Thursday, April 16, 2009

Move over, Dagwood

For anyone who thinks that a sandwich is a fine thing to snack on between meals, or to stuff in a brown paper bag for lunch, but doesn't constitute an actual meal....think again. The recipes in our new cookbook 'wichcraft: craft a sandwich into a meal - and a meal into a sandwich will show you that layering meats, cheeses, vegetables and spices between slabs of thick hearty bread can be a perfect dinner.
Forget about wimpy slices of American cheese and greasy bologna, smeared with mustard that's an eye-popping yellow. We're talking about "Roasted Turkey with avocado, bacon, balsamic onion marmalade and mayonnaise", "Red-wine braised flank steak with roasted peppers, onions and Gruyère", and "Roasted shrimp salad with tomatoes and olives". Elevate the traditional Reuben into "Pastrami with sauerkraut, Gruyère and whole-grain mustard sauce", or spice up a boring chicken salad with walnuts, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions and frisée.
The really wonderful thing about using these sandwich ideas as dinner meals is that - with a little planning - they can be very quick to prepare. If you make up the relishes, pestos, pickled vegetables, marinated meats and roasted vegetables ahead of time, you can quickly pull the necessary ingredients out of the fridge and assemble your sandwiches quickly. Leftover meatloaf, chicken and pork roast can be used as the basis for these creations, and fresh vegetables are a must (as is good, hearty bread). Mmmm....is it time to eat yet?
(Note to the cookbook publisher: having the table of contents with the pictures right next to the recipe listings was an excellent idea!)

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