Pork Meatball Banh Mi

Banh mi is just about the sexiest sandwich around right now. New Yorkers are absolutely besotted with it, if the New York Times is to be believed, and as a result, the rest of us must hear about it all. the. time. I've never sampled the real deal myself, but it seems to be an ode to the pig that is resounding in little cult waves across the country.

Fine. Take some French colonial influences--like baguettes, mayonnaise, and pate--to Southeast Asia and slap them together with local tastes like burn-your-face-off peppers, cilantro, and pickled stuff. Add 13 different layers of pork and you're sitting on a gold mine of foodie-hipster street food.

While I'm not going to run out and do extensive research, sampling, and blogging about the 10 best banh mi spots in Boston (which probably don't exist anyway...) I am willing to try the approximation in and old Bon Appetit I was flipping through the other day. One particular article was all about fancying up the meatball. I like meat. In ball-shapes. I also like fancy sometimes. Why not try the Pork Meatball Banh Mi?

Well I'm happy to report that it was go-ood. Really, meatballs in general are a good idea. But meatballs with zesty Asian spicing swimming in hot sriracha mayonnaise and showered in pickled vegetables? That's quite a sandwich.

Pork Meatball Banh Mi

serves 2; ready in about an hour

Hot chili mayo

1/3 cup mayonnaise

2 green onions, finely chopped

1 tsp hot chili sauce; I used sriracha (the rooster)

Meatballs

1/3 lb ground pork

2 Tbsp finely chopped basil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp hot chili sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

The Rest

1 cup grated carrots

1 cup grated daikon radish

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sesame oil

2 small baguettes*, or one large baguette cut into 6-inch lengths

fresh cilantro

1. Make the mayo: stir all ingredients together and season with salt, if desired. Store covered in the fridge.
2. Make the veg: stir together carrots, radish, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Let stand at room temperature, tossing occasionally, while you are preparing meat.
3. Make the balls: gently mix all the meatball ingredients together and form into balls. Use about one Tablespoon amount and form 1-inch balls. You should get about 8. In a small skillet heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Saute all the balls at once, turning often, until browned through. Mine took 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Make the sandwich: Slice baguettes in half and pull out excess middle bread, leaving the shell 1/2-inch thick. Spread mayo, then layer plenty of fresh cilantro sprigs, then meatballs. Squeeze out pickled vegetables and sprinkle over. Top with remaining baguette half.

*About the baguette: I brought home a firm, bready baguette from work to use for this sandwich. Not the best choice. The real Vietnamese baguette usually used for banh mi has a combination of wheat and rice flour, giving it a nice, thin crackly crust and a soft interior. When you're looking for bread, the softer the better in this case.

Grilled Cheese ... With Short Ribs (Naturally)

Dear Bon Appetit Magazine,

Kudos to you for your cover recipe last month, the one that travelled with me to and from Virginia, peeking out of my purse and making my tummy rumble on the plane; the one that constantly glared at me from the kitchen table for the following weeks; the one that immediately seized David by the stomach, prompting him to ask--almost daily--"When are we going to have that sandwich?"

You sent me to the store. You brought me home with ribs. You made me wait while the meat slow roasted. You forced me into the seemingly unnecessary step of quick pickling (quickling?) onions. But then, oh then, you gave me one of the best sandwiches of my life. I forgive you for the trouble and promise to repent in all depth and sincerity every time I eat this grilled cheese. Which will be often. Often.

Love,

Abby

P.S. Here's an idea: You could probably buy any type of beef that makes good stew meat, slow roast it with just some salt, pepper, a couple slices of onion, and some water, break it up and serve that on the sandwich--am I right?

Grilled Cheese and Short Rib Sandwich

serves 2; takes several hours for the roasting of the meat; about 20 minutes once it's done.

The Beef:

1 1/2 ish lbs. beef short ribs

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup dry red wine

2 Tbsp water or broth

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 bay leaf

Pinch fresh or dried thyme

• Season ribs liberally with salt and pepper. Melt a pad of butter or some olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add ribs and sear on all sides until brown, about 8 minutes total. Remove ribs to a rimmed plate and add vegetables to pot, sauteing until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine, water/broth, garlic, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to boil, then reduce heat, return ribs to pot, cover and simmer 1 hour. After an hour, flip the ribs and cook an hour more. Remove cover and cook 30 more minutes.
• Turn off heat and allow ribs to cool. When you can handle them, pull them out and pick all the meat off, discarding the fat and bones, and breaking into bite size pieces. Spoon fat off of sauce left in pot and return meat chunks to it.

The onions:

1/2 small red onion, sliced thin

1/2 Tbsp butter

1 tsp sugar

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

• In a small skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and saute the onions, adding a little salt. Cook until tender, 6ish minutes. Add vinegar and salt, stirring until vinegar is absorbed. Keep handy.

The rest:

Bread

Monterey Jack cheese, sliced

Arugula or mesclun greens

More butter

• Heat up your griddle, skillet, or whatever. Butter outsides of bread and layer as follows: 1. Bread; 2. Meat mixture; 3. Cheese; 4. Onions; 5. Greens; 6. Bread.
• Cook over medium heat until bread is crispy and cheese is melted.

Beet + Avocado + Goat Cheese Sandwich

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT be deterred by the title of this post, or the ingredients contained in this sandwich--which may seem to you like the rejects of the produce department. Not so! They play together like the members of Mylie Cyrus's backup band: rich and sweet.

This sandwich is the new business. And if you are David, this sandwich may also include a piece of crispy bacon. Oh. My. Delicious. Promise me you'll try it, even if (YOU THINK) you don't like beets.

