In A Nutshell

At Caputos, our local grocery, they have these wonderful little sandwich size tomato focaccias; if you can't find these, just use some other sort of very flavorful bread (for example, a kalamata olive bread). The homemade aioli makes the sandwich! I am only able to make aioli using a mini food processor- the instructions call for a mortar and pestle so if you know how to do it "old school", more power to you! For the aioli : 2 egg yolks 1 garlic clove 2 T lemon juice 1/4 t salt 1 t Dijon mustard 2/3 cup grapeseed oil 1/2 cup blue cheese or gorgonzola crumbles 1/2 t whole grain mustard 2 T chopped, fresh parsley Put the egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, salt and dijon mustard in a mini food processor; process until combine. Add grapeseed oil (I do this through the top of the processor- there are two very small holes) very, very slowly- process until emulsified. Transfer the aioli to a bowl and add gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles, the whole grain mustard an...

This is one of my favorite sandwiches ever; I LOVE the tapenade and all the cured meats. It's a great sandwich to take on a picnic because it's actually better when the tapenade soaks into the bread a bit. You need to ask for the meats to be sliced really really thin. I like to use the Trader Joe's tapenade found in the refrigerator section; I also used some artichoke tapenade from a jar in this sandwich although I think next time I will stick to only the olive. 1 round loaf of Italian bread (about 1 1/2 lbs) 2 oz. very very thinly sliced mortadella 2 oz. very thinly sliced smoked ham (such as Tavern or Black Forest) 2 oz. thinly sliced Genoa or hard salami 2 oz. very thinly sliced capicola sliced provolone cheese olive tapenade (artichoke as well if you want to add it) sliced red onion Slice the loaf horizontally and hollow out the top (you can use that bread for fresh bread crumbs or bread salad... don't throw it out!). Put a layer of tapenade on the bot...

This is such a nice summer sandwich; the pesto recipe is adapted from Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis . I like that it's a little less garlicky than other pesto recipes. For the pesto: 3 scant cups basil leaves 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1 garlic clove zest of 1/2 lemon juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 t salt freshly ground pepper 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup grated parmesan cheese Process the first 7 ingredients until finely chopped; add the EVOO in a steady stream while the machine is running and then pulse in the cheese. For the sandwich : pesto fresh mozzarella good tomatoes (garden or heirloom) arugula baguette or ciabatta Spread a layer of pesto on the bread, to taste. Layer the remaining ingredients. I'm thinking you could unvegetarian it by adding a little bacon or prosciutto but it's quite delicious as is. We ate these with a supremely delicious drink made of rosé wine that my sister-in-law Jennifer made.

This was crazy good! I served it with the peach and radicchio salad and loved the combo. For each sandwich : 2 slices of Italian bread (I used Turano sliced Italian loaf- it's sturdy and great for panini) 2 slices picante provolone or havarti cheese 3 slices deli turkey (I prefer Boar's Head Ovengold) arugula sour cherry jam Dijon mustard extra-virgin olive oil Brush the outside of both slices of bread with the EVOO. Spread a thin veneer of Dijon mustard on one slice and a thin veneer of cherry jam on the other slice. Lay the cheese on one slice and then layer the turkey and arugula. In a heated skillet, cook the sandwich until nicely browned on both sides. Enjoy!

The idea for this came from the Rachel Ray magazine in a segment about chicken salads; I roasted 2 chickens the other day and we only ate one so I decided it would be a good time to try out this salad. It was terrific! So far, my favorite chicken salad ever!!! You can eat it on a pita or naan if you want to have it more like a sandwich. white meat from one roasted chicken, diced 6 radishes, halved and sliced thin 2 Persian cucumbers, halved and sliced 1/2 red onion, small diced 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed chopped cilantro 4 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 T lemon juice 1 t honey 1/4 t sumac 1/2 t salt 1/2 t cumin freshly ground pepper Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, sumac, salt, cumin and pepper with a little whisk. Add the red onion and let this sit while you prepare the rest of the salad to mellow out the onion. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. If you want to have it as a sandwich, heat a large fry...

This is a great way to use leftover grilled rosemary chicken ; the arugula salad is also great on its own. You can use any remaining bacon-scallion cream cheese as a bagel spread. This recipe comes from the Rachel Ray magazine. 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 1- 8oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp. 1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts 3 scallions, chopped 2 pieces of leftover grilled chicken, split horizontally 4 bagels 4 T EVOO juice of 1/2 lemon 1 T white wine vinegar 2 t Dijon 2 t honey 1/2 honeycrisp apple sliced thinly 1 rib of celery, sliced thinly 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced 1- 5 oz. package of arugula Gently mix the bacon, cream cheese, walnuts and scallions. Mix all the dressing ingredients together and lightly toss the arugula, apple, celery and onion with dressing to taste. Spread the bagels with cream cheese mixture and top with the salad mixture. Arrange the chicken on top of that and enjoy!

I love a theme and this week was the glorious and beloved "sandwich week". This sandwich comes from Fine Cooking magazine and was supremely delicious. I used the Kerrygold Red Leicester which has a super nice creamy texture and melts well. I am not going to put specific measurements so that you can adjust your ingredients to however many sandwiches you want to make. I always have this tendency to think that if a little of something is good, a lot is even better, but in this case you don't want to overload the sandwich. 1/2" thick sliced Italian or sourdough bread (I used the huge Turano loaf that I would normally never buy but it held up really well to all the ingredients and tasted good grilled) apple butter Dijon mustard shredded cheddar cheese pastrami (I used Vienna all-beef pastrami from the deli) very thinly sliced honeycrisp apples (mandoline at 1/8" or 1/16" setting) softened butter Spread the outside of 2 pieces of bread with butter. Fl...

