Roast Garlic and Gruyère Sandwich
Garlic roasted in its skin is one of these things I can never have (or make) enough of. No matter how many of these little cloves I throw into the hot oven, I always feel like I could have made more. They cook in their delicate peel like in a little parchment pouch, steaming, softening and unfolding all of their wonderful flavours. It tastes less spicy than raw garlic but yet so aromatic, almost sweet and the texture is smooth, a bit oily. It's a great spread on bread!
Garlic is considered a natural antibiotic which has lots of positive effects on the body. It strengthens the immune system, stops free radicals and slows down the aging process. A tiny bulb that does a lot of good for our body! I strongly believe in the healing and strengthening powers of natural and good quality food. This is one of the reasons why I buy organic food as much as possible. I want natural food which is kept natural, no GMOs, no pesticides. Food in harmony with nature and not fighting against nature. A few years ago I started to drink organic green tea with freshly squeezed lemon juice every morning, since then I haven't had a single cold. It’s my natural booster for my immune system.
There must be something in garlic that my body loves and when it comes to roast garlic I feel like I could eat it with a spoon, in strong doses like in this sandwich made with 14 cloves of garlic for just 2 buns! I baked medium sized cloves of garlic in their skin in a 210°C / 410°F hot oven for about 12 minutes until golden and soft (you can cover them with aluminum foil if they start to get too dark). They were so soft that I could mash them with a fork, I just added some salt and spread the paste on the buns. I put a couple slices of Swiss Gruyère cheese on top (120g / 4.5 ounces for 4 halfs) and let them melt under the grill for 1-2 minutes until golden brown. I finished my sandwich off with crushed black pepper and some watercress sprinkled on top.
An oily and dense Ciabatta bread would have been good too but when I saw the Swiss Buns at the bakery which have a similar texture to the Italian bread I thought they would match the Gruyère cheese perfectly, it became a delicious and healthy Swiss sandwich!
A juicy Lamb Burger with Ramp Pesto
Yesterday I mentioned that nothing can escape my appetite for ramp, not even a burger! At first, my plan was to add just a few spices and leave the focus on the strong lamb meat. A juicy hamburger with tomato and lettuce, simple and pure, that was my idea, but when I saw the bowl with yesterday's ramp pesto on my kitchen top I remembered a beef burger I had made two weeks ago with pesto mixed into the burger mixture and it was so good that I couldn't resist! I had to make it again and added it to the lamb meat. The pesto doesn't only add its flavours but it also effects the texture and makes the burger very, very juicy.
Usually, for my sandwiches on Wednesdays I measure the amounts for a quick lunch for 2, but I knew that this would have to be a proper dinner. It's so good that you can't stop after one burger! So I got 600g / 21 ounces of minced lamb meat and mixed it with 1 egg, 40g / 1.5 ounces of bread crumbs, 2 teaspoons of salt and ground black pepper. I stirred in 3 tablespoons of my ramp pesto (you can find the recipe here), but you could use any other pesto which matches the taste of the meat. When I made the beef burger I only added 2 tablespoons of the pesto as the meat isn't as strong as lamb so I put in an extra one. To keep the meat juicy while its frying I form thick burgers. We had 6 which I fried in 2 tablespoons of butter and some olive oil, on high temperature which I turned down to medium immediately after I put the burgers in the pan. After a couple minutes on each side they turned a crisp brown, but still juicy inside.
We put the burgers in some crunchy buns together with thin slices of tomato, a leaf of green lettuce and sprinkled them with some more pesto - and then we ate them all!
A Bavarian Sandwich with Obatzda and spicy Radish
In a Bavarian beer garden, you can be sure you will find plenty of beer, sausages and at vesper time a traditional delicacy which is served with bread, I'm talking about Obatzda also known as Obatzter meaning mashed. Drinking beer in Bavaria demands strong physical condition as it's served in a 1 liter mug, the "mass". You may imagine that it's quite helpful to have some rich food on the side when drinking such quantities (obviously people don't stop after their first "mass" of beer). Obatzda is one of them and it's offered in huge varieties. It's basically a cream made of aged cheese leftovers often mixed with either herbs or spices like hot paprika powder or caraway seeds, onion, garlic, a shot of beer, horseradish, butter, cream cheese, I could continue endlessly. It is, again one of those dishes that evolved in each region with each personal preference and local tradition.
