There’s a book I loved growing up called Bread and Jam for Frances, which is about a young badger who won’t eat anything besides bread and jam. The moral, I suppose, is that too much of a good thing is bad, because Frances eventually gets bored and wants to eat other things, but that isn’t what I took away from it, I just loved bread and jam and I loved her love for it. She makes up a song that goes “Jam is tasty, jam’s a treat / Raspberry, strawberry, gooseberry, I’m very / FOND…OF…JAM!”
It’s my birthday this week, so I’m sharing a ~free~ recipe for my “birthday cake” — rhubarb-strawberry malted babka, inspired by bread and jam — and I want to celebrate too much of a good thing by writing and thinking about all the things you can put between bread. I’ve lived whole periods of my life in which I ate sandwiches for every meal, and because I’ve been having some trouble with food lately, I think I’m entering one again. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it, but embrace the little kid in me who is only happy eating vegetables if they’re hidden and smushed between two layers of slightly-toasted or very fresh sourdough or rye or challah or a ciabatta or Dutch Crunch roll.
But first, the babka! My bi-weekly recipes are usually only for paid subscribers, so if you like this one please consider a subscription! (It is my birthday after all ;) )
Sandwiches: Layers and Contast
For one of my No Recipe cooking workshops, I had us focus on sandwiches as a vehicle for thinking about contrasting tastes and textures in food. Sandwiches are best when each layer is prepared separately and given all the love it needs to be its best self, then paired in complementary fashion so that the surprising contrast between sweet/savory or gooey/crunchy creates a journey for the eater.
A good sandwich has at least one ingredient that moistens the palate (from mayo to pesto to jam), one other strongly flavored bulky ingredient that may be a protein (cheese, meat, mushrooms, eggs, eggplant, broccolini, peanut butter), and sometimes something fresh (like tomato or arugula or herbs or apple slices). It’s served on thoughtfully-chosen bread that doesn’t overwhelm the ingredients and matches the filling texture-wise so it isn’t too difficult to take a bite (i.e. it doesn’t crumble in your hands and the filling doesn’t sploosh out the sides).
But the best way to study the art of the sandwich is through example. I am lucky to live in a fantastic sandwich metropolis, so here’s my list of NYC’s best sandwiches, past and present. I would love to hear about your favorites (from a store, or homemade) in the comments:
Vegetalian from Court St. Grocers —“Roasted butternut squash, swiss, mozzarella, pecorino, arugula, white onion, csg hoagie spread, mayo”
I normally dislike squash or sweet potato in a sandwich, because I don’t want a savory sandwich to taste sweet. But here, the squash is sliced very thin, and when paired with the richness of the mayo and the sharpness of the cheese, the overall effect is perfect.
Smooth Cremini from Foster Sundry (RIP) — “Garlicky roasted portabella mushrooms, fresh stracciatella, watercress, raw & pickled fennel, and herbed cremini spread on toasted Native Bread ciabatta”
The creaminess of the cheese and cremini spread contrasts with the meatiness of the mushrooms. The fennel is also key here, providing just enough bite.
Scuttlebutt from Saltie’s (RIP) — “Hard-boiled egg, feta, black olives, capers, pickles, pimenton aioli”
This description leaves out the mass of herbs piled along with the pickles into this overstuffed focaccia sandwich. It was also slathered heavily with aioli, which was nice with the hard boiled eggs.
Boy Giuseppe from Archestratus (RIP) — “Eggplant, primu sale, amogghio on house focaccia”
I ate so many Archie sandwiches while gestating Miro that I think he’s 25% focaccia. Every day, we’d bake a crumbly, rich focaccia and then give it another last-minute toasting on the griddle. The amogghio was a garlicky tomato salsa that added freshness to the buttery roasted eggplant and melted cheese. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from Archestratus, it’s that sandwiches need a long time on the griddle for the cheese to really melt, but it’s worth waiting for.
Roasted Cauliflower from Num Pang —“Chinese And Thai Eggplant Spread”
Continuing the theme of creaminess along roasted vegetables, this sandwich has a chile mayo (apparently made from soy milk) that’s slathered thickly on the banh-mi style baguette sandwich, with a whole pile of fresh carrots, cilantro, and cucumbers, and an eggplant spread that adds more juiciness. It’s all very fresh-tasting while still being satisfying.
New Creation (RIP?) or Yuba Verde from Superiority Burger — “Sandwich on a roll. Griddled yuba, pickles, and dijon mayo” / “Hodo City Yuba, Sausaged Ceci, Broccoli Rabe, Matouk’s Mayo”
Superiority Burger is where I first ate yuba, the “tofu-skin” made by skimming off the skin that forms on simmering soy milk. They buy the good stuff, then in both these sandwiches, pile it high with plenty of sauce and other stuff to chew on. The bread is very soft.
