Formula for a killer sandwich
Eat Plentiful #43
Morale and energy are back. I had a dip, we all have dips. There’s not much you can do about it but acknowledge it and soothe yourself with the things that make you happy, in my case good food, exercise and sleep.
This week was a different kettle of fish though, I had no time to feel tired, too much to get done and this was Ash’s London week so when I wasn’t working, I was looking after little Woody. I ran from one meeting to another and had little time to think of what to cook, luckily for me I had stocked up on fruit & veg from the market Saturday and my pantry cupboard was looking quite healthy.
Which brings me on to tell you about the good old sandwich, I ate three this week due to my busy diary. It made me wonder why it had been so long since I last made sandwiches at home. There is nothing better than a killer sandwich and I am yet to find somewhere in Lisbon that does one, so homemade it is!
Let me quickly talk you through my formula for a great sandwich, which works most of the time:
Be creative with your bread choices, you can rarely go wrong with focaccia or a good baguette but also flatbreads are great if you’re eating it at home. And of course the traditonal sandwich bread always has a place in my heart for classics such as egg & cress or crab sandwich.
Something crunchy, very important. The crunch can come from your choice of bread, a good iceberg salad, veggies such as cucumber or carrots, anything really.
Something saucy. So many times, I’ve ordered great looking sandwiches and they have been missing that essential sauciness. Be generous with your mayonnaise, tahini yoghurt, salsa verde, whatever it is, be generous. We don’t like a dry sandwich.
Flavour bombs. Elevate your sandwich with flavour-packed additions like gildas, gherkins, capers, or any other ingredient that adds a punch of flavour, acidity, and texture.
Follow those 4 pillars, and I guarantee you will rarely be disappointed.
Next, I’m talking you through 2 of this week’s sandwiches.
Pork terrine Banh-Mi
You already got the recipe in N#37 but just in case you missed it!
The perfect marriage between French cuisine (the baguette) and Vietnamese cuisine (mint, coriander, pickles), I love a good banh-mi. Failing of a decent Banh-mi in Lisbon, I have resorted to making my own, adapting with the ingredients I can find. Here I used fromage de tete, don’t be fooled by the name if not cheese but a meat terrine made with pig’s head. It’s a French delicacy and our local butcher in Lisbon happens to makes his own. This is my take on it so don’t get offended.
Ingredients
One large slice of ‘fromage de tête’, only available in French charcuteries, apparently translated as headcheese in English.
Fine slides of a large child
A handful of coriander
A handful of mint
1 pinch of sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp fish sauce
1 carrot in matchsticks
1 baguette, split lengthwise
Maggi sauce, to taste
Siracha to spice things up
Butter for bread
A tbsp of Kewpie mayo (Japanese mayo) or normal mayo
A couple of leaves of baby gem
Instructions
Start with your flash pickle. Put you carrots in a jar and cover with red wine vinegar, fish sauce, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. Let them sit for 5 mins.
Slice bread in lengthwise, butter, and apply mayo generously on one side and a drop of Maggi.
Build the sandwich by laying the baby gem leaves, followed by the carrots, mint leaves then the protein you are using (charcuterie, chicken, pork, or sardines) and add some coriander leaves on top.
Finish off with some Siracha sauce.
If you’re making with chicken/ pork: marinate meat overnight with five spice, soya sauce, honey, fish sauce, minced garlic & ginger. Sear on each side for 3 minutes on high heat, add the remaining the marinade and cook on low heat for 5 mins until it thickens up. It should have a lovely caramel colour. Slice up and layer in sandwich.
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Beef Sumac flatbread
Ingredients
100gr greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, finely grated
150gr minced beef
Red cabbage, finely sliced
One red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp sumac
1 tsp chili powder
1 flatbread
Fresh herbs to garnish -a generous handful of mint and/ or parsley
Gildas for a good kick
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Instructions
In a small bowl mix together the garlic and yoghurt.
In a pan gently fry the onions. Once soft, add to a bowl with the the ground beef, sumac, chilli powder and salt and pepper. Make small patties of beef in your hands.
In the same pan gently fry the beef patties until nice and crispy and set aside.
Reheat the flatbread in the same pan, toast on each side, allowing it to absorb the juices.
To serve, add a spoonful of the garlic yogurt and spread over, followed by the beef patties, some finely chopped cabbage and the herbs.
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Favourite sandwiches places
Chez Aline (Paris). In my eyes the best sandwich spot in Paris, it is the perfect place to discover the simplest sandwich ever done perfectly. The famous ‘Jambon Beurre’ made with a crispy baguette, salted Normandy butter and sliced jambon de Paris.
The Dusty Knuckle (London) They have a cult like following in London since around 2014 and it’s well worth the buzz. They make their own bread (incredible focaccia) and offer 3 weekly changing sandwiches, nothing like you’re ever had before, think ROASTED BEETROOT, CARROT & ONION // DUKKAH // GREEN SAUCE // TAHINI // FRESHLY BAKED BUBBLY BREAD. Yummy!
S and P lunch (New York). Obviously you have to queue, like everywhere in NY but we were glad we did. It’s one of those classic New York places that serves a mean pastrami sandwich (my favourite of all times) and their tuna melt looked very tasty also. Portions are huge…we had to take half of it home.
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Would love to hear what your favourite sandwiches or places to eat sandwiches are!
Share your recommendations please.
Have a great weekend,
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