I love sandwiches. I really do. All kinds.
Each of their differing forms around the world correspond perfectly to different places and moments: a quick selection of tramezzini (a form of art in some Italian cities,) maybe with asparagus and egg, ham and cheese, smoked salmon, on cool spring morning al fresco in a piazza in Rome; maybe a hearty cray fish po’ boy in New Orleans, street jazz fading into a wood floor dining room; or a perfect club beneath a shiny gray cloche rolling into your room in Midtown, (NYC,); even a simple corned beef on rye as the game starts, sitting on the couch at home, Sunday afternoon. Like today.
chefs on sandwiches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF2sKFnuALw
… though, there are no games or bike races to watch where I am these days, let alone corned beef. Or rye bread. Those would be ingredients I’d have to make myself in advance but most deep sandwich cravings don’t come with that much anticipation. For me anyway. Sometimes and for some kinds of course but usually it sort of happens quickly, prompted by the day or a scene or a passage read in context. Today… well, the back end of the holiday season, and the Cavs are a winning team after 4 years or so, the sky is a brown-gray dim as a front slowly moves close from the north promising colder air and maybe a few flakes of snow. All those things combined to form a hankering in me for the closest I could improvise given what was available in the fridge.
tramezzini https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqDs6DsQmf0
Anyway…. by luck I did have some different kinds of loafs bought both this and yesterday morning from a couple different nearby bakeries. Step one: I opened the fridge and noted a forgotten eggplant, a few slices of roasted ham, cherry tomatoes, and swiss cheese. Voila’ 2: simply sliced a bit of eggplant and fried them up in oil (salt and pepper) while lightly frying some sliced bread in a bit of butter and oil, light press, in another pan. Stacked up the eggplant on a board, aside, once softened through and lightly browned to rest, lay a slice of cheese to melt on one slice of the bread, then stacked on the meat and tomato, salt and pepper… and that was it. Fast and delicious, dangerously so. Too much so: I would up making another 2. Couch bound…
Rachael Ray’s version – https://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/cheesy-grilled-eggplant-sandwiches
…the Cavs game starts later game but a Conan the Barbarian movie was on, the 2011 version starring the game-of-thrones guy. A cold beer and… Jackpot. Sunday sandwich indulge heaven.
I was out long before Jason-Conan got his revenge and, presumably, the girl. But later… I found out the Cavs had won again…..
…if, by chance, you feel like a good read with other recipes: for less than the price of a beer: https://www.amazon.com/Pasta-Papers-postmodern-recipes-Hemingway-ebook/dp/B082YJTFBW/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8