My Obatzda is green, it's based on rucola and a middle-aged camembert and cream cheese. I added some radish and watercress to bring out the rucola's mild spiciness next to the rich and tangy cheese. White bread wouldn't have managed to keep up with these strong flavours, I used dark spelt bread. This sandwich needs a dense and juicy texture, strong bread with a nice crust. What is great about this dip is that you can really play around with the leftovers of your fridge. Spring onions, dried tomatoes, olives, all the ingredients mentioned above, you can create your own Obatzda after your own preferences. After your selection is made, mix everything in a blender or mash with a fork and spread on a slice of bread, a thick layer, this is a luscious Bavarian sandwich after all!
For a little bowl of Obatzda, I mixed 30g / 1 ounce of rucola with 50g / 2 ounces of aged camembert, 150g / 5.5 ounces of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Depending on the camembert's age and tanginess you might need more or less cream cheese, the same with salt. When the dip is spread on a slice of bread, sprinkle with thin slices of radish and some watercress.
Serrano, Mozzarella di Bufala and Pesto Focaccia
When my brother in law stayed with us 2 weeks ago I asked him about his favourite sandwich. I often ask friends as it's a great inspiration for my Sandwich Wednesday but it's also interesting to find out about different sandwich preferences. It may sound silly, but a favourite sandwich says a lot about a person! He answered quick and with a smile on his face, Serrano prosciutto, mozzarella and pesto sandwich with toasted pine nuts on top. He is a true gourmet, I know and appreciate his sense for fine food, so I didn't wait too long to get all the ingredients, I was curious!
I chose an Italian Focaccia bun from my bakery for this sandwich, juicy and baked with lots of olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. I bought 8 thin slices of Serrano and one Mozzarella di Bufala of 125g / 4.5 ounces which I cut into thick slices. I made a quick pesto, a handful of basil leaves chopped finely with a big knife, mixed with a tablespoon of good olive oil and some salt. While I cut the 2 buns open and filled them with the prosciutto and mozzarella, I toasted the pine nuts in a sauce pan without oil on medium heat for a couple minutes until golden. I drizzled the pesto and pine nuts on top, took the first bite and smiled like my brother in law did when he told me about this absolutely delicious sandwich! It's great!
If you would like to share your favourite sandwich with me, just get in touch! I would love to try different sandwiches from all over the world, quick ones, complicated ones, exotic, puristic or sumptuous, whatever your taste buds like! Just get in touch here,
Meike xx
Sabih - A Sandwich with Hummus, Egg and Grilled Aubergine
The last time I ate Hummus at a restaurant I decided that the time has come to make my own. It's one of my favourites from the Middle Eastern cuisine and you can be sure that I always order my own little bowl of this delicious spread when we go to a restaurant to make sure that I definitely have enough for myself.
I'm an expert when it comes to eating it but not preparing it and I didn't want to make a fool of myself so I decided to ask two experts, both very good friends of mine from Israel. They recommended using really good quality Tahini from Lebanon because this sesame paste has a big influence on the Hummus' taste. It's one of the main ingredients together with cooked chickpeas and this is actually where Hummus gets its name from, meaning chickpeas in Arabic. It's very easy to prepare if you use tinned chickpeas - that's what I did and the expert opinions didn't object - you just have to peel them which only takes 5 minutes. It's more like popping them out of their peel between two fingers, it's fun! Then you add the Tahini, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt, water, mix everything in a blender and your Hummus is done.
My friends also told me about a sandwich which is very popular in Israel - Sabih (meaning the handsome one!). You spread Hummus on some good white bread (I use my olive bread which fits really well with its juicy texture and flavours of green and black olives), then you put slices of grilled aubergine and boiled egg on the Hummus and sprinkle some Harissa on top. This is too good! I'm not normally the first one to put an egg on a sandwich, but here I make an exception. The creamy Hummus, the juicy bread, the aubergine, the egg, the whole combination is just divine, I'm not surprised this sandwich is so popular!
Sabih with Hummus, Grilled Aubergine and Boiled Egg
I made enough Hummus to fill a large bowl as you can keep it in the fridge for a few days. For the sandwich you can also use white flatbread but I must say that I really enjoyed it with my thick and juicy olive bread.
For the Hummus
canned chickpeas, cooked and peeled, 475g / 17 ounces
tahini 300g / 10.5 ounces
garlic, crushed, 2 big cloves
salt 1 1/4 teaspoon
freshly squeezed lemon juice 5 tablespoons
water 100-125ml
olive oil, for the topping
harissa, for the topping
Purée all the ingredients in a blender until you have a smooth paste, you can add a little more water and lemon juice if you want the Hummus less thick. Fill in a bowl and sprinkle with olive oil and Harissa.
