American-style sandwiches for hungry families

Press, 29 April 1981, Page 14

American-style sandwiches for hungry families

Alison Holst’s

Food I Facts

Last year in England I spent an evening making several hundred delicate, wafer-thin cucumber sandwiches. Those were not for home consumption, but were “props” for an English film.

During the last month I have been travelling around North America . doing a “media tour” to promote New Zealand lamb. I have cooked our lamb in numerous television studios, and

talked about it on many radio programmes and to many newspaper food editors, ;

This was a very busy month, and on several occasions between appointments we ate quick meals of American sandwiches. These were as different from those delicate English sandwiches as chalk is from cheese. At home for Easter I made hot, American-style sandwiches for a couple of quick satisfying tasty meals, and we all enjoyed them. There is nothing delicate about these sandwiches. You serve them on a small dinner plate, and put a salad garnish or pickles alongside, if you like. You eat them with a knife and fork — or at least you give the diners the option of eating them with a knife and fork. In the American restaurants where I ordered sandwiches, they were usually cut diagonally, sometimes secured with toothpicks, and sometimes arranged on their sides so they didn’t collapse. (One sandwich was always made with two whole slices of bread.

however, it was sliced before serving.) At home, I leave the bread uncut, partly because it's easier for the cook, and partly because the recipient can choose how the sandwich will be demolished. There are dozens of possible combinations for these meal-sized sandwiches — I offer you a few'suggestions just to get your imagination sparked! Bread

You need bread which is fairly solid — large slices of thickly cut bread are best. You can use hamburger buns very successfully too. I' like to have the bread toasted. You can choose whether you will toast it on one side only (the side that is not against the filling) or on both sides. For extra crispness you can butter the bread (or hamburger buns) lightly before you toast them. This is my favourite way! If you are buttering the bread it is easier to brown or toast it under a grillcr, or in any

electric frypan, rather than putting it in a toaster. .Don't toast the bread until you have all the filling ingredients ready, and until the diners are ready and waiting. Fillings Don't scrimp the filling. You can choose s from a wide variety of protein rich food. Select from- these suggestions: warm or cold roast chicken or turkey warm or cold corned beef roast beef, lamb or pork hot or warm fried egg hot or warm scrambled sliced or grated cheese chopped hardboiled egg or ham or tuna fish or salmon, mixed with mayonnaise hot or warm hamburger hot or warm thinly cut steak hot or warm fried fish fillet crisply fried bacon, hot, warm or cold

Additions lettuce tomatoes beetroot cucumber celery red or green peppers coleslaw sauerkraut other salad vegetables potato salad Seasonings and sauces Mayonnaise pickles relishes chutneys horseradish sauce mustard tomato sauce Worcestershire sauce Prepare the main part of the filling, seasoning it carefully. Decide what vegetables will complement the filling, then prepare them'. Decide what “extras” you will use for seasoning. Prepare and toast the bread, then add the fillings and serve immediately. The following are favourites of mine, piled into buttered, toasted thick white bread-or hamburger buns: © Hot or reheated corned beef with coleslaw or sauerkraut and mustard. O Hot crisp bacon, with.cold tomato and lettuce. O Room temperature sliced chicken or turkey with mayonnaise, cucumber pickles and lettuce. © Scrambled eggs flavoured with curry, with sliced red or green peppers. © Fried fish fillets, coleslaw, and tartare sauce.