Sandwiches usually are considered to be a lunchtime meal. Chips, fries and some coleslaw are popular accompaniments. Some sandwiches are so popular that they are eaten for dinner too. We are not talking about slices of pizza or wraps of your favorite sandwich but rather your favorite fillings enclosed in two slices of bread. It must be so since a Boston court defined it as such many years ago. The treat was originally named by the Earl of Sandwich, an 18th Century English Aristocrat lest we mistakenly assume that such a meal is pedestrian or common in nature.
We all have our favorites but often the same sandwich goes by different names depending on the region of the country when there is no standardized name. For example, have you ever wondered what a grinder was and how it differed from your favorite hoagie, hero, or sub?
A little research reveals these sandwiches to be virtually the same only varying by the location or region where it’s eaten. “Subs” have become universal across the United States perhaps due to the corporation that sells them everywhere. Hoagies and heroes are other names given to the same sandwich in the Middle West, and far West. They are all 6-12 inch long rolls of Italian or French bread filled with hot or cold meats like meatballs, salami, pastrami or bologna for example with cheeses like provolone, swiss or cheddar, and vegetables, seasonings and sauces.
Southern States like North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia have popularized “Pulled Pork” which is smoked for 6-8 hours and pulled away from the bone and slathered with sauce— red and white depending upon the region. A similar smoking technique is embraced by Texans on the other hand who love their beef brisket sandwiches smoked for hours— often 10 to 12 — on a low and slow BBQ pit. In Missouri. Kansas and Oklahoma bologna is smoked for a couple of hours and thinly sliced on white bread with BBQ sauce.
Some of my own favorites come from being raised in a home of sandwich mavens. These are so called experts who claim to know better than others. As you get older you learn through experience and education that this may or may not be so. I have selected my favorite 10 sandwiches that I recommend to you. These are personal and not proprietary nor regionally specific. And they are in no particular order. I just like them all more than others. Make your own list and send it here. I will publish them as space permits.
Avocado BLT with Fried Egg and Chipotle Mayo – on good white or wheat toast
Reuben Fried Fish Sandwich with Hellman’s Mayo – on toasted Pumpernickle
Roast Beef Sandwich with Carmelized Onions and Horseradish Mayo—on an Italian Hard Roll
Pastrami Sandwich with mustard – on Rye Bread
Vietnamese Shrimp Ban Mi – on a French long Roll
BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich topped with red sauce and cole slaw – on a Hamburger roll
Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich – on a Hard Roll
Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese Sandwich – on good white bread
Toasted Chiabatta with tomato, buffalo Mozzarella, romaine, and Homemade Aioli Mayo
New England Lobster Roll
You won’t have any trouble making one or more of these sandwiches. Use your imagination or google the sandwich online for a specific recipe.
New England Lobster Rolls makes 4-5 rolls
Boil or steam 4 1 1/2 lb lobsters for 12-14 minutes and remove the meat keeping claws whole juice and zest of 1/2 lemon Hellman’s Mayonnaise,1-2 tablespoons 1 stalk of celery, ends trimmed and finely diced 4-5 Top loading fresh hot dog rolls Butter for grilling rolls
Directions — Handle gently like your favorite lettuce leaves
Using a large bowl, add the lobster meat you have extracted without cutting it, and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon through a small strainer equally over all the lobster meat.
Add the celery finely diced and 1-2 tablespoons of the mayo. It may not seem like much, but once you stir to coat, it blends in nicely. And you can always add a little more Hellman’s mayo if desired.
Stir slowly and gently, so you don’t bruise the tender lobster meat. And set aside.
In a medium size skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the open rolls , and lightly fry at low heat until golden brown on sandwich side.
Spoon in 3-4 tablespoons of lobster meat into each roll and top with a meaty claw.
Sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy this popular, classic New England Lobster Roll! And resist the urge to add any more ingredients. It’s perfect as is. Please send your questions or comments to [email protected] for a prompt reply.