MERRY CHRISTMAS * HAPPY HANUKKAH

SANDWICH SPREE

TUNA MAYONNAISE SANDWICH........Mmmmm icy cold from the chiller, solid bread, beige fishy blandness & God! What is that? - Bits of sweetcorn - ewwww! Or 'slices' of flabby cucumber - could anything be more depressing? Well...maybe turkey, stuffing & cranberry sauce...These sandwiches are some of Britains favourites & we are big sandwich eaters, we certainly deserve better....Banging on about sandwiches isnt something associated with winter....but HOT SANDWICHES are - heres some sandwiches you'll love - COMFORT SANDWICHES...different from Subway & miles away from tuna mayo! No strict recipe, easy to prepare, shareable & lighter than most comfort foods...try some!
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AU JUS or FRENCH DIP SANDWICH
Originally a U.S regional favourite, invented in Los Angeles, it is now popular across the country...basically hot sliced roast beef in a sub roll served with a bowl of meat juices or gravy to dip...
WARMED KETCHUP DIP
Warm normal or chilli ketchup, or even tomato pasta sauce - great for dipping omelette sandwiches, fried fish or fish finger sarnies or crispy chip butties.
PULLED PORK
Fashionable but for good reason...a plate full of mouthwatering meat, fantastic orientally influenced BBQ sauce, homemade coleslaw & fresh bread....HEAVEN!
Rub pork shoulder with garlic, paprika, mustard & salt....brown in a frying pan or hot oven, add some stock, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce & a bit of wine vinegar, transfer to your slow cooker & cook until meltingly tender..(7+ hours ish.) Pull into strips ( think shredding duck for Peking duck!) & serve with the sauce thickened a little & add more soy or chilli to taste. Usually in the Southern United States this is served in burger buns....NO! This needs lovely fresh bloomer or Tiger bloomer bread.
TEXAS TOAST
Thick toasting bread or cut doorsteps from a white unsliced loaf...spread lightly, over the whole surface with garlic butter (softened butter, garlic, seasoning) then toast until golden, turn over & repeat.
TEXAS TOAST SANDWICHES
STEAK & STILTON - Grill or fry the steak, crumble the Stilton, grill to melt & slip between the toast slices.
WILD MUSHROOM - Cook mixed mushrooms (look in the veg section) 6 -15 mins in a little oil, add some fresh thyme leaves & a couple of teaspoons of grain mustard...add to the toast.
TAMARI BROCCOLI - Toss lightly cooked tenderstem broccoli in a little sesame oil, fresh grated ginger, & tamari (or other soy sauce) Arrange the stems on one slice of the toast, spritz with lime juice, add the top slice
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Heres hoping this has inspired you....there are lots more SANDWICH ADVENTURES below this post...love to hear of your personal, unusual sandwich favourites. (chefden@tiscali.co.uk)

SANDWICH SPREE - TRASH ON TOAST!

Not literally! Junk food does feature in this post though...the sandwiches here, you wont find in Pret a Manger & if you've got a heart condition...oh dear! Lets not go....Anyways heres a mix of some trashy, not quite worthless bread based curiosities & some of my (& others) personal guilty pleasure sarnies (c'mon, who doesnt luv a chip butty?)
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Trashy sandwiches are great for winter, they're usually hot, big & a knife & fork are usually required...
Before we get to them though lets try a few cold, hand held treats:
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VEGGIE B.L.T
Fresh white bread for this, spread with mayo, crush & stuff with smokey bacon crisps or ideally - Frazzles!
Add some iceberg lettuce, sliced juicy tomato...yum...no seasoning required.
VEGGIE STEAK SANDWICH
In the same vein as the above but use a white soft batch roll, spread with chilli or garlic mayo, keep the lettuce, then crush & stuff with 'T bone steak' flavour Roysters!
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PEANUT BUTTER BUTTIES
Its weird, but peanut butter features heavily in lots of trashy sarnies...it will be forever associated with Elvis Presley...who will be fornever associated with healthy eating!

