Sandwiches: A Complete Meal in Your Hand
Recipe: Mediterranean Tuna Tapenade Sandwiches
Kind of a cross between New Orleans' muffaletta and the "pan bagnat" from Nice, France, this sandwich combines flavorful tuna with olive salad for a delicious, healthy lunch or light dinner for two.
Recipe: Croque Monsieur
The ultimate grilled ham and cheese sandwich, this version of the Croque Monsieur is topped with bechamel and additional cheese and broiled after toasting on the griddle.
Recipe: Sloppy Joes for Two
This childhood favorite gets an update with ancho chile sauce, Dijon mustard and vinegar. Sloppy Joes never tasted so good.
Recipe: Classic Patty Melt
The classic patty melt, with Swiss cheese, grilled onions and rye bread, needs no condiments. When made correctly, it's perfect without them.
Recipe: Tuna Melts for Two
This version of the classic diner tuna melt sandwich features savory tuna salad, melted cheese and crisp, buttery bread.
Recipe: Skirt Steak Tacos
Marinated, seared skirt steak makes a delicious and easy filling for tacos.
Recipe: Shrimp Salad Sandwiches for Two
Savory, creamy Maryland-style shrimp salad with crunchy celery and scallions makes a great sandwich filling for a light dinner or lunch for two. It's also delicious over salad greens.
Recipe: Baja-Style Fish Tacos
Crisp battered fish, avocado cream and spicy cabbage are layered in these delicious Baja-style fish tacos.
Recipe: Spicy Hoisin Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Hoisin sauce, ginger and chile garlic sauce give this tender, delectable "pulled" pork an Asian twist. Served on soft buns with a tangy slaw, it makes a great casual dinner or lunch for two.
Burger Bonanza
The end of summer and semi-official end of grilling season approaches: Labor Day. If you haven't grilled a burger yet this year then times running out.
Tips: Better Burgers
If the last burger you ate was in a fast food joint, then you short-changed yourself. A well-made homemade burger is not only far superior to what you can buy, but it's a great choice when cooking for two. They're easy to make and, because burgers freeze well, you can make up half a dozen and freeze four for a later meal. Here are a few tips for creating outstanding burgers.
Teriyaki Turkey Burgers
Turkey burgers may be low calorie, but they can also be bland and dry. In this recipe, the zucchini adds moisture (you won't really taste it) and the teriyaki ingredients add an Asian flavor.
Marinated Greek Burgers
These Greek burgers aren't really Greek, but they are infused with the flavors of Greece to create an excellent change-of-pace from the standard grilled ground-round on a soft bun. Serves 2.
Pork Burgers: Something Different for the Grill
This recipe for pork burgers is, without doubt, one of the best recipes I've ever come up with. They're amazingly good combining ground pork with bacon, onion, and parmesan cheese. Makes 3 burgers.
Muffaletta: A Taste of New Orleans
The key ingredient to a muffaletta recipe is the Olive Mix (you'll find a link to that recipe here). Ideally you want to make the sandwich an hour or two before eating it so the juices from the olive mix can soak into the bread, which makes this a perfect picnic sandwich.
Gyros - A Greek Classic
Gyros are a classic Greek sandwich. Traditionally made of slices of marinated lamb, packed on a spit, and then roasted in front of a fire, the gyro is an impossible to beat sandwich. Makes 4.
Cuban Sandwich: Miami's Claim to Fame
Cuban sandwiches are marvelous things consisting of roast pork, ham, salami), dill pickles, Swiss cheese, and yellow ball-park mustard; built on a bread similar to Italian; and then grilled. Serves 2.
Burger with Wine and Mushroom Sauce
This burger with a richly flavored wine and mushroom sauce is a big step up from an ordinary hamburger. In fact, it's fancy enough for a special occasion. I strongly recommend the English muffins instead of buns because they're sturdy enough to stand up to the sauce. Even so, I also suggest eating these with a knife and fork if you want your...