I’m surprised that I haven’t shared many sandwich recipes in this newsletter, but here are my top three:
Crispy Lion Sandwich
The Vegitalian-ish: Squash, Broccoli, Swiss & Onion sandwich
Zuke-tom-mozz summer sandwich
Template Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Sandwich
Choose one or several things from each CATEGORY then stuff it into the right bread!
ROASTED
At 420°F or higher, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper and maybe a dash of vinegar
chunky pieces of portobello or oyster mushroom — dry rub or marinate in balsamic or black vinegar/olive oil/s+p
broccolini, broccoli rabe, or kale — make sure to cut it up small, so it’s easy to eat
butternut squash, sweet potato, or carrots — consider tossing them in a dry spice rub mixed with a little oil before putting in the oven
beets — salt-roasted beets have a ton of flavor
cauliflower — make sure it’s roasted well enough to be darkened and crunchy
eggplant — before roasting, slice and salt heavily, letting it sit for several hours to get out as much water and bitterness as you can. Pat dry, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at a high temperature, like 450°F
onion — roasted shallots or caramelized onion adds a great rich, meaty flavor
bell pepper — you can fire-roast until black on your burner, then put in a covered glass bowl for 15 minutes to steam, then remove the skin under running water
CREAMY
mayo or vegan mayo (I sometimes prefer vegan mayo; it’s lighter, somewhere between traditional mayo and cool whip). Flavor it with lemon or herbs or some sort of ketchup/bbq/hot sauce for your own “secret sauce”
pesto — if you’re making it yourself, you can experiment with the nuts (try toasted cashews, almonds, or walnuts) and the greens (spinach, arugula, mint)
cheese — cream cheese or a goat cheese spread, ricotta, mozzarella or brie
tahini or tahini-based sauce
tzatziki or another yogurt or sour cream-based sauce
hummus or another bean spread
avocado
FRESH
arugula, spinach, or watercress
sprouts
herbs — cilantro, parsley, mint, basil
shredded carrot
tomatoes
cucumbers
zucchini — grated, salted, then rinsed/squeezed dry
thinly sliced red onion
apple or pear slices
TANGY
mustard
pickles or other pickled vegetables — carrot/daikon, sauerkraut, kimchi
capers or olives
marinated artichokes
sambal oelek or calabrian chili spread
sundried tomatoes
pepperoncini — usually pickled
chutney/leyham — I’m learning to make these at Atina Foods!
cheese - pecorino or asiago, sharp cheddar or gruyere
BREAD
ciabatta — chewy but not as chewy as a baguette. Often I’ll press a sandwich in a ciabatta, either with a heavy pot lid if it’s being grilled, or under a weighted-down plate or sheet tray if I’m eating it fresh
baguette — sometimes the chewiness is good for your sandwich, especially if the filling is well chopped or soft enough that you can easily take a bite. Baguettes also make great open-face sandwiches
Dutch Crunch — oddly specific to the Bay Area, even though this soft roll with a crunchy top is such a perfect sandwich bun
hoagie or roll — classic, easy, can go with almost anything
challah — very soft, so keep that in mind if your fillings are too wet or hefty, but adds a lot of richness to a sandwich
sourdough — good sourdough adds a ton of flavor, which may be what you’re after. The fancy ones sometimes have big holes though, which can affect the structural integrity of your sandwich. I don’t mind the holes if I’m making a grilled cheese, which will caramelize the exposed cheese and create a nice textural contrast
focaccia - can sometimes be too thick; you want to be able to get a lot of filling in each bite. A thin focaccia made with a lot of olive oil can make a sandwich richer and more decadent
sliced sandwich bread — sometimes the most “default” sandwich bread is exactly what you need, whether because you want a lower carb-to-filling ratio, or you want to play with versions of a club
pita — almost cheating, because you can stuff ingredients in and not worry about them falling out the sides. Be careful with the wetness of your ingredients though, so they don’t dissolve the bread
shao bing — not an easily available bread, but soft and layered and covered with sesame seeds. I can think of two brilliant sandwiches I’ve had on a version of this bread — the egg sandwich from Vanessa’s Dumplings and a turnip cake sandwich from Lion Dance Cafe in Oakland
Here's my old Foursquare list, although it looks like you've already seen it: https://foursquare.com/stevenl2058779/list/the-best-sandwiches-ive-ever-eaten
I especially miss No. 7 Sub (RIP), which did some really creative ingredient combinations.
Those photos remind me of this Tumblr: https://scanwiches.com/
And here's a sweet board book about jam: https://www.amazon.com/Jamberry-Bruce-Degen/dp/0694006513/
My father read that book to me regularly. We both loved it for the detailed meals. We loved the school lunchtime spreads , especially Arthur’s. Lobster salad sandwiches, hard boiled eggs, vase of flowers and a doily. Happy Birthday to you! Love this post. 😍