Originally made for Elvis by his mom Gladys, he'd eat them throughout his life for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner & midnight snacks....Its pretty tasty too.....Another Elvis favourite is typically over the top:

This is a whole loaf....spread all over with butter then re-baked until crisp, sliced lengthwise, the bread taken out & replaced with layers of fried bacon, peanut butter & grape jelly (jam). I got this recipe (& the banana sandwich one) from 'The Life & Cuisine of Elvis Presley' by David Adler, he says Fools Gold Loaf serves 8-10 & adds Elvis usually ate a whole one!

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Although it contains no peanut butter- this next butty has an Elvis/trashy feel...

MY BANANA MAPLE BACON SANDWICH

Mash a ripe banana, put some streaky bacon under the grill, toast & butter 2 slices of wholemeal bread,

spread the banana on one slice, as the bacon finishes browning, drizzle generously with maple syrup, top the banana with the bacon,add the top slice & luxuriate in this sweetly savoury sandwich!

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SOME WHITE TRASH SANDWICHES

From 'White Trash Cooking' collected by Ernest Matthew Mickler

Not trashy enough? How about a Krispy kreme burger AKA Luther burger AKA O.M.G burger.......

Doughnuts + meat + trash sensibilities = Krispy Kreme burger...or the Luther burger (the favourite food of (& some say the invention of ) the late soul singer Luther Vandross....Its a 1/4 pound burger with all the trimmings in a split, glazed doughnut...a big hit at U.S.state fairs...they are entering the fast food mainstream at chains like America's Dog (http://www.americasdog.com/ ) their menu lists the OMG Burger - 1/4lb burger, fried egg, bacon, cheese & honey mayo... on a glazed doughnut. Is it coming soon to a McDonalds 

near you? I McDoubt it!

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Too trashy now! Lets try a MONTE CRISTO SANDWICH & calm down a bit!

Basically a Monte Cristo sandwich is a ham & cheese sandwich dipped in egg & fried...sometimes deep fried. Add pineapple to make a Hawaiian Monte Cristo....I like a mix of grated cheese & mayo as the cheese filling.

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I've said it once & i'll say it again 'you can't beat a bowl of warming soup with your sandwich'.

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The Monte Cristo is very American (influenced a bit by France) heres a Brit favourite:

SCOTCH EGG SANDWICH

Wholemeal, granary or white bread are equally good....make some egg mayonnaise...spread thickly on the bottom slice....remove the skin from your favourite sausage, form into a patty (squarish) cover both surfaces with browned breadcrumbs & fry until golden & done....add to the sandwich...mmmm!

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Here come the Germans.....DITSCH PRETZEL SANDWICHES

If you've got a branch of Ditsch (http://www.ditsch.de/ ) in your town...their giant soft pretzels are great for an indulgent sandwich....Italian salami is good, but so are frites (M&S are fab) with cheese sauce (you'll need a knife & fork).Get some of them pretzels....sure you'll be inspired to make your own butty...

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I've said it twice & I'll say it again...'soup & sandwiches..made for each other!'

GIVING THANKS....

'HOME TO THANKSGIVING' A beautiful 1867 lithograph by Currier & Ives shows a farmhouse in Connecticut from an original painting by local artist George H. Durrie. Click to see a bigger version.

BIG SHARING SANDWICHES.

PULL APARTS
Caring, sharing sandwiches are brilliant with a steaming mug of (hopefully homemade) soup, they are comforting, super-simple to prepare, impressive looking & a big delicious mouthful to share with your lover, your Gran or a bread loving casual acquaintance!
PULL APARTS take minutes to prepare...for two greedy people you'll need a soft batch loaf, a bread knife, an oven & your ingredients. Cut the loaf evenly into eight, taking care not to cut through to the bottom so all the slices stay connected...place your ingredients in each cut, then bake in a medium heat oven 15-20 mins until piping hot :-
CORNED BEEF, CHEDDAR, RED ONION & HORSERADISH MAYO - Slice that beef & onion finely!
TURKEY, HONEY MUSTARD, GRUYERE & MUSHROOMS - Thinly sliced turkey, saute the mushrooms in butter or olive oil.
SMOKED HAM & CHILLI CHEESE.
BRIE, TOASTED WALNUT, CRANBERRY & APPLE SAUCE - C'mon make your own apple sauce with bramleys...use some dried cranberries.
RAREBIT & PICKLED ONION - Make some Welsh rarebit mix then slather it in each slice with sliced pickled onions. Heres the Rarebit recipe:
4oz/100g Cheddar cheese.
3 tablespoons bitter or any beer.
1oz/25g butter.
1 teaspoon English mustard.
Melt these slowly together over a low heat.
PETIT RATATOUILLE, MOZZARELLA & PESTO - Cut the courgette, aubergine, peppers & onion small, roast rather than stew, add pesto to taste, & throw in a few olives.