Schnitzel Sandwich: Midwestern Feasting
A friend of mine recently posted a recipe for a schnitzel sandwich. A pork cutlet is breaded and fried pork cutlet and served in hamburger bun. I...
Pulled Pork: Southern Pride
Considering this is made in the oven instead of a smoker, this is a pretty good version of pulled pork. It has a decent smoky flavor and is certainly superior to anything made in a slow cooker.
Pita Sandwiches
I admit it - I'm a sandwich fiend. Sandwiches are quick and easy and if you devote attention to the ingredients they can be as good (meaning with complex, subtle, and bold flavors) as any other meal. But the foundation of any sandwich is the bread. If it isn't good the sandwich will suffer. Of all the breads you can make at home, one of the...
4 Great Paninis
Paninis are among the world's most awesome sandwiches. They tend to be simple consisting of a couple of slices of coarse bread, some meat, and some cheese that are pressed together. Traditionally they were grilled over a charcoal fire, but these days they're more often made using a panini press.
Bahn Mi: Cold Fusion Works
A Bahn Mi is a fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisine in the form of an absolutely addictive sandwich. Serves 2.
Reuben Sandwich: Notes on a Classic
The classic reuben sandwich may seem so obvious no recipe is needed. But sometimes it's worthwhile stating the obvious. Serves 2.
Caribbean Jerk Burger: A Taste of the Islands
These deliciously spiced caribbean jerk burgers bring a taste of the islands to your backyard. Makes 4 burgers.
Curried Chicken Salad: Sweet, Spicy, Savory, Wonderful
This recipe for Curried Chicken Salad is sweet, spicy, and savory and extraordinarily good. It's perfect stuffed in a pita, layered on a sliced croissant, or nestled in a lettuce leaf. Serves 2.
Spicy Moorish Chicken in Pita
I typically serve this spicy Moorish Chicken recipe in pita bread, but it's also great served on rice or couscous. It's quick, easy and delicious. Serves 2.
Stuffed Lamb Burgers: Absolutely Delish!
This recipe for stuffed lamb burgers is a variation on a stuffed leg of lamb recipe I developed. Both recipes combine lamb with fresh mint (a traditional herb for lamb) and blue cheese. Makes 4 burgers.
Steak in a Sack: A Neater Barbeque
Steak in a Sack features a Mediterranean marinade, but you can flavor the steak any way you prefer. I like sirloin for this, it's a good compromise on taste, tenderness and price. Serves 2.
Schawarma: A Lebanese Gyro
The schawarma is a Middle-Eastern version of the Greek gyro made with chicken, turkey, or lamb. It took me a while to figure out how to duplicate it without a vertical rotisserie but I did manage to nail it by using a marinade and cooking the meat low and slow in the oven until it was fork tender.
French Dip Sandwich: Simplicity Itself
Roast beef on bread, beef juices, dip A in B and you have French dip sandwich. You can add mustard or horseradish, gussey it up with cheese or...
Philly Cheesesteak: Plain and Fancy
The Philly Cheesesteak is an iconic American sandwich and deservedly so. Consisting in it's most fundamental version as grilled, sliced steak with Cheez Whiz on a hoagie roll (a five-minute effort), more sophisticated versions are also common. You can find two recipes here.
Pita Bread: Perfect for Stuffing
I love pita bread. I stuff it with chicken salad, tuna salad, and egg salad. I stuff it with feta as a favorite snack. Best of all it's easy to make.
Beef Empanadas: Cuban Street Food
An empanada is a hand-held meat pie, and while made has appetizer-sized bites in some places (and full-blown pies in Spain) are meant for munching on as you wander the streets. Call it a self-enclosed sandwich.
Egg Salad: A Childhood Favorite
Egg salad has long been one of my favorite sandwich fillings. In fact, as a kid I never liked peanut butter and jelly, but loved egg salad. This version has a nice kick. Makes 2 cups.
Lobster Roll: aka Lobstah Roll
Lobster rolls are a New England (and specifically, a Maine) classic. This version takes a hint from the Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich and includes quickly pickled carrots and onions.