We owe him a lot, this John Montagu (1718-1792), because without him there would be no picnics, no lunch at one’s desk, no ladies’ afternoon teas, etc. Not even hamburgers. The story is that Mr. Montagu – also known as the Earl of Sandwich – was a dedicated gambler and on one occasion, not wanting to leave the gambling table, ordered his servant to plop cold beef between two slices of bread so the Earl could continue to eat while gambling.
We still do that today, and the sandwich (as in “Earl of”) is a kitchen basic.
Not all sandwiches are peanut butter and jelly (also known as the world-famous PB&J), or even the Southern standard of the garden-ripe tomato, salt, pepper and mayonnaise bread. There are many kinds of sandwiches. The heaviest are those made with layers of sliced meat and cheese between oversized slices of bread. The hearty meats include ham, beef, corned beef, chicken, salami, sliced pork, etc.
Sandwiches can be made into roll or pinwheel shapes and the little pocket sandwich, but the most normal is two slices of bread with a filling.
The open-face sandwich is one slice of bread, toasted or not, topped with any number of things (including meat, tomatoes, lettuce, eggs) and is eaten with a knife and fork. The hot open-face sandwich can be meat or chicken with gravy over the top. Some open-face sandwiches are broiled.
A club sandwich is one with three slices of bread. The fillings, usually something hearty, are different between slices one and two, and two and three.
Bread choices include sandwich rolls, the round ones called kaiser rolls (although I doubt if anyone uses the word) for hamburgers, or the long roll used for hero sandwiches – as well as the many kinds of sliced bread, such as white, rye, pumpernickel, Italian, etc. Spread with butter (about 1 teaspoon per slice) to the edge, then fill with any choice of fillings. Sometimes we use mayonnaise instead of butter, but the slices should be spread with something so the filling won’t make the bread slices soggy.
If you trim the crusts, do so before spreading the butter and adding the filling. Save the crusts for bread crumbs or croutons, or put them beside (not in) your compost pile, if you have one, for any night critters that may stroll by.
Here are some sandwich fillings you can try:
— Chopped corned beef or tongue, sour-pickle relish, mayonnaise
— Liverwurst, sliced tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise
— Sliced meatloaf, pickle relish, sliced hard-cooked egg, salad dressing
— Finely chop 1 cup deviled ham, ½ cup stuffed olives, 1 hard-cooked egg, 1 small onion, moisten with mayonnaise; serve on white or other bread
— Chopped hard-cooked egg, sardines, mayonnaise, bit of prepared mustard
— Cream cheese and pickled beets
— Drained crushed pineapple, peanut butter, mayonnaise
— Mayonnaise mixed with whipped cream and horseradish, diced cucumbers, thin slices of roast beef
— Toasted cheese: Butter both sides of two slices of bread; put thin slices of soft American cheese between bread; toast slowly on each side so cheese will melt
— Raspberry jam and finely chopped pecans
— ½ cup orange marmalade, ¼ cup moist shredded coconut
— 2 hard-cooked eggs finely chopped, 2 tablespoons pickle relish, ¼ cup finely diced celery, 2 tablespoons finely diced green pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste, mayonnaise to bind; makes 3 or 4 sandwiches
— Vegetable: Finely chop 1 large ripe tomato, 1 cucumber, 1 green pepper, 1 carrot, ½ small onion; add 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1½ teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon prepared mustard, 1 cup mayonnaise, 1 package plain gelatin dissolved in ½ cup cold water; refrigerate
— Combine one 7½-ounce can salmon, ¼ cup chopped black olives, 2 tablespoons chili sauce and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to make 4 sandwiches
— Split and toast 6 English muffins; combine 1½ cups finely diced cooked chicken, 1 8-ounce pack frozen cooked small shrimp (thawed and drained), ½ cup finely chopped celery, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper; and spread on muffins; top each with 1 cheese slice; toast until cheese melts; makes 12