PITTA MELTS
Get some big pittas, carefully slice open, add your filling ingredients, bake until hot & melted..chop up!
AUBERGINE PARMIGIANA - Roast garlicky aubergine slices, tomato pasta sauce, grated mozzarella, & lotsa parmesan!
PEPPERONI PIZZA - Sliced pepperoni, peppers, your choice of sauce & cheese....
You can really work this pizza theme, add ham, chilli, bbq chicken....got you thinking!
HUMMUS, SPINACH LEAVES & HALLOUMI - Add a bit of mozzarella for melting purposes, some chilli flakes too.
FRIDGIDAIRE -Whats in there?...Do they go together?..Have I created a pitta melt classic?....probably!

SANDWICH SPREE - QUESADILLAS

Whats Mexican for toasted cheese sandwich? Quesadilla! These are so easy, so adaptable & a couple of bites in - you'll be hooked! Before you get going make sure you have a non stick frying pan thats the same size as your tortillas, as well as tortillas/wraps you'll need some grated cheese- you can use Cheddar but I use a mixture of 1/3 medium Cheddar, 1/3 Gruyere & 1/3 Mozzarella.
Spread the grated cheese over one of the tortillas, top with another then cook 4 minutes over a medium heat in your frying pan, turn over, cook a further 4 minutes until the cheese has melted.
Cut into quarters....delicioso! You can dip your Quesadilla into salsa or spicy tomato ketchup or a Mexican chilli sauce like Cholula.

As well as dipping your Quesadilla you can add various ingredients to the cheese mixture before cooking....
PICO DE GALLO - basic everyday salsa - finely chopped chillies, tomato, onion, garlic & coriander.
PUMPKIN SEED SALSA - in a lightly greased pan toast about 2oz/50g pumpkin seeds, add some crushed garlic, 1/2 finely chopped red onion, 2 finely chopped green chillies, a handful of chopped coriander & a big pinch of cumin, cook a few mins & season.
GARLIC MUSHROOMS - garlic sauted sliced mushrooms, a handful of chopped parsley & coriander & a spritz of lime juice....season at the last minute.
SUCCOTASH - canned black eyed peas, sweetcorn & diced red pepper, moisten with a little salad dressing..your choice!

Holy Guacemole! Examine those tortillas carefully...you may see the face of JESUS! His image appears on tortillas more than any other bread type product.....examine your frying pan too, remember when JESUS appeared in the frying pan of a young Salfordian after he fell asleep whilst frying bacon after a night on the lash?
JESUS on a variety of foodstuffs (including tortillas (& the Salford frying pan!)) visit:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2011/jul/21/jesus-food-sightings
CHOLULA sauce visit:
http://cholula.com/

SANDWICH SPREE - HAWT DAWGS!

A hot dog is basically a sausage sandwich...first one I ever had was at the cinema, loved it! There & then I vowed that when I grew up I'd eat nothing but hot dogs & at least 6 per meal..lol! Although no way could I eat 6 hot dogs & I recoil from eating them every day...hot dogs still feel special, a treat & vaguely indulgent! They're ultra speedy...get the best quality sausages, soft white buns (oooh errr!) then some delicious add-ons to make your hot dog(s) with cold beers or coke floats, a favourite film & Ben & Jerrys into a meal event!
Probably German in origin-from Frankfurt(er) etc.. America has made them popular & fun...also they've become regional foods over there...here are some HAWT DAWG ideas to try.....

