An Italian panini, a French croque or an American sandwich are just a few variations of the same dish, which is based on two slices of bread with an appetizer in the middle.
As a child, my mother made me sandwiches every morning, which I took with me to school. And every day they were different! During the school lunch, we always changed or shared with each other. In my homeland, America, sandwiches have long become a kind of cultural code, that part of the daily diet, the habit of which is acquired from childhood.
It is hardly possible to establish exactly when people began to cook the first sandwiches, because the prototype of modern bread appeared already in Neolithic times. However, the type of sandwich familiar to us today was invented by the English diplomat John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich (1718–1792), while playing cards. Hungry, the gambling count did not find the strength to interrupt the game and asked the servant to bring him a piece of meat between two slices of bread so as not to stain the cards. Friends appreciated such a witty decision, and very soon this dish became fashionable. So this dish, it turns out, is blue-blooded!
I enjoy watching how attitudes towards sandwiches are changing in different countries of the world: fewer and fewer people consider them fast food. Many of us live in metropolitan areas, where life is always in a hurry, and sandwiches become the most optimal type of food. After all, a properly prepared sandwich from fresh ingredients is a complete dish that is enjoyed all over the world for lunch or brunch. Some sandwiches are a real work of culinary art!
I love sandwiches because you can endlessly experiment with their toppings: tuna salad, tomatoes and greens, meat or bacon, cheese and shrimp, all kinds of sauces and seasonings. You can fantasize without limiting yourself in anything and completely relying on your taste. And finally, I will express my own opinion: in order for the sandwich to turn out to be truly tasty, it must be filled as much as possible. Make a very large sandwich and enjoy!
Hot Sandwiches with shrimp
For 2 persons
Preparation: 20 minutes
Preparation: 30 minutes
2 paninis or ciabattas 12 large prawns (150g each) 2 garlic cloves 2 sprigs of cilantro 80g gouda cheese half an avocado 4 thin slices of bacon 1 tbsp. l. olive oil . tsp salt
Preparation
Combine raw peeled shrimp, coarsely chopped garlic and cilantro, olive oil and salt. Let it brew for 20 minutes and fry on each side in a hot deep frying pan. When the shrimp are golden brown, remove them, cool, and then cut each one in half lengthwise. Cut each panini or ciabatta in half. Cover all four halves of bread with finely grated cheese. In the next layer on the two halves of the bread (bottom), put an equal amount of shrimp, chopped avocado and two slices of bacon. Cover with other halves of bread. Brush each sandwich with a little olive oil on top and bottom. Place in the skillet with a heavy weight (such as a small saucepan) on top and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Sandwiches with chicken salad and curry sauce
For 2 persons
Preparation: 20 minutes
Preparation: 20 minutes
2 brioche buns 4 chicken fillets 180 ml mayonnaise ½ red onion 2 tsp. light raisins 10 g peeled pistachios arugula leaves 2 sprigs of cilantro, 1 tsp. curry 2 tsp soy sauce. tsp sugar. tsp salt 1 bay leaf 5 black peppercorns
Preparation
Dip chicken fillets in a saucepan with 2 liters of cold water, add bay leaf, pepper, salt, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the fillet from the broth and cool. Disassemble the meat into fibers with your hands, add coarsely chopped onion, raisins, chopped pistachios and cilantro, salt. Separately, mix mayonnaise with curry, soy sauce, sugar and 2 tbsp. l. the remaining broth. Add the resulting sauce to the chicken meat and stir lightly with a whisk. Cut the buns in half and lightly brown them in a toaster or oven. Put a few leaves of arugula on the lower halves, then about 100 g of filling, cover with the other half – and you can eat!