Community Cookbook: Sandwiches for summertime

Sandwiches are one of the most prolific assembled foods on the planet. If sandwiches were an animal species, they would be right up there with ants for being adaptive, industrious and wildly successful. Like ants, sandwiches can lift a hundred times their weight and can thrive virtually anywhere, in one form or another. Sandwiches are portable and frequently carried to work, school and picnics. They’re the perfect provision for all sorts of outings.

Sandwiches and sandwich-like foods have been around for a long time and predate their namesake, the Earl of Sandwich, by several thousand years, probably appearing shortly after the invention of bread. Fortunately, he wasn’t the Earl of Shrewsbury, or we’d all be eating shrewsburys for lunch. A peanut butter and jelly shrewsbury just doesn’t sound right.

I won’t review the historical efforts to define the sandwich. It gets complicated and even legalistic; opinions vary widely. I consider a sandwich a filling between or on top of one or more slices of bread. They can be hot or cold, sweet or savory, meaty or vegetarian.

Sandwiches are crazy-popular here in the U.S. Today’s recipe line-up offers several that can help fuel an active schedule through the hot summer months.

Honey Ham with the Works

Here’s one of my favorite quick-prep sandwiches for lunches and dinners. Serve one or two of these with potato chips and a generous serving of potato salad or hot soup for a great meal!

Mayonnaise or sandwich spread

2 slices sandwich bread

3 sandwich-sized slices honey ham (I like Oscar Meyer brand)

Dijon mustard or prepared horseradish, to taste

1-2 sandwich-sized slices cheese

1 sandwich-sized, ⅛-inch thick slice onion or 2-4 smaller slices

1 sandwich-sized, ⅛-inch thick slice tomato or 2-4 smaller slices

1-2 sandwich-sized pieces lettuce

Spread mayonnaise or sandwich spread on one side of both bread slices. Place two slices of ham on one of the bread slices. Spread a little mustard or horseradish on the ham. Place the remaining slice of ham on top. Top the ham with the cheese, onion, tomato and lettuce, then the remaining slice of bread.

Notes: Use the sliced bread you like. Lightly toast it for extra flavor. You can also use turkey, pastrami, beef, or chicken. Good choices for cheese include Swiss, American, Cheddar, Provolone and Asiago.

Yields: One sandwich

Broiled Imi-Crab and Cheese Sandwiches

The Sea Deli, a former shop in Pullman and Moscow, Idaho, made the original sandwiches that inspired these. My then-best friend, Lin, and I ate there several times and always ordered their crab and cheese sandwich with clam chowder and coleslaw. Here’s the poor man’s version made with imitation crab. The sandwiches assemble quickly and toast up in no time. They make pretty good eating.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

⅛ teaspoon dried oregano

⅛ teaspoon black pepper

2 hoagie, French or stadium rolls

6 ounces chunked, cubed, or flaked imitation crab

4 thick slices sandwich-sized cheese, sliced into halves

Place the butter or margarine in a small microwavable container, such as a custard cup. Cover with a paper towel and microwave at 20% power until melted (about three minutes in a 1,000-watt oven). Stir in the dry seasonings. Brush the seasoned fat lightly on the roll bottoms and generously on the tops. Stack the crab evenly on the bottoms, then two cheese halves each on top of the crab. Place the roll tops on a shallow baking pan with space between each. Place on a rack in the middle-high position of an oven, about 6 inches below the broiling element. Broil until the edges just start to brown. Remove the pan from the oven and add the bottoms to the pan with space between each. Place the remaining cheese on the roll tops. Broil until the cheese mostly melts. Remove from the oven and quickly assemble the sandwiches, pressing lightly for better adherence.

Notes: Swiss, Provolone, Mozzarella, and American cheese are good melting cheeses. Reheat the sandwiches in a microwave oven, uncovered and upside down, on paper towels until heated (the roll tops are thicker than the bottoms and will handle the moisture without falling apart). Louis Kemp Crab Delights, Trans Ocean Crab Classic and Kanimi are top-rated imitation crab brands.

Yields: Two sandwiches

Egg McSomethin’

A work associate liked to joke about a “reward” for someone who did something poorly or misbehaved. He called it the Egg McNuthin’. This sandwich is more suitable as a reward for doing something well. It makes a delicious and hearty breakfast sandwich for eating on the run or reheating later in a microwave oven.

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

½-1 teaspoon chili sauce

½ teaspoon yellow mustard

1 large whole egg

2 teaspoons water

⅛ teaspoon salt

Dash of black pepper

1 English muffin, split

4 ounces cooked pork sausage patty, about 3½-inch diameter by ⅜-inch thick

1 slice sandwich cheese

Combine the mayonnaise, chili sauce, and mustard in a small bowl to make the dressing. Mix the egg, water, salt and black pepper in a small bowl with a fork. Pour into an egg ring in an oiled, small skillet heated over medium-high heat. Cook until the egg sets. Remove from the skillet. Lightly toast the insides of the muffin halves. Spread the dressing evenly over the insides of the halves. Place the patty, egg, then cheese on the bottom muffin half. Top with the upper muffin half.

Notes: Ham or other meats can substitute for sausage.

Yields: One serving

Bacon, Lettuce, Cheese And Tomato Sandwich (BLCT)

A bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with sliced cheese. That’s some excellent eating. Pair a BLCT with soup and chips for a complete lunch or dinner.

6 slices bacon

Mayonnaise or dressing

2 slices sandwich bread

1 slice sandwich-sized cheese

2-3 slices ⅜-inch thick tomato

Lettuce trimmed to fit the bread

Cook the bacon to the desired doneness. Spread mayonnaise or dressing on one side of each bread slice. Cut the bacon slices to fit the bread and layer on one of the bread slices. Top with the cheese, tomato, lettuce, and remaining bread slice.

Notes: Use the sandwich bread you prefer. It can be fresh or lightly toasted for extra flavor.

Yields: One sandwich

Special Burger and Sandwich Sauce

Here’s a sauce that goes well with just about any hamburger and sandwich ingredients. It doubles as a dipping sauce and makes a passable tartar sauce by adding minced onion and extra lemon juice.

½ cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

½-¾ teaspoon hot pepper sauce or sriracha sauce

¼-½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional)

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for an hour or more to allow the flavors to blend.

Notes: I like a quick two-sandwich version of this sauce made by combining ¼ cup of mayonnaise, 4 teaspoons of sweet pickle relish, and ¼ teaspoon of hot pepper sauce or sriracha sauce.

Yields: About ¾ cup

Dick Sellers is a freelance writer. Contact him at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com.