A Good Appetite: sandwiches

Showing posts with label sandwiches. Show all posts

Friday, March 9, 2012

The Meatloaf Sandwich

Last night Matt's Deluxe Meatloaf met its real purpose, the meatloaf sandwich.

A nice hearty wheat bread, a good warm slab of leftover meatloaf, some soft cream cheese and sweet green tomato jam. A comforting little plate if there ever was one. Seriously, the cream cheese and jam are just perfect combinations with the meat adding layers of texture and sweetness. If you don't have green tomato jam try it with apple butter.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Summer Garden Flatbread

Last week the weather finally turned to more comfortable temperatures and the humidity broke. Matt and I took advantage of it to enjoy a late dinner of small plates on Cafe Maude's patio. Everything was suburb, but we both fell in love with the hummus flatbread topped with fresh vegetables, halloumi cheese and a yogurt sauce. We decided it would make for a great easy dinner at home this week.

We stuck pretty to the original with a few changes. We used pitas as our flatbread. Originally we planned on doing this as a sandwich, but have had a hard time finding pitas that stand up to being split open into pockets (I know, I know, I should make my own). So, plan B was to just use then as a base for an open face sandwich. We topped the hummus with some original flavor hummus from Holy Land in here in Minneapolis. Then added sliced cucumbers from my cousins garden and tomatoes from ours. The Cafe Maude flatbread was topped with a garlic-mint yogurt sauce. We didn't have any fresh mint, so we flavored ours with fresh dill and a little lemon juice.

Instead of an imported halloumi, we used juustoleipa, Finnish bread cheese, from Wisconsin. It is similar to halloumi as it doesn't melt when heated. We cut it into cubes and then put it ina skillet until it is warm, turning from time to time. It softens a bit, but still has a nice squeaky texture. I'm addicted to this cheese and love it on a salad or as a snack.

If you got an abundance of cucumbers or tomatoes in your garden this year, I highly recommend this open-faced sandwich as a great light dinner or fresh lunch.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

BL(GF)T

We're cooking easy, comfort meals that don't take a lot of time in the kitchen this week. Last night's dinner was a perfect example, plus it featured one of my favorite treats as a kid, green fried tomatoes.

Yes, that is a BLT, only the T is green, breaded and fried. Who knows if our tomatoes will ever ripen this year, so I might as well eat them while they are green. They get so wonderfully sweet when fried. That sweetness is the perfect foil to some good salty bacon.

The tomatoes get sliced very thin then patted dry with a paper towel. Some people dip their tomatoes in egg before dredging in a flour mixture, but I find that makes for too heavy a coating. Instead I dipped mine in some buttermilk (well, I didn't have buttermilk on hand so actually I used half and half with a little lemon in it). I went very simple on the breading for the tomatoes as I wasn't eating them alone, just a mixture of 1/2 cup flour, 1 tablespoon cornmeal and some salt and pepper. Then, to make it even better I fried them in the bacon grease, oh yeah, the bacon grease. This is not a sandwich for the faint of heart.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Chive Blossom Vinegar and Räksmörgås

I had planned on having a post for you today showing off my beautiful handmade mayonnaise flavored with homemade chive vinegar. Um yeah, planned is the important world there. I started a batch of mayonnaise and after adding about one fourth of the vinegar it broke. Sigh. So, I tried again and broke a second at almost the same point. With only on egg left it was time to give up. Oh well, I can still show you my pretty pink Chive Blossom Vinegar.

I got the idea from Cooking With Anne. I was pulling out a bunch of chive plants that were in bloom, so I threw some together. It couldn't be simpler. I just threw about twelve blossoms into a cup of white vinegar in a sealed container, then let is sit in a cupboard. Anne let her's sit for two weeks, but I let mine go a whole month. When it was time to use it, I strained it through a sieve lined with a paper towel. The result is a vinegar that smells and tastes of chives. It's a really great combo.

Since I couldn't use it in homemade mayonnaise like planned, I just mixed it in with some prepared mayonnaise to use on Räksmörgås, a perfect dinner for a hot night.

