Sandwiches


Easy to make, Easy to eat
Sandwiches are hard to beat

Filling and spread, covered with bread
Can be eaten without the slightest dread !

Sandwiches are one of the most idiot proof foods you can make.It takes a real smart idiot to screw up a sandwich.

Step 1: Choose the bread
Step 2: choose fillings and spread
Step 3: Cover with bread and eat.


What makes sandwiches special is they are so versatile and impossible to screw up. There are huge varieties of bread and fillings to choose from. They can be grilled, baked, foil cooked, eaten raw, fried , microwaved or subjected to any cooking process known to man.

A mound of different breads, a million different fillings, thousands of spreads all whoch can be cooked in a variety of ways translate into a few million sandwich recipes. Use your imagination and dream up combinations which appeal to you.

The easiest sandwich is of course the one with no filling. Eat bread and wash it down with water. Don't be fooled by the apparent simplicity. You can make very fancy sandwiches too. All you need is large dollops of imagination and willingness to make mistakes and experiment.

History
The earliest recorded sandwich recipe comes from the 1 century BC. Nuts, apples and spices between two matzos( A brittle, flat piece of unleavened bread , eaten during passover )

18th century gives birth to modern sandwich when an ardent gambler Earl asks for bread, cheese and meat to be brought so he can continue gambling. He holds the food -- bread outside and other ingredients inside -- in one hand and keeps playing cards.

USA discovers sandwich a century later and starts off on a good note with a ham sandwich. Mass production of Sliced
white bread make sandwiches very popular. Soon after GI's during WWII combine bread, peanut butter and jelly from their meal-kit rations to make the famous PB&J sandwich.

Tips

1. Experiment with different textures, shapes and flavors, and slice them to the thickness you prefer

2. Try making it complex by grilling the bread or the filling or both

3. Try marinating the meat/vegetables before using them

4. Make sandwiches more interesting by using sandwich spreads. Look beyond mayonnaise, mustard or ketchup. Dream up fancy chutneys or any other gooey stuff you fancy. If you like melted chocolate with tuna sandwich.. go ahead ! It is your life !

5. Sandwiches need not be flat. Roll em up, wrap em and use them in any shape you fancy.

6. Cut sandwiches in strips, bite sized pieces, rounds, ovals. Think and be creative !


Bread ideas
Use any bread like sliced white bread, Middle East Pita bread, Indian Chappati/Nan/roti/poori, French Baguette, country bread, wheat bread Mexican tortillas Italian focaccia etc etc


Filling ideas
Most vegetables/Fruits, Meat/Seafood, Grilled eggplant, broccoli , asparagus, onions, Pea shoots, horseradish, crisp lettuce ,rings of sweet yellow or red peppers, or long, thin slabs of crisp cucumber . Fruits like mango , pineapple , Seafood like grilled salmon, smoked salmon, seared tuna, crabcakes , meats like beef, pork and chicken, bacon, sliced salami, Leftover sliced steak, sliced boiled Egg smoked salmon, sliced red onion , Leftover roast chicken, Fried egg, sliced tomato , Smoky baked ham, Sardines etc etc

Spread ideas
Use any gooey stuff like Apple butter, butter, peanut butter, cheese spreads, mayonnaisse, mustard, ketchup, any of the hundreds of chutneys, melted cheese, pureed vegetables/fruits etc etc.,


Cooking ideas
After assembling the sandwich, you can opt to cook it by Grilling, Frying (ex : Dip sandwich in egg batter and fry). In addition you can microwave or foil cook, toast or use almost any cooking process known to man . Eaxh method changes the taste, texture and flavor and let you generate a load of recipes from each sandwich !

Experiment and have fun !