For the grilled aubergine (eggplant)
one aubergine, cut into 7mm / 1/4" slices
olive oil to brush the aubergine slices (around 50ml)
salt and pepper
Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill in the oven until golden brown and soft.
For the sandwich
white bread, 4-6 thick slices
boiled organic eggs, cut into slices, 2
Spread the Hummus on a slice of bread, put 1-2 slices of the grilled aubergine and some of the egg on top and sprinkle with a little Harissa to add more spiciness. Close with a second slice of bread to finish your sandwich.
A Ladin Sandwich with Spices and Tyrolean Prosciutto
I used to eat this sandwich whenever I arrived in Corvara, I went straight to the bakery to get some local flatbread and then to the butcher for prosciutto. Outside the shop, I prepared my sandwich, sat on a bench in the snow and enjoyed the start of my holiday.
Last week I read about this bread, the bread of my mountain village of choice. It is a flatbread made with rye flour mixed with coriander, fennel and aniseed. It's a speciality in the Ladinia region around the Sella mountains in the Italian Dolomite Alps. In Italian this area is called Val Badia and the Ladin name (which is an autonomous language) is Alta Badia.
There are two ways to prepare this bread, one is more flat, it becomes dry, hard and brittle after baking. It's very thin and you "shake" the dough to loosen it up which gives it its name, "Schuettelbrot" (shaken bread). This method was used to preserve the bread for the long and lonely time in the mountain huts where the supply of fresh bread and food was an unfrequent and laborious task. It keeps for months, the texture is hard but it retains its strong taste of spices.
The second one is thicker and this is the one I choose to make, at it's best when fresh and warm. Although it's not as light and fluffy as a flatbread made with wheat flour, it's denser and more complex in taste. Traditionally you eat this bread together with Tyrolean Prosciutto at Vesper time, in the afternoon or evening when you feel like a little snack. My mother sent me a nice piece of prosciutto from San Cassiano, so I use this special occasion for this week's Sandwich Wednesday.
A Ladin Sandwich with Spice Flatbread and Tyrolean Prosciutto
I spread some cream cheese on the flatbread, traditionally it's made without, but I was in the mood for it.
For 8 little flatbreads you need
rye flour 180g / 6.5 ounces
spelt flour 180g / 6.5 ounces
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
water, lukewarm, 125ml
milk, lukewarm, 50ml
coriander seeds, ground, 1 teaspoon
fennel seeds, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
aniseed, ground, 1/2 teaspoon
caraway seeds, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
salt 1/2 teaspoon
olive oil to grease the baking sheet
For the sandwich
Tyrolean Prosciutto 3 slices for each flatbread
cream cheese (optional)
crushed black pepper
Combine the flour with the spices, yeast and salt, add the lukewarm water and the milk, slowly, not all at once (you might not need all of it). Mix with your dough hooks for a few minutes. The dough should be more on the dry side. Continue kneading and punching with your hands until you have an elastic dough ball, not sticky at all. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a tea towel and let it rise in the warm oven (35°C / 95°F) for 45 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Take the dough out and punch it down. Divide it into 8 pieces and roll them out into discs (on a floured working surface, between 1 - 1 1/2 cm / around 1/2" thick). Cover with a tea towel and let them rise for another 25 minutes.
Set your oven to 250°C / 480°F. My oven has a special pizza setting which I use for this recipe but you can use top / bottom heat as well. Grease your baking sheet with some olive oil.
Put your flatbreads on the baking sheet and bake them on the lowest level for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Take them out and let them cool for 2 minutes. Cut a bread in half, spread with cream cheese and cover with a few slices of the prosciutto. You can sprinkle some crushed black pepper over it too.
Pear and Stilton - the perfect Sandwich Combination
Ripe Stilton and crisp Abate pear are the perfect match for my sandwich. I layer thin slices of the juicy fruit and crumbs of the blue cheese on thick white bread and put it in under the grill (broiler), just until the cheese starts to bubble and the bread is slightly roasted. The spiciness of the creamy English cheese and the sweetness of the pear are a heavenly combination.