Our homemade Räksmörgås

Räksmörgås is a Swedish open-faced sandwich that we saw on every menu on our trip earlier this year. Matt really took a shine to it, so we've started making it at home.

So, what is in a Räksmörgås? You start with a dark rye bread (tonight we used Sun Street Breads Wheat Beer Rye and Sunflower Seed). Top that with a very generous smear of mayonnaise. I mixed about half a cup of mayonnaise with the chive blossom vinegar which made a sort of oniony mayo sauce. Then you add a layer of sliced hard boiled eggs. Small, cold cooked shrimp goes on top of the egg. We found the prefect size precooked frozen shrimp at IKEA, all we have to do is thaw some under cold running water and it's ready to use. Finally, you add the classic Scandinavian herb, fresh dill. Sometimes the sandwich was served with lettuce, some tomato, or a few slices of cucmber. We also had it topped one day with a little chopped red onion and some roe.

Räksmörgås at a restaurant in Stockholm

This is a really filling sandwich. There is a creamy, richness from the mayo and eggs which compliments the shrimp really well. We think the dill is really important and find it a little bland without it. (I actually heard a Scandinavian chef on TV once say you can never add too much dill.)

So, any other ideas for ways to use my Chive Blossom Vinegar?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Chicken Liver and Mushroom Paté

We love a good banh mi. That mixture of meat, creamy paté, pickled vegetables& fresh herbs on French bread is such a festival of flavors & textures. We tend not to make them at home because they do take a little of a lot of different ingredients but, since we had some leftover roasted pork in the fridge I decided to add them to the menu.

In order to not buy a whole bunch of things we would only use a little of, we kept the topping for our sandwiches down to just what we felt was most important; mayo, pork, paté pickled carrots, cilantro & jalapenos. Though not traditional, I threw on some chopped scallions too since we had them. The main thing we skipped was the pickled radishes because we didn't want to buy a whole bunch to use just one or two.

I pickled the carrots myself using Emeril's quick pickle recipe. I just used a third of the brine & pickled one carrot. The only problem ingredient was the paté. The grocery store had a few choices but they were pretty expensive & way more paté then we needed. Ok, time to make our own. It was something we'd been wanting to do for awhile anyway.

I chose a very basic chicken liver paté recipe, which just also happened to be from Emeril, because other than the chicken livers I already had all the ingredients (ok, most of the ingredients). Even though it was my first time making paté I went ahead & made a few changes to the recipe, substituting some of the livers with brown mushrooms & green peppercorns with capers. I think both were good substitutes. The mushrooms tempered the liver flavor a little & the capers added a nice tang. At first taste Matt wasn't so sure he thought it was great but after a day or two letting the flavors meld in the fridge he really liked it & ate a whole bunch on bread with some cornichons.

Chicken Liver & Mushroom Paté
(adapted from Emeril Lagasse)
The livers have to soak for 2 hours before using them so plan ahead.

5 oz chicken livers, cleaned
1/2 c milk
4 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 c chopped yellow onions
1 t minced garlic
3 oz brown mushrooms, sliced
1 T capers, drained
1 bay leaf
1/2 t chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
2 T brandy

Soak the chicken livers in the milk for 2 hours. Drain well.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions & cook until translucent. Add the garlic & cook another 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken livers, mushrooms, capers, bay leaf, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until the livers are browned on the outside, about 5 minutes. Add the brandy. Cook until almost all the liquid is gone. The livers should be cooked through. Remove from heat & let cool.

Remove the bay leaf & put the liver mixture into a food processor & puree. The paté will not get completely smooth but have a more rustic texture. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter a little at a time, pulsing with each addition. Put the paté into a bowl or ramekin & cover. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving (We found it was better after a day or two).

Makes about 1 1/2 - 2 cups

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Ad Hoc Grilled Cheese and Simple Tomato Soup

We're cooking our way through Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home...

Two Ad Hoc recipes in one week! What am I crazy? No, not really, as this was a pretty simple recipe. I mean, how hard can you really make grilled cheese? This one did require making your own brioche but making bread isn't really that hard, just time consuming.

