March 15 -  Sandwich Plan
The Carefree Gourmet - by Joyce McCombs

I’ve been terribly fond of sandwiches of all shapes and sizes ever since I can remember. Tuna on toasted whole wheat with lettuce and tomato tops my list of all time favorites, followed closely by the classic pb & j, with blackberry jam, if you please. A nice BLT or turkey club is a good lunch choice, and if there’s leftover meatloaf in the house, you can bet the Carefree spouse and I will be having a hearty slice or two on a hamburger bun for a quick and easy dinner.

I probably don’t have to tell you that grilled cheese and tomato soup go perfectly together. Or that thinly sliced ham and Swiss cheese on rye bread with a dollop of mustard is pretty tasty with a cup of split pea soup. Sandwiches fit the bill for so many occasions; it’s hard to know where to stop. I seriously think I could have sandwiches three times a day and never get bored!

During fire season, I get a kick out of hauling giant sub sandwiches over to the hard working folks at Delta Forestry. Along about July, when the air is likely to be smoky and everyone’s on edge waiting for the weather to break or the fire to simmer down, I like to implement The Carefree Sandwich Plan. You’ll find me down at IGA grabbing a variety of cold cuts and cheese from the deli and looking for sprouts and tomatoes and whatever else I can find to layer onto a couple of French loaves. I assemble the subs on cookie sheets, wrap them in foil and then poke a couple of bamboo barbecue skewers through the whole works to hold them together while I jostle down Souhrada Road. Making a late night sandwich delivery to the crew that works so hard to keep us safe is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of my summer.
Sandwiches are not only portable and tasty, they seem to actually fill up teenage boys and be economical at the same time. My theory is the heartier the bread and the tastier the filling, the more satisfied the appetite. Sliced meats are always a winner, and you can’t go wrong with turkey. Cook one now and then and invest some time in packing nice slices of it into zip top bags and tossing them in the freezer. The same goes for roast beef or ham, even leftover hamburgers. A stack of precooked hamburger patties is better than money in the bank, especially if you have a microwave savvy crew at your house and an ample supply of hamburger buns.

Here’s a baker’s dozen sandwich secrets I’ve learned over the years that may help you in your ultimate sandwich quest.

1. No raw onions in the tuna, please. At least until you take a survey of everyone who will be partaking of the sandwich. Those who love raw onions won’t mind if they aren’t there, but those of us who shudder at the thought of that dreaded onion crunch will never forgive you. The problem is, we of the anti raw onion club are always shy to ask for fear of seeming too picky. Serving the onions on the side is always a good idea, and think of the embarrassment you’re saving us, too. We thank you in advance.
2. Before we leave the tuna arena, don’t forget that diced celery is good and so are diced dill pickles. Sweet relish belongs only on hot dogs, ditto mustard of any kind. Get away with the chopped hard boiled egg, celery seed, or jalapeño peppers. A tiny squirt of fresh lemon adds great flavor. Do I have to remind you to use real mayo? I didn’t think so.
3. If you mix peanut butter and jelly together into a lovely smooth paste in a dish or on the side of the plate, it’s easier to spread it on the bread, especially if you are a novice sandwich maker. Bonus: you won’t suffer the agonies of jelly blow out with the first bite.
4. Peanut butter with these things is pretty tasty: sweet or dill pickles, bananas, raisins, sliced apple, celery, popcorn, ice cream, toast, any kind of cracker, the end of a spoon, your finger. Never let anyone tell you that what you like with peanut butter is “icky”. Ain’t no such thing.
5. Half an hour before you want a BLT, turn the oven on 350 and lay four pieces of bacon on a rack on a cookie sheet. Turn it once after fifteen minutes, and then bake until crisp. It won’t be greasy, it will be easy to eat in the sandwich and it will taste better than you can ever imagine. A little pepper on the slices is great.
6. If you’re indulging in a turkey club when you go out to lunch, ask for a little Italian dressing on the side instead of mayo on the sandwich. I don’t know who first told me about this, but after my first bite of this delicious combination, my taste buds had their own private revolution. I’ll never go back to mayo again.
7. To make a perfect grilled cheese, you need three things. A cast iron skillet, a good mix of shredded cheese, and patience. The cast iron skillet should be heated, but not too hot. Medium low is good. Shredding the cheese was something I never believed in, at least until I tried it, and then I was dazzled at the results. Use Cheddar and Swiss in equal amounts for the best flavor. Spread the inside of some sturdy bread with a tiny bit of mustard before you add the cheese. Spread the outside of the bread with soft butter, smoosh the whole works together and into the skillet it goes. Do not peak at the browning side for at least three minutes, maybe five. You can press it down now and then with the spatula if you need something to do. Turn the heat down to low when you flip it over. When you think it’s almost done, turn off the heat, remove the skillet from the burner and wait some more. If you let it cool a good couple of minutes it’s easier to transfer, easier to cut, and easier to eat. Have your tomato soup ready and enjoy the feast.
8. Ham and Swiss cheese on rye bread works about the same way, except it helps to heat the ham up a bit before you put the sandwich together since Swiss cheese has a bit of an attitude problem and doesn’t melt quite as fast as Cheddar. If you’re feeling tropical, a bit of crushed pineapple tucked inside is a surprisingly nice addition, and so is sweet and sour sauce.
9. It took me a lot of years to think outside the loaf, but I finally did. There’s nothing wrong with having a hamburger on an English muffin, or pb & j on a whole wheat tortilla. Pita or pocket bread is a natural when you’re craving your daily veggies. Fill it up with shredded lettuce and tomato, diced carrots and peppers, cucumber and radish slices. Drizzle it with a bit of fat free ranch dressing and you’ve got one of your healthy salad servings for the day.
10. The Turkey Temptation is so dang good that I only allow myself about one a year, usually after Thanksgiving. I’ve told you about it before, but I’ve been asked to include it again so a faithful CG reader (bless your heart, hon!) can write it down and keep it in a safe place this time. Find a croissant, a nice slice of white meat, as much Swiss cheese as you can get away with, some canned, jellied cranberry sauce, alfalfa sprouts and soft cream cheese. Split the croissant and toast it lightly and spread carefully with the cream cheese. Add the turkey, Swiss cheese and a few very thin slices of cranberry sauce. Finish with the sprouts and pass the napkins. It’s messy, it’s tasty, and it ought to be illegal, it’s just that good.
11. A word about bagels: How did we live without them? I made pizza bagels not long ago by topping halved bagels with leftover spaghetti sauce and a sprinkle of Parmesan. Twenty minutes in the oven and what I thought was going to be a pretty pathetic excuse for dinner ended up being a real winner. They took hardly any time, either, and even less thought. Tuna melts are good on bagels, too. Top the bagel with tuna salad and a dusting of your favorite cheese and bake until the cheese melts. Bagels also make terrific croutons. For some reason we had half a lone bagel left nobody wanted, so I diced it up and tossed it in the toaster oven with a sprinkle of garlic salt until the bits were crisp. Yum.
12. When the Earl of Sandwich invented his namesake, there were no fancy breads or spreads, just a slab of meat between two slices of bread. And sometimes that’s still the best way. When the Carefree spouse and I were first married and arrived at our new home in Sand Point out in the Aleutians, we were tired from the five and half hour flight on an ancient prop plane, chilled and wet from the famous Chain Rain, and weary from waiting for hours for the weather to break in Cold Bay. We finally caught a charter and arrived just after the store was closed, and of course, there was no restaurant. Most everyone was still Outside for Christmas so we couldn’t really mooch off anyone, and the cupboard was pretty bare except for the case of Grapenuts we’d had shipped in. Our first meal in our first home as married folks was caribou steak sandwiches on French bread, both left in the fridge by a thoughtful neighbor. Served with salt and pepper and a lot of love, it was one of the simplest and best meals I ever had. Here’s wishing you the same as you seek your sandwich sanctuary!

