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this is not a sandwich for just anyone. it's the perfect combination of three of the most delicious and decadent fats known to mankind. it's not a recipe really, but i couldn't live with myself without sharing it with all of you.
toast two slices of whole wheat bread, and then spread the insides with mayo. top with half of an avocado (sliced) and crispy bacon. consume at warp speed. enjoy.
sorry for the photo-less post, but these sandwiches weren't too photogenic...they were delicious though, so i knew i had to share.
these are dead simple to make, and actually fall into the "fast" category that my posts rarely meet. the hardest part is shredding the chicken, which isn't really "hard", but gets old fast.
i never cook chicken like this because i've always assumed that it means that it will be flavorless. i've since been proven wrong, and for these sandwiches it really is the fastest and best way.
ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
5 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of yellow mustard
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
hamburger buns
directions:
fill a pot with water and heat over medium high heat. submerge the chicken breasts and boil until cooked through. discard the water and place the chicken onto a cutting board.
using two forks, shread the chicken by pulling it apart into "strings". it helps if you cut the chicken into chunks first as it prevents the pieces from being too long.
in the same pot, add the ketchup, mustard, vinegar, and sugar and cook over low heat - whisking - until combined and smooth. add the chicken back in and stir until well coated in the sauce.
serve on buns with a salad and oven fries and enjoy!
notes:
i like how complex these four ingredients taste when put together. these are classic bbq sauce ingredients, and this sauce errs more on the vinegary (carolina) style than some others. i prefer that bite...but if you'd like it sweeter simply add more sugar, or halve the mustard (the vinegar helps with consistency, so i'd keep this the same).
on the eve of thanksgiving the last thing I want to think about is cooking a large complicated meal. simplicity is the key for nights like tonight...when i have prep work for tomorrows long day of cooking weighing heavily on my mind.
this recipe has been gently simmering in my imagination for a while, but it wasn't until i was at my mom's a few weeks ago when the final ingredient made its appearance in her refrigerator door: dalmatia fig spread.
now, i'm admittedly a huge fan of the fig, but i've got to tell you...this stuff is good. i'm also serving it tomorrow alongside a meat and cheese platter for pre-turkey noshing. it's sticky sweet and studded with those perfect fig seeds that get caught in your teeth. it takes me back to childhood and memories of eating dozens of fig newtons in my grandmother's kitchen in michigan.
the recipe below won't have precise measurements because, let's be honest, i didn't measure the bread before i cut it, nor did i count the paper thin slices of pancetta...but i'm sure you can figure it out.
ingredients:
dalmatia fig spread
paper thin slices of pancetta
goat cheese
one large sweet (i used a mayan) onion, thinly sliced
olive oil
salt
french bread (or ciabatta if you are feeling authentic)
special equipment:
panini press or
aluminum foil and a tea kettle (see below)
directions:
heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, then add the onions and some salt (a good sized pinch) to help them sweat. cook the onions slowly until they begin to brown and caramelize, then remove from heat and wipe out pan.
slice the bread in half lengthwise, and then spread the insides with the dalmatia. on the bottom half layer on the goat cheese, then the pancetta, and finally the onions. top with the...well, top of the bread.
i don't own a panini press, and though i think they are lovely machines my baltimore rowhome kitchen doesn't have the room for storing such luxuries, so i improvise when i make paninis. if you have a press, this will be a no brainer, but if not, read on. heat the same skillet with some olive oil (not a ton, but i do like the fresh flavor it imparts...so i use about a tablespoon - but these are your sandwiches.) when it's medium high place the sandwich in the pan. fill your tea kettle with water and rip off a sheet of aluminum foil. cover the top of the sandwich with the foil and then balance the kettle on the sandwich. cook for about 3 minutes, then remove kettle and foil and flip sandwich (see it flattened it, right!?) repeat on the other side, remove from pan and marvel at how the flavors come together. enjoy.
notes:
this one is a no-brainer.
take bread, an amazing cured ham from italy, goat cheese, caramelized onions and add in fig spread and you are bound to have a success. this literally takes about 12 minutes, and as you can see i served it with salad...which makes me feel less guilty about the indulgent ingredients in the panini.
as i've mentioned before, i infrequently plan for breakfast. when my husband was in law school it felt like the only meal we always ate together, but now we almost never make a full-fledged proper breakfast. usually what happens is what happened this morning:
me: want some breakfast?
he: yeah, what've we got?
me: well, we've got eggs...
he: but no bacon.
me: right. and we've got potatoes...
he: but no bread.
me: ok. i've got an idea...i'll be right back.
and so, as with most good things, this sandwich was born of necessity. enjoy.
ingredients:
2 ciabatta rolls
2 - 4 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/2 a large ball of fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
4 eggs
handful of basil, torn or sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper
directions:
slice the ciabatta rolls and drizzle the cut sides with olive oil. toast these in a very hot pan for about 5 minutes, until they start to turn golden. remove and set aside. spread one side of the roll (or both, if you prefer) with the pesto evenly.
heat more olive oil in the same pan and then fry the eggs to your liking, as you can see from the photo we went runny (aka over easy), being sure to salt and pepper the eggs. place two eggs on top of the pesto on the bottom half of the roll. add the mozzarella cheese on top of the eggs, and then sprinkle with the basil. place the top of the roll on and enjoy!
notes:
depending on what you have in your pantry/fridge/freezer you could add more or less to this. you could put a thick slice of tomato on, you could replace the mozzarella with another cheese (gouda or fontina perhaps) and you could always add meat of some sort. as it is, it's the perfect summer breakfast. it's not heavy at all, which makes it very refreshing.