I must admit I didn't use the Ad Hoc brioche recipe, instead I went with the one in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I'm afraid I put a little too much dough in the pan so it got huge while baking & I had a hard time getting it to cook through.

It was still pretty darn tasty, in that heavy, eggy, buttery, rich brioche way. (& I have lots left over to make the Ad Hoc Banana Brea Pudding!)

From there all you need is some good gruyere, about 1 1/2 oz per sandwich, & unsalted butter. Slice the bread & cheese thinly, the book calls for the bread to be 1/4 inch but I had a hard time slicing that thin & not having it fall apart.

Melt a tablespoon or two of the butter in a skillet over medium heat until it just starts to brown. Assemble the sandwiches & put them in the skillet. Brown on one side & then flip to brown the other. Put the sandwiches on a baking sheet & spread a teaspoon more butter on the top of each. Bake in a 350 F oven until the cheese is melted. Cut off the crusts & enjoy a rich buttery treat.

I served it with a tomato soup that I threw together pretty quickly with what I had in the pantry. I used the tomatoes I canned last summer & it had a much fresher taste than store-bought soup.

Simple Tomato Soup

2 cans tomatoes (I used whole because that is what I have but you can use diced or crushed, whatever)
1/4 t garlic powder
1/2 t dried minced onion
1 t dried basil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t sugar
1/4 c heavy cream
salt & pepper

Put the tomatoes including juices in a medium saucepan. Crush with a spoon. Stir in the garlic, onion, basil, vinegar & sugar. Bring to a simmer & let cook for about 15 minutes. Purée either in a blender or with an immersion blender. Return to the pot & stir in the cream. Add salt & pepper to taste. Heat without boiling & serve.

2 small servings

So a question for you all. The book says they serve this grilled cheese sandwich at the Ad Hoc restaurant. If you went to one of Thomas Keller's restaurants would you order a grilled cheese sandwich?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Meatball Bánh Mi

We are trying to make a real effort to eat some of the things that have been lingering in our freezer. We discovered quite a few items in the bottom of our chest freezer when we ungraded to an upright freezer last week including some Asian meatballs & garlic scape pesto which led to this sandwich.

In the last year, I've really discovered the yumminess that is the bánh mi. There is just something about the mix of flavors & textures that just works. For me a bánh mi has to have a protein, something pickled, something crunchy, something spicy & something creamy all on a crispy baguette.

For our protein we used some leftover Asian Meatballs. When we originally made these we cooked them all & then froze half. To use them on this sandwich they just required thawing & a quick reheat in the microwave.

For something pickled & something hot we had some pickled jalapenos we canned this summer & quick carrot pickles I made in the morning.

Quick Carrot Pickles
(adapted from Emeril at the Grill)

1/2 c rice vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
1/4 t crush red pepper flakes
1/4 t salt
1 carrot, sliced thin diagonally

Put the vinegar, sugar, pepper & salt in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for one minute. Stir until the sugar & salt are dissolved. Cool. Add the carrots. Cover & refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The longer they sit they more pickled they will be.

Makes about 1/2 cup

The carrots are also the crisp in the this sandwich along with fresh cilantro.

For the creamy element, Matt took a little garlic scape pesto we had frozen & mixed it with some mayo. It also made a good dipping sauce for the few meatballs that wouldn't fit in our sandwiches.

We didn't use baguettes for these. I had tested a hamburger bun recipe for a friend this weekend & made a few hotdog bun shaped to use for this. They were a little soft for bánh mi though tasty.

Not as good as the bánh mi we get at the Vietnamese places down on Nicollet but certainly a decent home version. Do you have a favorite bánh mi combination?

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Winter BLT

Last fall before our first frost I picked all the green tomatoes from our garden & turned them into green tomato jam.

We'd never had green tomato jam before & weren't really exactly sure what to expect & what it would taste good with. Matt mentioned he had seen a winter BLT on a menu recently that used tomato jam so we decided to try ours that way.