  

Index to Carefree Gourmet Articles

Sourdough Sensations June 29, 2007

Kitty Treats June 29, 2007

Dog Treats April 20, 2007

Sandwich Plan March 23, 2007

Carefree Wacky Ingredients March 8, 2007

Homestead Hearth January 25, 2007

Carefree Cooking 101 January 11, 2007

Holiday Punch December 23, 2006

Holiday Treats December 12, 2006

Thanksgiving II November 20, 2006

Standby Favorites October 16, 2006

Cabbage October 11, 2006

Apples September 22, 2006

Kids Cook July 6, 2006

Wacky Tips June 8, 2006

Graduation May 11, 2006

African Cuisine April 13, 2006

A Bit of Irish March 23, 2006

Crazy for Carrots March 9, 2006

February Vacation February 23, 2006

Easy Budget January 12, 2006

Christmas Treats December 22, 2005

Sweet Surprises December 8, 2005

Turkey Times  November 22, 2005

Grand Champions - Part 2 - October 13, 2005

Janet Boyer September 22, 2005

Grand Champions September 5, 2005

Blueberries  August 12, 2005

Halibut and Zukes July 28, 2005

Orange Juice July 14, 2005

Happy Birthday June 30, 2005

Honey June 9, 2005

Picnic Dishes May 26, 2005

Celebration Salads May 12, 2005

Kraft Foods April 21, 2005

Shrimp April 7, 2005

Carry on Airline snacks March 25, 2005

Sandwiches March 10, 2005

Back from Vacation February 24, 2005

Super Bowl Snack Attack  January 14, 2005

Ginger Snaps December 29, 2004

Christmas Memories - December 12, 2004

Thanksgiving November 23, 2004

Glen and Meat  October 29, 2004

Blueberry Pie Champion  September 30, 2004

Fair Winners  September 2, 2004

Glen's Knives June 11, 2004

Aunt Aggie Tells All... May 13, 2004

Crazy About Catsup April 29, 2004

Carefree Clearance Special April 8, 2004

Seattle Adventure March 26, 2004

Vegas, part 2 March 12, 2004

Vegas Wind February 12, 2004

Casserole Bonanza January 11, 2004

No Fuss Dishes  December 19, 2003

Fake and Bake Christmas  December 11, 2003