We like calling this sandwich a Sloppy José because we think we're real clever... nonetheless, it is quite delicious and should in theory be served on Mexican telera rolls (they were out at the store so I had to use ciabatta rolls). The sandwich idea comes from Rick Bayless with some modifications made by yours truly. I used the recipe for his easy refried beans out of his book Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen , a wonderful book BTW. BTW I never say BTW. Easy Refried Beans : 1 small onion, small chopped 4 cloves of garlic, chopped pinch of crushed red pepper (I used crushed chipotle pepper) 1 heaping tablespoon of bacon fat (don't balk! it's the secret to these delicious beans!!) 2 cans beans (black or pinto), partly drained leaving some liquid in the can Heat the bacon fat over medium heat and fry the onion until lightly browned and softened. Add the garlic and the CRP, and stir for about a minute. Add 1 can of the beans and mash with a potato masher as they ...

This definitely does not fall into the category of quick & easy, but it's so mind-blowingly good that it's worth the effort once in a blue moon. The butter-basted beef would be delicious on its own so if you opt out of doing the sandwich, at least try the beef prepared this way. This is adapted from Food & Wine magazine. For the aioli : I use the recipe for  The Creamiest Aioli from Bon Appetit but make the following changes: I press the garlic clove instead of grating; I use 1 t of Dijon mustard; 1 T lemon juice and when it's all done, I stir in 1 t horseradish. I can only successfully make aioli in my mini-cuisinart food processor and have never ever ever had any luck whisking slowly or any other method. If you don't want to bother with this step, you can just add a little horseradish to some purchased mayo or use a mixture of Dijon and horseradish. For the beef : 2 T canola oil 2 lbs beef tenderloin, at room temp. kosher salt and pepper 4 T unsal...

This recipe comes from my friend Mindy; you can use pork if you like that better. It's delicious and easy. 3 -3 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (don't be tempted to use chicken breast- I've tried it and it's dry and tasteless) 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 T chili powder 2 t Worcestershire sauce 1 large yellow onion, chopped 1 can tomato paste 1/4 c cider vinegar 2 t salt 1 t dry mustard optional: crushed red pepper or some other hot sauce if you like it spicy Mix everything but the chicken in a crock pot; add the chicken thighs and stir to coat. Cook on low for about 6 to 8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and serve on a bun with coleslaw.

The recipe for the tomato-pepper jam comes from my friend Lee who is an extraordinary cook that grows all her own vegetables to boot. The jam recipe makes a lot so I've been trying to think of ways to use it; it is good over goat cheese served with crackers or baguette slices as well as on turkey burgers. For these tartines, use a delicious and hearty bread such as a multi-grain from Labriola Bakery (or whatever good artisan bakery you have locally). For the jam : 1 lb red tomatoes, blanched for 1 minute and peeled 5 Fresno chiles, roughly chopped 1 cup white vinegar 1 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar, divided 1/4 t salt 1 package Pomona's Universal Pectin Chop the tomatoes and place in a saucepan with the chiles, 1 cup sugar, salt and vinegar. Bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes. Follow the instructions on the Pomona's box to make calcium water. Combine 1 t pectin powder with 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. After the tomatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, add 1 t calciu...

My Dad has become a rather awesome cook in his retirement; this is one of his specialties that is always a hit. It's very easy and you get to use your crock-pot! Yay!! 1 3 lb beef roast (anything is fine-just not too gristly) 1 packet Italian dressing seasoning 3 cups beef broth 2 t vegeta (optional) 1 jar giardiniera* sturdy rolls Put all these things in a crock pot and cook on low all day (8-10 hours); shred meat with a fork and serve on rolls. * My Dad puts the entire jar of giardiniera in (oil and all) and I can tell you that it's phenomenal! I, however, can't bring myself to dump all that oil in there so I either drain it before putting it in the crock pot or I leave it out entirely and we add it individually. This way those of us who don't like it can skip it and those of us who do can load it on like crazy. Sliced pepperocinis are also good on these sandwiches.

This is a variation on the BLT- it's a bacon, rapini and tomato sandwich. My love of rapini is vast and enduring; it's definitely not for everyone (my husband asked if he could have his sandwich without rapini-- request denied...) but I love its bitterness-- especially when served with fatty stuff like bacon and cheese or a rich pasta dish. You could always substitute sauteed spinach if you don't like rapini (or can't find it) and of course, it makes a nice vegetarian sandwich without the bacon. For the rapini (also called broccoli rabe): 1 bunch rapini 2 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 cloves of garlic, sliced pinch of crushed red pepper Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; boil the rapini for 4 minutes (dunking it under with a wooden spoon occasionally). Drain in a colander for a good long time to get all the excess water out of it. When it's cool, squeeze the rapini to drain out the water. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil, garlic and crushed red p...

“Even when it was not the season for asparagus, it had to be found regardless of cost so that he could take pleasure in the vapors of his own fragrant urine.” This is one of my favorite quotes from Love In The Time of Cholera ; luckily, 'tis the season to enjoy those vapors. This is adapted from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book . Grilled Asparagus (toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill- or roast in 400º oven for about 15-20 min.) Fontina cheese, shredded (or your favorite, perhaps something hanging around the fridge) Sliced Bread- something substantial like a sliced Trader Joe's Italian for paninis or sourdough Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Eggs First brush the bread slices with EVOO (or if you are feeling particularly decadent, you can spread them with garlic butter) and either grill them on both sides or brown them using a panini maker.  I used the panini maker because every time I try to grill bread I end up burning it.  Lay some asparagus stalks on each sl...