We started with some toasted sourdough then put mayo on one side & our green tomato jam on the other.

Then add the warm crisp bacon & some fresh baby spinach. Sweet & salty crispy goodness!

I think we were both surprised by how much we like the flavor of the green tomato jam. To me its reminiscent of chutney. Matt said the sandwich he saw originally also had brie on it. Notsure I want brie on my BLT but I do think the jam would be fabulous with cheese though I'm imagining a good cheddar... yum, grilled cheese with green tomato jam! Now I'm off to have another one of these BLTs for lunch

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Steak and Cheese Sandwich

When Matt told me he wanted to make a steak & cheese sandwich for dinner what I saw in my mind was bright orange cheese sauce over some chunks of mystery steak. Luckily that was not at all what he had in mind.

His steak & cheese was made from incredibly tender pieces of flank steak (slicing against the grain makes all the difference), mushrooms, onions & a very flavorful raclette cheese. You are not really serving each person a ton of meat & cheese here so the mushrooms really beef it up, so to speak, with flavor & texture. I could even see doing this sandwich as a mushroom & cheese sandwich if you were avoiding eating red meat.

Steak & Cheese Sandwiches

1 T olive oil
5 oz flank steak, sliced very thin against the grain
salt & pepper
4 baby bella mushrooms, sliced thin
1/4 medium onion, sliced thin
3 - 4 oz raclette cheese, grated
2 petit baguettes, sliced length-wise & toasted if you wish

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Salt & pepper the steak. Add everything to the pan except the cheese. Cook until the steak is done & mushrooms & onions are tender, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Add the cheese & stir until it's melted & everything is coated. Divided between the baguettes & serve.

Serves 2

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Grilled Flat Bread Sandwiches

We had such success last week with our grilled pizzas Matt wanted to try using the same dough & technique for making a grilled flat bread sandwich.

It worked really well & made for a nice warm, melty sandwich. He made basically the same dough as for the pizza though only half a batch. To the dough he added some extra olive oil & some dried rosemary for flavor. He shaped the dough into two 15" squares.

Then grilled those on both sides until cooked then turned the grill to low. Next he put toppings on one of the grilled bread squares. We went with a grated creme casa cheese, cooked chicken & spinach. A good melting semi-soft cheese is our recommendation here as you want something that will melt quickly on the grill. Put the second piece of grilled bread on top & press.

Then the sandwich goes back on the grill over low heat just until the cheese melts, about 3 - 4 minutes, careful not to burn it. Cut into four pieces & serve.

We served our sandwiches with sunchokes that were just roasted with a little olive oil & salt, yum!

Pizza Dough
(from Mastering the Grill)

1/2 c warm water (110 to 115 F)
1 1/4 t active dry yeast
1/4 t sugar
2 1/2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1 t kosher salt
1 t dried rosemary

Combine the water, yeast & sugar in a bowl & stir until mixed. Let sit 5 minutes until it gets foamy. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

Using a mortar & pestle grind the salt & rosemary together. Mix the flour & salt/rosemary mixture together in a large bowl. Add the yeast mixture & stir until the dough forms a ball. Turn out onto a floured surface & knead until smooth & elastic, about 5 minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky, not dry. If more flour is needed, add it in 1 tablespoon at a time.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl & turn to coat with oil. Cover & let rise until doubled about 1 hour.

Makes enough for one big sandwich which served two of us

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Emeril at the Grill - Bánh Mi

Ok, Emeril actually calls this a Vietnamese-Style Grilled Pork Po'Boy & we call it a Bánh Mi, well, because its shorter to say & he does say that this is his version on the Vietnamese sandwich.

Matt has been telling me for years about the amazing bánh mi he would get at Dakao in San Jose, CA but I had never had one. When he bookmarked this recipe in Emeril at the Grill I decided to make it right away so I could see what he kept talking about. It was so delicious, crunchy, spicy and fresh. I think it's my favorite thing we've made from the book so far.

The marinated pork is so flavorful & juicy we kept snacking on it even before it went on the sandwich. The original recipe called for a pork tenderloin but for two of us I just used two boneless pork chops which was the perfect amount.

