FamilyFood

Whole grain bread with P'tit Basque Cheese and Heirloom Tomatoes

Tonight is sandwich night, and to go with our creamy cauliflower soup, I was going to make open-faced ricotta (good ricotta, not that commercial, gritty Polly-O crap) sandwiches with heirloom tomatoes, but a wedge of P'tit Basque that I had forgotten about since before we left for Hawaii was calling to me. So the ricotta will have to wait until breakfast where it will get a drizzle of honey.

It's one of my favorite cheeses of all time. I'm particularly partial to sheep's milk cheese (maybe it's my Roman heritage) and I just love it's salty earthiness. Bunny loves it, too. She declared it "deelicious."

Tonight I cut it into thin slices and placed it atop chewy, toasted Ezekiel bread (also a fave of mine) with juicy tomatoes, a sprinkling of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Turkey sandwich perfection

My idea of turkey sandwich perfection is as follows.

Lightly toast two pieces of whole grain bread then slather it with mayo. (I said, "Slather.") Grind pepper onto the mayo. Then, between the mayonnaise-y, peppery bread goes: sliced turkey, some green bell pepper rings (don't knock it 'til you try it), and crisp iceberg (it has to be iceberg) lettuce. Deeelicious.

The only other way to go for a turkey sandwich is to make it with with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and a little gravy to bind it. Smash down. Eat.

Things that should never be on a turkey sandwich according to me:

• Mustard (I love it, just not on turkey.)
• Cheese (I am just not ever a fan of cheese on a sandwich.* On plain bread, okay, with other stuff, no.)
• Alfalfa sprouts (They serve no purpose except to make otherwise good food taste like dirt.)

*Maybe it's the cheese + meat combo that I don't like, because I do enjoy a good grilled cheese and tomato (or tart apple), and a sharp cheddar/chutney tea sandwich.

[Photo of "the perfect turkey sandwich": Stefania Pomponi Butler]

Sandwich night

Once a week (usually the same night as my weekly girls' night) we have sandwiches for dinner. Sandwiches are the ultimate no-measure meal. I love sandwiches for many reasons, but when you have a family they are an especially excellent way to get a quick, no-fuss meal on the table.  And who doesn't enjoy the respite from cooking?

Last week I took a sweet  French baguette, sliced it length-wise, and layered it with prosciutto, salami, sliced heirloom tomatoes, and basil. A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar added the finishing touch. Slice and serve.

If you do sandwich night, what are some of your faves?

[photo credit: Stefania Pomponi Butler]