I once used this duo as a topping for my Quiche and everybody loved it but I must say, it's just as good on my sandwich and quicker to prepare. All you need is a loaf of white bread (I use fresh spelt Ciabatta), a crisp pear like Abate and around 100g / 3.5 ounces of ripe, spicy Stilton (or any other blue cheese). Prepare your sandwich, finish under the grill (broiler) and sprinkle with some walnuts and black pepper. You can treat 2-4 people to this wonderful snack, at lunch or as a starter at a dinner party and you can be sure you will make them very happy!
Umbrian Torta al Testo with Rucola and Mozzarella
This week's sandwich is my version of Torta al Testo - the Umbrian flatbread - stuffed with rucola and mozzarella together with a dressing of olive oil and balsamico. Originally, this bread is unleavened, just made with flour, salt and water. I add some dry yeast, some use baking soda or sourdough. The name Torta al Testo comes from the fact that, traditionally, it is cooked on a hot disc of clay or metal - al testo - over the open fire, as I don't have that I use a skillet on a normal cooker.
Torta al Testo has everything a good sandwich needs: amazing bread and a tasty filling. What I also like about it, is the way it's cooked. It's fun to see the flat disc of dough rising and cooking in the hot pan within a couple minutes. It's very entertaining! I recently had friends over for dinner and Torta al Testo was the starter. We gathered in the kitchen, crowded as always, I cooked the bread and we all watched it rise. The kitchen was packed with people and food, I cooked one batch of flatbread after the other (I had to make quite a few of them) and the room got more and more smokey from the hot pan. Thankfully no one left, even though you could barely see anymore after I had left one in too long. We were all kind of mesmerized by the rising bread but don't worry, if you watch your bread it will be fine, no need for a fire alarm!
Torta al Testo with Rucola and Mozzarella
For 6 Torta al Testo you need
For the dough
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces plus more for mixing (I use spelt flour type 630 but you can use any other flour)
dry yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons
water, lukewarm, 140ml
salt 1/4 teaspoon
For the filling
mozzarella, cut into cubes, 125g / 4.5 ounces
rucola around 100g / 3.5 ounces
olive oil (6 tablespoons) mixed with balsamic vinegar (3 tablespoons) and seasoned with salt and pepper
Mix all the ingredients for the dough with the hooks of your mixer. Add some more flour if the mixture is too sticky. After 5 minutes continue mixing with your hands for a couple minutes. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in a warm place or the warm oven (35°C / 95°F, top/ bottom heat, no fan) for 40 minutes.
Divide the dough into 6 pieces. On a well floured working surface, roll each one out into a flat disc. Leave the discs on the floured surface, cover with a tea towel and let them rise for another 20 minutes.
Heat a large skillet on highest temperature (no oil!). Cook the bread on one side for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, turn and cook on the other side for another minute, at that point it will start to rise rapidly. You might have to cook it for a few seconds more or less - but keep an eye on it so as not to burn it.
Take the bread out of the pan and let it cool for a minute. Cut your flatbread in half and fill with the mozzarella and rucola. Drizzle some dressing on top and close your Torta al Testo.
A Greedy New Year's Sandwich
Happy New Year!
The timing couldn't be better: it's eat in my kitchen's Sandwich Wednesday and I really need one. There is no better food after a long night with Champagne and wine than a sandwich. My body wants some real food, hearty and rich! When I lived in Whitby in England a few years ago I used to go to a takeaway called "The Greedy Pig". The food was amazing, fresh and soft buns stuffed with slices of roast pork, apples and gravy. I miss this place!
This week's sandwich is dedicated to "The Greedy Pig". You just need a soft bun or thick slices of white bread (I warm up my mountain buns which were still in the freezer) and stuff it with a few slices of roast pork from the butcher. Fry thin slices of an onion in butter until golden brown. Peel and cut an apple in thick slices. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and add a tablespoon of sugar, let it get golden brown. Lay your apple slices in the sugary butter, fry from both sides until golden and deglaze with brandy. Cut your bun in half, put a few slices of roast pork on one side, add the onion and apple with the brandy sirup. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary, close the bun and enjoy your Greedy New Year's Sandwich!
A Mountain Bun
When I was a child we used to go to the Italian Dolomite Alps. Every year, in December, we stayed in a beautiful village in the Alta Badia region called Corvara. I loved being there as it looked like a wintery fairy tale (I always had a weak spot for places like this). Old wooden houses, trees packed with thick snow and the most amazing Tyrolean food - my childhood heaven. Yesterday I thought about how much I would love to be in the mountains again, in a wooden hut with an open fire and lots of snow outside. I would sit at a rustic old wooden table and eat rustic food.