The Beginning of the New Sandwich Era will require the following...

1 large red beet

2 slices of bread

goat cheese

an avocado

lettuce greens

(optional slice of bacon)

1. First, roast your beet: preheat your oven to 375º. Wrap the beet in foil and toss it in the oven. Beet is done when you can slip a paring knife into the parcel and meet no resistance. When cool enough to handle, peel the beet (skin will slip right off) and slice into 1/2-inch rounds. Toss the beet with a little salt and a tablespoon of cider vinegar.
2. Slap some goat cheese on both slices of bread. Top with a layer of beet, avocado slices, and greens. If you want, slip a crisp slice of bacon in there.

Thelma's Chicken Salad

Truthfully, I have always been a little bothered by recipe titles that contain an arbitrary name. What's the point? I'm sure "Sally" or "Ruth" meant something to the original recipe holders, but as recipes get passed down the line, the name becomes minorly annoying. Like a last-ditch effort at homey verisimilitude; an effort to convince someone, somewhere, that this recipe was developed in a warm, cozy kitchen by a lady with a frilly apron and a lot of love.

Well, turns out, I am now guilty of the practice and I finally understand why. For me, it's a way of distinguishing a specific preparation from all others. Especially with a dish as multifarious as chicken salad, which has as many different combinations as cooks who make it, you need a little signal to remind you just which chicken salad recipe this is.

And just which recipe is it? It's the one I grew up on--simple, quick, made of (mostly) pantry staples, and ready in a flash. Rest assured, there was most certainly a Thelma in this story, who made--among other delicacies--this precise chicken salad.

Thelma's Chicken Salad

serves 1-2; ready in 15 minutes if you have leftover chicken already cooked, closer to 30 if you're gonna cook it yourself

1 chicken breast (bone-in or boneless, doesn't matter)

1 hard-boiled egg (instructions below)

1 stalk celery, diced

1 scallion, sliced, or 1 Tbsp-ish of finely diced onion (Thelma says this is optional)

1/4 cup mayonnaise*

1 Tbsp sweet pickle relish

salt and pepper

1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil and drop your chicken breast in. Cutting it in half will speed up your cooking time. I find bone-in split breast a little cheaper at the store, so go with that if you wish. As a bonus, drop in the ends of your celery, a quarter of an onion, and whatever other veg clippings you have; by the time your chicken is cooked, you'll have a couple cups of broth to use for another occasion. Boil for 15-20 minutes, until you can cut open the meat and see no pink. Remove from water and run under cool water. As soon as you can handle it comfortably, shred the meat and toss in a bowl.
2. Meanwhile, in a smaller pot, cover one egg with water and bring the water to a boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and cook for 10 minutes exactly. Drain and drop in a little bowl of ice water. Peel and dice egg, and add to chicken bowl.
3. Now, add celery, relish, and mayo and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. David had his on a nice sandwich (with some homemade potato chips); I had mine in a scoop over a bed of greens. Tasty either way.

*So maybe you, like me, are not a huge fan of mayonnaise. I don't know, something about of the taste of it, the coating inside my mouth, I can't really handle it as a dressing for salads like this one. I happen to really like a product called "Nayonnaise" put out by Nasoya (the tofu people), which is a soy-based spread. I can switch it out with mayo on most occasions and never notice the difference. You can also try thickened yogurt or sour cream, though the flavor will be a bit more assertive.

Veggie Night: Sweet Potato & Kale Sandwich

Contrary to popular opinion and prevalent menu impositions, a sandwich does not have to have meat in order to be a satisfying, fist-fitting meal. I'm learning from my work that as long as you're working with quality ingredients, you have a really good shot at getting a delicious finished product. Good bread is a big first step; starting with fresh produce is another.

Often, though, you need a little foresight to make certain items--like potatoes, say--edible. This is where the stack-o-cold-cuts wins out: efficiency. But try experimenting with sticking new things between two slices of bread and see what you come out with. May just be your new favorite.

Sweet Potato & Kale Sandwich

serves two; takes about 30 minutes

4 slices good sandwich bread; we used sourdough

1 small sweet potato

1 small bunch kale

1 small onion (or 1/2 medium), sliced thick

1 small pear (or 1/2 medium), sliced thin

goat cheese, room temperature

Dijon mustard

Bacon mayonnaise (optional)

1. Start by roasting your sweet potato. Preheat oven to 400º. Peel potato and, depending on the size, cut it into planks (long ways) or medallions (cross-wise) about 1/2 inch thick--whatever you think will fit better on your bread. Spray foil-lined baking sheet with baking spray or brush with oil. Lay potato pieces out and spray or brush tops; sprinkle with salt. Roast 15-20 minutes, or until you poke it and it just feels soft. Don't cook it all the way to mush.
2. Meanwhile, heat a skillet with a bit of oil and saute your onions with a little salt until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Wash and stem the kale and slice it into very thin strips. Toss in skillet, add salt and pepper, and reduce heat. Stir until kale is cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Add more water (or some lemon juice) if the skillet gets dry. Lift cooked kale out of skillet and drain in a sieve or colander over sink.
3. Lastly, pull out a healthy chunk of goat cheese (about 2 Tbsp?) and mix with a little milk or cream until it's spreadable.
4. To assemble: spread mustard on one piece of bread and mayo (optional) on the other. Follow with goat cheese on one piece, then sweet potatoes, then kale/onion mixture, then slices of pear to cover. Top with other slice of bread and do some jaw stretches before attacking.