The pickled carrots & radish are a huge part of the flavor & crunch of the final sandwich. I liked them so much I had the leftovers as snacks with lunch & have made another batch since. The longer they sit the more heat from the red pepper they get. The recipe called for a daikon radish but the ones at the store were as big as my head so I just used little red ones.

Vietnamese-Style Grilled Pork Po'Boys
(adapted for serving size & the above mentioned ingredients from Emeril at the Grill)

Grilled Pork

1 green onion, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded & minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 T sugar
pinch of pepper
1 T Vietnamese fish sauce
3/4 T lime juice
2 boneless pork chops
vegetable oil

In a resealable bag mix the onion, jalapeño, garlic, sugar, pepper, fish sauce & lime juice. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the pork & seal removing as much air as possible. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours up to overnight, turning occasionally. Remove the pork from the bag & let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Pat it dry & brush with vegetable oil. Cook on a medium-high grill until desired doneness. Let rest & slice into 1/4-inch slices.

Pickled Carrots & Radishes

1/2 c rice vinegar
1 1/2 T sugar
1/8 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t salt
1 carrot, thinnly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 c thinly sliced radishes

In a small saucepan bring the vinegar, sugar, red pepper & salt to a boil. Stir until the sugar & salt are dissolved. Put in a jar or plastic container. Add the carrot & radishes & stir to combine. Refrigerate covered for at least 30 minutes. They get stronger the longer they sit.

Makes about 1 cup

Instead of putting jalapeño slices on the sandwiches Matt made up a Jalapeño Mayonnaise. This mayo had a wonderful flavor with all the other sandwich topping & a beautiful green color.

Jalapeño Mayo

1 jalapeno, seeded
1 green onion
1 clove garlic
1/3 c mayo

Put jalapeno, green onion & garlic into a small food processor & chop. Add the mayo & process until smooth.

Assembly

2 small baguettes (our we're about 8" - 9")
sliced & seeded cucumber
fresh cilantro

Cut the baguette in half lengthwise. Spread on some mayonnaise.. Layer with pork, pickled carrots & radishes, cucumber & cilantro.

Makes 2 sandwiches

We served this with a salad of cold rice noodles with lettuce & herbs & a fish dressing.

I have to say we really have enjoyed everything we've cook from this book so far & we really look forward to trying more throughout the rest of the summer.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Meatball Sandwiches

It seems over the past week or so we've really been craving homey comforting meals. I'm not sure if its because we're busy getting ready for Christmas or because its so cold & snowy here in Minneapolis. In that vein, the other night Matt made us some fabulous meatball sandwiches.

(Yeah they are a little charred on the edges from a second too long in the broiler but that didn't effect the taste at all.)

What made these sandwiches so good was the tender, flavorful meatballs Matt started with. He decided using the same sort of recipe he would for meatloaf would give him a great meatball & he was right. I especially liked the way he left the pieces of onion rather large in the meatballs.

We got 52 meatballs from this recipe which is much more than we needed for sandwiches but we froze the excess & now have them for more sandwiches or spaghetti.

Meatballs

1 3/4 lbs mixed ground meat (we used a mix of beef, pork & veal)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 T dried oregano
1/2 t dried thyme
3 eggs
1/3 c ketchup
1 oz grated Parmesan
1 c bread crumbs

Put all ingredients in a bowl & knead with your hands until everything is well blended but do not overwork. Roll into 1-inch balls. (If you wish to freeze some of the meatballs do so now by freezing them on a cookie sheet. once frozen place in an airtight container & back into the freezer.)

Heat 1 T of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs & cook until browned on all sides.

Add enough tomato sauce (we used Muir Glen pizza sauce thinned with a little water) cover at least 3/4 of the meatballs. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked.

To make sandwiches:
Split soft hoagie rolls in half & place on a baking sheet. Top with 5 or 6 meatballs & a little sauce. Lay slices of provolone on over the meatballs. Broil until the cheese is melted.