and broccoli topped off with a slice of tomato and havarti dill, open faced and broiled on lightly toasted 12 grain bread.
~Tomato, swiss and american on sourdough that has been coated with parm cheese before grilling for an extra cripsy crust.
~Turkey, coleslaw and swiss on marble rye with T.I. dressing.
My husband's favorites:
~Pastrami Rueben
~Turkey, sauteed mushrooms and swiss on seeded rye with tarragon mayo grilled up toasty and golden.
My 15 year old son:
~Grilled provolone on Italian bread with Frank's Red Hot sauce in between the layers of cheese.
My 11 year old son:
~Grilled crunchy peanut butter on Italian bread.
I also love subs.
dhorst at 8:00PM on 06/11/09
I love myself a good sandwich with sourdough, turkey, cheddar, provolone and some nice spicy mustard!
@Embackus... I keep hearing about this sandwich.. I think I'm going to have to try it real soon!
@nhfoodie oh god I do love cubanos too!
cheesebreadbutter at 8:46PM on 06/11/09
We just made one of grilled peppers, grilled zucchini and yellow squash, pesto, red scallion, mozzarella, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. And we grilled the bread. It was pretty good. Needs beer to really make it work.
jdorst42 at 9:47PM on 06/11/09
muffaletta!!! if I can't make it to New Orleans I like the one from Pocorello's on Coursey here in Baton Rouge
leighana at 10:57PM on 06/11/09
I love sandwiches! And I feel like in the wrong neighborhood or at the wrong time of day, finding a real nice sandwich can be the most elusive thing ever.
One particular fave: avocado, cheddar, red onion, roasted red pepper mayo and roasted turkey on grilled seven grain bread. Ah-mazing.
I'm actually considering taking a day of work to try the sandwiches at Chacarero here in Boston because they're only open on weekdays. Would I lose a day's pay to try a sandwich? Well sir, that depends on the sandwich. Hopefully it's worth it.
porkydickens at 1:06PM on 06/12/09
By far, my favorite sandwich has to be a gyro. With extra tsatziki and tons of raw white onion.
BangieB at 2:08PM on 06/12/09
Going on a road trip with my visiting parents this weekend. I'm packing turkey, brie, spinach, and fig jam on campagnolo. Hope they're tasty!
PDXbiker at 11:06PM on 06/12/09
I think I love her
mandoopandoo at 1:10AM on 06/13/09
There is nothing wrong with thin-cut ham, layered with swiss cheese, on fresh rye bread, with mayo, spicy mustard, lettuce, and a thin slice of fresh tomato. Nothing wrong at all.
I also second the Reuben. Although I also enjoy a simple corned beef and cheese, toasted on a soft roll.
Tuna salad with strong cheddar on a Kaiser roll.
The BLT, emphasis on the B. Fresh bread, lots of mayo. Thick cut bacon cooked just until crisp.
The Italian Beef, combo with cheese, dipped and with peppers.
Pulled pork, on a soft roll, with smoky barbecue sauce and a goodly dollop of cole slaw. Hush puppies on the side, please.
Grilled cheese, made with thin-cut white bread, three slices of cheese and a slice of tomato. Thin slices of ham or bacon may be added. Toasted until all gorgeous and golden-yellow.
My family's 'Aunt Diane's hamburgers'. Loose ground beef, browned and mixed with fried onions and shredded cheese, put on half a toasted English muffin and cooked in the broiler.
Freshly-cooked falafel, with lots of pepper sauce and veggies, wrapped in flatbread and grilled. Or falafel, hummus and feta in flatbread.
Oh, I could go on and on...and I think I just did...
NotAmerican at 6:30AM on 06/13/09
Made a modified Cuban last night: Ground pork & ham, swiss, McClure's spicy pickles (bought after reading a SE post :-), brown mustard on a hero (grinder, hoagie, etc) roll. Slathered with garlic butter and squished between 2 very hot cast iron pans.
finewinendine at 9:13AM on 06/13/09
My absolute favorite sandwich has to be chicken cutlet, lettuce, Munster, bacon, and barbecue sauce. But it must be on a roll or hoagie. Sliced bread doesn't work as well
rumanddiet at 3:02PM on 06/13/09
Today I made egg salad with chickpeas mashed in it, spread on a toasted onion roll and topped with a slice of tomato. :)
deetroitMI at 9:50PM on 06/13/09
Give me A BLT and @arm also throw some avocado on it.
chardonnay at 1:50AM on 06/14/09
'Tis the season. As the sun is out more often, I've resurrected, from my 60s-70s hippie days, the practice of sprouting alfalfa. My favorite retro sandwich is a split white roll spread with cream cheese, generously layered with sprouts and salted, shelled sunflower seeds, some fresh tomato slices and some avocado slices to round it out.
