Ubiquitous Sandwich....

It is amazing when you think of the number of different types of sandwiches you can make, with two slices of bread. Just about anything can do for the filling. Last night's rajma ground to a fine paste or chicken curry remains or freshly sliced cucumber and tomato, put them between two slices of bread and it technically qualifies as a sandwich. A wee bit of imagination and the sandwich possibilities are endless, from basic chutney sandwiches( butter and green chutney) to more exotic grilled ones. Together with a soup they make for a complete and satisfying meal.

As children we carried sandwiches in our lunch boxes or on picnics, consumed them out of home. When Mom ran out of the regular sandwich ingredients she made them with ghee and sprinkled some sugar on top of it. I quite hated that combination. I preferred the ones with butter, cheese, eggs, sausages. Today, I use most leftovers as sandwich filling. Add some grated cheese, sprinkle some pepper, grill it and you get a great tasting sandwich. They are great as a breakfast option(filling can even be made from the night before and quickly assembled), as an in between snack or as a complete meal with a salad and soup.

Salami Sandwich

This is a fairly basic sandwich and uses egg, tomato, chicken salami in equal proportion. Have called it salami sandwich as that was my inspiration for the sandwich today. The rest of the ingredients got added along as I worked my way through the sandwich.

Ingredients

Brown bread: 8/10 slices

Chicken Salami roundels: 16 thin slices( try and get some fresh slices, those taste way better than the frozen ones)

Eggs: 2 hard- boiled, sliced thin

Tomatoes: 2 medium sized ones, sliced thin

Olive oil: 1 tbsp

Rosemary: 1 tsp

Salt: to taste

Freshly ground pepper: 1 tsp

Eggless Mayonnaise: 2/3 tbsps

Method

Lay out all the ingredients before you start. Next heat some olive oil, add some rosemary and salt to it. Drizzle the oil over the tomato slices to give them an added flavor and taste.

Lightly toast the bread. Spread some mayo on the bread slices. Arrange the salami, egg and tomato slices over it. Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground pepper over it. Cover with another slice. Cut into triangles and serve with a hot clear soup.

Alternately you could also mash the egg, add the mayo, salami bits and tomato to it and use as the filling. Add a little milk to the egg as you mash it( a tip I learnt from one of my Bong friends), helps the sandwich stay really soft even hours later. Great for picnics and parties.

Bite sized sandwiches work well as starters. Sis passed on a recipe where chutney sandwiches are cut into small pieces and then given a seasoning of curry leaves and mustard in oil. You can substitute the chutney with a pickle masala.

And then of course there are open sandwiches which in essence are mini pizzas. Mushroom, capsicum and cheese topping is the more popular variant but you could make them with a host of other ingredients like sweet corn, potatoes, shredded chicken, mince etc.

Sandwiches are also great when you want to organize a " do it your self " party. You provide different spreads and fillings, people make their own sandwiches. It is a lot of fun and one ends up discovering some new combinations. There are some like my friend S who invariably opt for "all of the above" either together or in combinations thereof.

It is always a good idea to keep a loaf of bread, some eggs and soup sachets handy. You can dish up some interesting sandwich combos in a jiffy.

Happy cooking and Bon Apetit!