NEW YORK
Street vendors usually serve kosher beef dogs....if you can get them ..get them! This sauce that is slathered on top is a Manhattan favourite- fry some sliced red onions in a little oil until soft, add garlic, a good pinch of cinnamon, hot pepper sauce (like peri peri), tomato puree, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard & soft brown sugar- simmer until thick then top your dog!
NEW YORK ASTORIA
Just a plain dog with a little mustard in the bun, serve a Waldorf salad as a side -chopped red apple, sliced celery, & toasted walnuts bound with mayo.
CHICAGO
Classic Chicago dog- add diced onion & peppers, a whole jalapeno, dijon mustard, sweet green relish (the nearest ive found is Bicks cucumber relish), tomato & celery salt....in a poppy seed bun if pos. Serve with a dill pickle spear.
T E X A S
You need some beef chilli made extra spicy, grated cheese & jalapeno slices. HOT HOT HOT!
PHILADELPHIA
Saute some red & green pepper slices, red onion too, until soft, add garlic & season, top your dog then slather over some homemade or bought cheese sauce.
LOS ANGELES
Wrap your dog in smoked bacon... make the rasher longer & thinner using a knife to spread it out on a chopping board, grill the dog & top with homemade salsa. Serve with salad.
FRANK SINATRA
Do it your way!!!!

Heres how I like my hot dogs:
MANCHESTER
Top your dog with my caramelised onion relish, grated Gruyere or Emmenthal & homemade or bought coleslaw. My relish- finely chopped onion & garlic, saute in butter on a high heat until beginning to soften add a couple of tablespoons of soft brown sugar, salt & pepper, turn down & continue cooking until yummily sticky....pile it on!

Usually all these dogs are boiled in water for a few minutes, they can also be grilled like the Los Angeles dog.
For a good chilli & salsa recipe see 'Simple(ish) Dinner' 'Chilli Nacho Bake' in earlier Clipcanteen posts...enjoy!

A CLIPCANTEEN HALLOWEEN!

Get in a macabre mood...its HALLOWEEN again! My good friends Gary & Wendy Leach are off to Chicago tomorrow, reminds me of being there myself for Halloween 2009...

The Yanks do Halloween the best...The windy city had a carnival atmosphere, everyone dressed up, even a few traffic cops! Halloween deals & promotions in the stores, blood coloured fountains...luv it! (& I know Gary & Wendy do too!) Another Hallows eve I spent in Salem Massachusetts- witch killing, leafy, colonial town...dark rain clouds, chilly winds whipping up the coppery leaves, pumpkin lanterns outside severe Puritan houses, witch museums, witch houses...even a statue of Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery) from Bewitched!...You would swear this was where Halloween was invented!
This year Halloween is the first day back at school after half term..the diabolical dinner ladies & myself will be around the cauldron cooking up some tricky treats for the kids....Heres what they're having....

CAULDRON OF TOADSTOOL SOUP

BLOOD THIRSTY BURGERS

TWISTED FRIES

CHEESE & TOMATO SPOOKGETTI with

BAT BREATH BREAD

JINXED JACKET POTATOES with

BOO! BBQ BEANS

RASP-BURIED SLICE with WHIPPED SCREAM

GINGERBREAD GHOSTS

CREEPY CUPCAKES

FATAL FLAPJACK

Hope the boys & ghouls enjoy goblin it down...especially the fatal flapjack...he he!..only joking!



Easy peasy recipe 10 mins max prep time...versions for veggies & meaties...uses up that Halloween pumpkin....also its malicious delicious...

Cut up some wedges of pumpkin or butternut squash (remove any seeds or stringy bits).

FOR MEAT EATERS: Finely chop some pancetta or streaky smoked bacon,

chop some garlic add rubbed sage (or fresh sage) & creme fraiche.

FOR VEGETARIANS: Crumbled feta cheese, chopped garlic, dried oregano mixed with creme fraiche.

Divide the mix between the pumpkin wedges, finely grate parmesan over the top & a few twists of black pepper- bake in a medium oven until done (40ish mins)

Serve with an unadorned green veg- tenderstem broccoli, steamed kale or savoy cabbage. YUM...Talking of yummy....

''MAY I BORROW A CUP OF CYANIDE?''