On more decadent days I may add some fried up bacon and mayonnaise to the top bun...
czken at 7:44AM on 06/14/09
Round, crusty Calabrese bread, a couple of slices of ham, Havarti cheese and real butter - simple, heavenly, and . . . I am on my way to the kitchen, right now!
bareneed at 11:57AM on 06/14/09
For lunch today I grilled a sandwhich of buttery multigrain bread spread with goat cheese and Dalmatian fig preserves. Yum.
cookingathome at 3:50PM on 06/14/09
King of sandwiches at our house is a Mexican Torta: a full size loaf of french bread, hollowed out a little, and then filled with roasted chicken and/or ham, queso fresco, avocado slices, fresh tomato slices, and pickled jalapeno peppers. Slather on a little mayonnaise or homemade refried beans if you got 'em, and press in a panini press (or on a griddle under a hot cast iron skillet) until flat and toasty. Yum.
gueralinda at 4:30PM on 06/14/09
B-MALT: 2 pieces of toasted Sourdough with bubbly brown melted Muenster stuffed with avocado, tomato, lettuce, red onion and mayo.
kwhit at 11:24PM on 06/14/09
Today I made: Baguette, swiss, bacon, avocado, swiss, turkey, dijon, baguette. Toasted it, added tomato and lettuce. It was amazing.
Emsev333 at 12:37AM on 06/15/09
I made a flat iron steak sandwich with caramelized onion, horseradish sauce and Seastack cheese.
You can read about it here. http://blog.notesfromhomeplates.com/
ChefDJen at 12:44AM on 06/15/09
We made purely experimental sandwiches partly inspired by Vietnamese cabbage salad. Cajun seasoned and shoyu marinated chicken breasts were used with cilantro and Thai basil, plus hoisin and sriracha.
http://cassaendra.blogspot.com/2009/06/sammiches.html
Cassaendra at 1:55AM on 06/15/09
I went open-faced braised pork shoulder with Dijon/Lime sauce. It did not suck even one tiny little bit...
kitchengeeking at 9:29AM on 06/15/09
check out the Provencal Sandwich I made... it's full of mushrooms, spinach and goat cheese. A trip between two breads, definitely!!!
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 10:58AM on 06/15/09
Sourdough bread, leftover London broil, leftover hollandaise or bearnaise sauce, sharp cheddar cheese, spinach leaves.
This even makes the packaged dry mix hollandaise/bearnaise sauces taste good. They don't taste anything like the real sauces, but the butter and herb content is high enough that they are still pretty tasty. There is, however, no lemon flavor in the hollandaise at all. Weird.
akk328 at 12:56PM on 06/15/09
Grilled country bread, homemade mayonnaise, shallot mustard, a couple slices chunky rabbit terrine, grilled zucchini with garlic and olive oil, and a hard goat cheese. I made the rabbit terrine, and while it isn't particularly pretty, it tasted gooood, especially in this sandwich.
rdkturner at 1:42PM on 06/15/09
Mine is the BLT. Buttered toasted bread, crispy bacon, fried egg, caramlised balsamic vinegar onions, rocket, spinach leaves and topped with a chilli ranch sauce.
I made this on the weekend but added the left over crispy bits of the bacon and fried egg with oil onto the sandwich. Not good for the arteries, but boy did it taste good!
eatshowandtell at 11:07PM on 06/15/09
Whole grain toast, peanut butter, grated carrot, honey, cinnamon, and maybe a few raisins.
Barbieri13 at 9:26AM on 06/16/09
HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO>>>Main entree + Dinner roll....say I get chicken parm..I always eat my entree as is.....but take a small piece of delicious cheesy chicken parm and grab a dinner roll or bread, cut it in half and put the piece of my dinner in there.......it changes with every restaurant...some have those warm undercooked rolls...:) some have soft scali....etc....it works with anything...turkey dinner sandwich......chicken saltimbocca sandwich corned beef and cabbage sandwich....etc......whatever
ereilia at 9:42AM on 06/16/09
Oh, my, thanks for reminding me about PB&Bacon! It's my comfort food.
betteirene at 3:58PM on 06/16/09