Man, there were doozy sandwiches on both ends of the spectrum this week. Plus potato chips from Ireland and a delicious dish of braised chickpeas (seriously, if you take only one thing away from this week’s recap it should be to make them chickpeas!)
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The Sandwiches
Sunday, April 21, 2024
Kacchi Dabeli Pav (India)
International Sandwich Sunday
Original rating: 10
Plus up: None
We started this week on a high note with the Kacchi Dabeli Pav from India. I’ll be the first to admit that it was a lot of work but the spices, the cilantro, the two chutneys…it was just an explosion of flavor. No plus up needed in my opinion. If it helps, you can buy tamarind chutney (affiliate link) and make some of the elements in advance. Here’s the recipe if you’re up for giving it a go.
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Monday, April 22, 2024
Sardinegg Sandwich (1936)
1,001 Sandwiches
Original rating: 7
Plus up: Seasoned slice of tomato and lettuce
Plussed up rating: 8
This is one of those sandwiches that, upon reading the name, really could go either way. 1,001 Sandwiches loves the portmanteau so at least we got to learn about two fo the main ingredients, sardines and eggs. Thankfully, the mystery third ingredient was French dressing which in 1936 still meant a vinaigrette style dressing but one which was made with lemon juice instead of vinegar. And I have to say it worked really nicely. Slightly plussed up with a seasoned tomato and lettuce made for a nice lunch.
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Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Cheese and Raisin Sandwich (WW II)
Museum of History, Minnesota
Original rating: 6.5
Minus down: Chinese five spice (affiliate link)
Plussed up rating: 7.5
When I saw the name Cheese and Raisin Sandwich, I wasn’t expected the cheese to be of the cottage variety. Nor was I expecting peanut butter to enter the chat. Yet, that’s what this recipe called for. It did say you could use cream cheese instead but I figure why not try the original first? And I have to say all of it worked nicely. Obviously, you could plump raisin a number of ways (see also microwave, boiling water, etc) but the mere fact that they were plump made them nice, soft and more enjoyable to eat. Their sweetness along with the slight salty and tangy cottage cheese as well as the nutty peanut butter worked really well. The whole wheat bread was a nice touch too. And plussing it up with all the warm spice goodness of Chinese five spice really made it punch well above it’s weight.
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Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Crunchy Cheese Sandwich (1965)
The 1,000 Fabulous Sandwiches
Original rating: 4.5
Plus up: Grilled Cheese Treatment with spicy sesame oil (affiliate link)
Plussed up rating: 5.5
If you know me, you know I do not shy away from mayonnaise. I dig the stuff. Sorry not sorry. But the amount of mayonnaise called for here was just too much. It overshadowed the olives and, to a certain extent, the almonds. If you haven’t noticed, I kinda dig using different flavored fats when applying the Grilled Cheese Treatment™ (not actully trademarked, just having fun). And I have the say the depth of flavor that sesame oil brings is nice. But this time it also brought the heat (which you know I dig). Even if you don’t make this, I encourage experimenting with other flavored fats when making your own grilled cheese sandwich.
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Thursday, April 25, 2024
Santa Monica Sandwich (1982)
The Greatest Food Show In The Land
Original rating: 4.5
Plus up: Cherry peppers
Plussed up rating: 5.5
And this is the day that things took a turn for the worse. I mean, it came from a Kraft recipe book so I knew it would call for Kraft products. Unfortunately, one of those products was Miracle Whip. And not once, but twice. I don’t hate Miracle Whip but it’s use needs to be judicious in my opinion. Well, here it was not. The super sweet, somewhat tangy “dressing” overpowered everything else in the sandwich. Which is too bad because I am down with bacon, avocado, cheese, and even alfalfa sprouts. I did manage to pull it out of it’s nose dive somewhat with some pickled cherry peppers but yeah, wouldn’t make this again. I do think were this made with mayonnaise it would rank much, much higher.
