August is National Sandwich Month!
August is National Sandwich month (and it’s almost over!) This story is an archived beauty from the old ‘JackBlogsFood’ blog on WordPress. When it comes to recipes, SpokenFood always double-verifies them for accuracy and testability.
The sandwich, in and of itself, could very well be my favorite food category. I love the taste of steak. I’m captivated by the richness and texture of crab legs or lobster. Blueberry pie gives me chills. Salads are so tasty and versatile. But…nothing hits all the right notes quite like the versatile sandwich.
Start with good bread, which simply reminds you of home. Add a meat or a fish element–some kind of base ingredient. Add a texture component, like shredded lettuces or crisp veggies or Durkee Fried Onions or potato chips. Then add a last flavor booster like a vinaigrette or a signature sauce, and there you have it. The perfect food.
I’ve gone wild and created some nicely imaginative sandwich recipes and I’ve also concocted some pretty trippy combinations that didn’t quite hit the mark. How about Peanut Butter and Garlic Aioli and Pickle and Onion on a croissant? (#nuclearbreath) Or naam loaded with albacore tuna, cucumber, feta, sprouts, peeled carrot, creamy dill yogurt and serrano chiles? This summer, I went full-bore avocado-crazy, putting it in everything I can think of (that little green orb brings so much to the party!).
For those who add mayonnaise – just a few millions of you out there–you should make your own at home and I’ve got the perfect recipe from a legendary Minneapolis restaurant…Charlie’s Café Exceptionale. The historic, venerated restaurant closed in 1982 after nearly 50 years in operation, but a fair number of its dishes survived. Believe it or not, this mayonnaise was a major component in Charlie’s incredible potato salad. That’s right – potato salad – and Charlie’s Potato Salad recipe is to die for.
But don’t kick the bucket yet! Make this mayo for yourself. I’ll share the rest of the potato salad recipe later.
Here’s the recipe:
1 pasteurized egg (to pasteurize, put a large egg in 140-degree water for 3 minutes, no more. That’s all – it takes a much higher, longer temperature to cook the actual yolk.
1 tsp dry mustard (not wet, no French’s). Think Colman’s.
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T. lemon juice
1 cup grapeseed oil (not olive oil–it’s too strong. Use a neutral like grapeseed)
Put all the ingredients in a blender, except the oil. Blend on medium, then drizzle the oil slowly until the yolk thickens.
This makes about 1 1/2 cups of mayo and thanks to pasteurizing the egg, should keep in the fridge for a week.
That’s it. Now go make mayonnaise! Put it on everything!