Frighteningly fantastic American cartoonist Charles Samuel Addams specialised in black humour & the macabre, born in New Jersey in 1912, died in New York City in 1988, he invented the Addams family (Morticia Addams & Grandmama above), & was a big fan of food & cooking...the cartoon above from my copy of 'Chas Addams Half-Baked Cookbook' (Simon & Schuster 2005).

HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A HELLISHLY BAD HALLOWEEN! TRICK OR TREAT!

ILLUSTRATIONS - Copyright 1964  Darrin Stephens @ McMann & Tate  Madison Ave. New York. NY.

ENID BLYTON - INDIAN SUMMER

Just finished reading The Boy Next Door. It was a suprise charity shop find....not too dear for an Enid Blyton as the dust jacket has a dirty great rip in it....all the Aunty Enid favourites....3 children & a dog, home from boarding school for the holidays, an empty (or is it?) house next door, a mysterious boy & an abandoned house boat....marvellous!
Another plus are the illustrations by Gilbert Dunlop. Some of the illustrators of Enids adventure books can be hit or miss but Gilbert Dunlop is one of the best.

Here are a few of his pen & ink (& brush), black & white drawings...minimal, but with a few strokes he can evoke the brilliant sunshine & deep shade of high summer.

He also does fantastic trees....ones you would love to climb or make a treehouse in....others that look sinister...

Gilbert Dunlop does great movement too!

 Dont know much about Mr Dunlop except he was Scottish, he also illustrated for other authors...anymore info gladly received readers....meanwhile Aunty Enid has reminded me this is supposed to be a food blog!
Next time then, something about food....heres some soup, but im planning on travelling to the extreme extremities of SANDWICH MAKING!

Soup?...In a packet??.....Soup made with powdered tail of a cow? You're having a larf!

SUMMER - GET OVER IT....

I'm reluctant to let go of summer...its been a bit rubbish...but hey, I had a fab holiday with my sister in Switzerland, a couple of National Trust visits (kick Liverpool One into touch, visit Speke Hall!) & I bought a sun lounger ( is Wilkos the new Woolworths?)....Seriously all the kids (& me) are back in school, its freshers week in Manchester & gold & russet reds mingle with green leaves. A few weeks ago one of my oldest Manchester pals Ian Massey (check out his biography of British pop artist Patrick Procktor (Patrick Procktor-Art & life) gave me some 1940s boys interest magazines, the covers reminded me of carefree holidays... of times gone by -when you went out in the morning & didnt come home til dusk! Your mum gave you a sandwich & a bottle of pop ( or money which you could blow on sweets!) & well, you met friends, you got into scrapes, avoided bullies & nasty families, fished, swam, explored, made camps....just been talking to Aunty Enid about it........

Those are the ones which inspired me.... here are a few (a lot) more......

P.S Enid Blyton gets a lot of stick but she is a British icon...shes not racist...Lots of kids developed their imaginations & creativity because of her books.....love you Aunty Enid!

SIMPLE SUMMER DINNER

MY THAI OMELETTE

A fresh, spicy,good to eat meal, the omelettes serve as edible plates for the Thai glazed salad veggies...for two people:

   
For the Thai dressing: 6 tablespoons vegetable oil.
1 lime zested & juiced.
4 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce.
4 tablespoons fish sauce.
1 clove garlic crushed.
mix together!

For the veggies: get that sharp knife going:

1 red pepper halved & finely sliced.
1 red onion peeled, halved & finely sliced.
1 piece ginger peeled, sliced finely then cut into matchsticks.
1/3 cucumber peeled, halved, deseeded then finely sliced.
2 little gem lettuce chopped.
Put all this into the salad bowl, add the dressing & toss!

For the omelettes, beat four eggs then add:

2 teaspoons fish sauce.
2 finely chopped chillies (you be careful!).
4 tablespoons finely chopped salted peanuts.
4 tablespoons finely chopped coriander.
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce.
Mix together & cook four thin omelettes (2 per person) whilst still warm, top with the Thai veggies & ENJOY!.....If you're vegetarian leave out the salty fish sauce & season to taste with good old fashioned salt, also if you're not vegetarian add cooked chicken or king prawns to the omelette...
This is great with Thai beer, for pud maybe ice cream or heres a simple cake from Patsy.......