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Friday, April 26, 2024
Salmonburger Tropicale (1957)
Turn To Sandwiches
Original rating: 0
Plus up: None
Sure, you might’ve thought that the previous, Santa Monica Sandwich, would’ve been the bottom of the barrel this week. Enter Turn To Sandwiches from 1957. This is the second sandwich I’ve done from that booklet and I have to say, the results are not impressive. This sandwich combined canned salmon, way too much salt, dill pickle relish, and America cheese…melted. Sorry no, this was not even worth finishing. That said, with such a spectacular flameout comes the opportunity for a Recipe Remix. Stay tuned!
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Saturday, April 27, 2024
Creole Sandwich
Better Homes and Gardens Encyclopedia Of Cooking
Original rating: 8
Plus up: Chili flakes
Plussed up rating: 8.5
When I saw the name Creole Sandwich, I had a hunch green bell peppers and tomatoes might be involved. Sure enough both were but with a few other ingredients that, when cooked down, was delicious. What I didn’t expect was that a frozen fish filet would be the protein. But man, it worked. So much so that the only thing I found it wanting was a little heat from some chili flakes.
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On the menu next week (but as always, subject to change):
Monday 4/29 - Stella’s Favorite Sandwich (our history)
Tuesday 4/30 - Spanish Sandwich 1921
Wednesday 5/1 - Shrimp Sandwich 1937
Thursday 5/2 - Tomato Sandwich 1917
Friday 5/3 - Guest Host Friday!
Saturday 5/4 - Oregon Smokes 1908
In The Chips with Barry
Quick programming note: For many years I used to do three potato chip reviews and one Can It Sandwich? a week. When Sandwiches of History started to take off, I kinda stopped doing In The Chips with Barry on the regular. But, new flavors keep coming out and folks keep sending me chips. So, what I’ve settled on is one week I do the full set the next, just one review. This week, just the one review:
Keogh’s Baked Camembert Potato Chips
Let’s just get one thing out of the way. I’ve reviewed no less that twelve flavors from Keogh’s and most have been five stars with the rare three stars happening once. That is to say, these folks are pretty consistent in their excellence. And the Baked Camembert was no exception. Keogh’s, first and foremost, grow their own potatoes. They were the first company that I know of to provide a way to trace the origins of the potatoes used in the very bag you are holding (they call it a SpudNav). You can see variety of potato, who cooked it, and what field it was grown in. And if you scan the QR code you can see more info. Ok, that’s super cool and all but the proof’s in the taste. And these tasted like baked camembert (without having to deal with the odiferous nature of said cheese). As you might suspect, the potatoes are top notch and they do an excellent job of making it so you taste the flavor on the chip as well as the potatoes. I picked ‘em up at World Market/Cost Plus (not an affiliate link lol) but be forewarned, they only have the massive sized bag for this flavor.
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Barry Is Cooking Again
Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas
I’ve been meaning to share this for a while but each time I go to make it, I forget to record. Because I am that excited to eat it! This recipe from Joy the Baker via Food52.com is as easy as it is delicious. Seriously, there really is only four steps after you have the ingredients assembled - sauté onions, add everything to a baking dish, cover and bake for 35-45 minutes (I recommend 45), then add feta (or ricotta) and smoked paprika. Boom! Makes for a tasty, filling, and protein packed vegetarian main but I can confirm it goes great with roasted chicken and also with smoked tritip (I have to test things out right?). It is rich and savory with salty oil cured black olives, thyme, the pickley pop of capers, and the tang of lemon and feta. We make this just about every other week,
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Thanks again for following Sandwiches of History (and for subscribing to this recap!)
Have a great week!
Cheers!
Barry
🥪
Thanks for gathering the chips reviews and the Barry is cooking again in one handy column of Barry related goodness. It makes an even more valuable (and convenient product). Appreciate the work and the range of food covered from the sublime to the ghastly. Not everyone can do this!!
Intrigued by the raisin and cheese sandwich! Sounds like a great brown bag lunch. The addition of Chinese five spice is inspired 🤌