Although I will not be visiting Corvara this winter, at least I have the wooden table and the hearty food. Therefore, my Wednesday Sandwich has to be a mountain sandwich - kind of - rich, with ham and cheese, homemade plum chutney and ground pepper. This morning, I baked my own buns with coriander and aniseed and I got some nice ham and cheese. I made a plum chutney with lots of spices a couple months ago which is great together with cold cuts and mountain cheese. You could also use any other chutney or even plum butter, you just need something that adds a bit of fruity sweetness to this sandwich.
A Mountain Bun
For 2 sandwiches you need
2 buns, or 4 thick slices of bread
slices of ham, 6
thin slices of aromatic mountain cheese, like Swiss Appenzeller
plum chutney
a few leaves of lettuce (I used field salad as I had some left)
crushed peppercorns
Set your oven to grill (highest temperature).
Cut the bun in half, spread the chutney thinly on one half and put a slice of ham on top. Cover with 3 slices of cheese and put in the oven until the cheese starts to melt. Take the bun out, sprinkle with pepper, add some lettuce and put the other half of your bun on top.
I know it's a bit of work, but baking your own bread or buns is definitely worth the effort and I'm sure you will agree after your first bite of the warm and fluffy buns. I prepared mine last night and let the dough rise overnight. Then you just have to put the buns into shape the next morning, let them rise for 40 minutes and bake them. If you want them plain just leave out the coriander and aniseed, they are still delicious!
For the Mountain Buns
This recipe makes 12 fabulous buns or milk rolls
plain four 550g / 1.1 pound
dry yeast 1 package (for 500g / 1 pound of flour)
milk, lukewarm, 300ml
butter, melted, 50g / 2 ounces
organic egg 1
sugar 1 teaspoon
salt 1 1/2 teaspoon
coriander, crushed, 1 teaspoon
aniseed, for the topping, 1 teaspoon
Combine the flour with the yeast, coriander, sugar and salt. Mix the milk with the melted butter and the egg. Mind the temperature as the mixture should be lukewarm. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour and start mixing with your dough hooks for around 10 minutes until you have an elastic dough ball. Put the dough on a floured working surface and continue kneading with your hands for a couple minutes.
When I prepare the dough in the evening I place it in a clean, buttered and covered bowl in the fridge and let it rise overnight. You will have to take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before you can continue with the next steps.
In case I want to bake my buns the same day, I put the dough in a clean and buttered bowl, cover it with a tea towel and let it rise in the 35°C / 95°F warm oven for 60 minutes. This works really well but make sure that your oven is set to top/ bottom heat and not to fan.
Set your oven to 220°C / 430°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
When the dough is bigger and puffy punch it down and knead for 1-2 minutes. Cut into 12 pieces and roll them in your hands into a round shape. Place the buns on your baking sheet, sprinkle with anisseed and give them another 40 minutes in a warm place to rise again (covered with a tea towel).
Bake the buns for 6 minutes, take the temperature down to 200°C / 390°F and bake them for another 7-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let them cool for a couple minutes.
My Pastrami, Turnip and Winter Purslane Sandwich
It's Wednesday again, time for another sandwich!
At the moment I am really hooked on roots so my sandwich today can't do without them. My choice is a German turnip called "Teltower Rübchen". It tastes similar to horseradish, just a bit softer. I also have some winter purslane (sometimes known as miner's lettuce), its flavor is quite mild and sits well with the turnip. I must admit that I chose the winter purslane because it looks really cute. The centre piece of this sandwich is Pastrami but I wouldn't dare calling it a "Pastrami Sandwich" as, traditionally, this sandwich is literally piled up with slices of meat which is too much for me. This is lighter, on ciabatta bread, with a bit of olive oil, crushed pepper - delicious.
A Sandwich with Pastrami, Turnip and Winter Purslane
For 2 people you need
a small loaf of ciabatta
Pastrami, 6-8 slices
Teltower Rübchen, thinly sliced (or horseradish, grated)
winter purslane, a handful (or rucola/ rocket, a few leaves)
olive oil
crushed peppercorns
Cut your bread and slice it in half. Drizzle some olive oil on the inside, line with the pastrami and put either the turnip slices or a bit of grated horseradish on top. Garnish with a few leaves of winter purslane or rucola and enjoy a big bite!