On Saturday we bought beds. (Thank you for your help!) Momentarily, I wondered what I would do with all that mental space freed up from bunk bed obsession. Then the mail arrived, and with it, Saveur's sandwich issue.
So, now I'm thinking about banh mi and pimiento cheese and Lebanese flat bread and tortas and finger sandwiches. Let me tell you, it's a mental improvement.
My current favorite sandwich is this grilled tempeh number. It's how I want to eat this summer - barely cooked, colorful and fresh, and easily packed off to the park. We have the best park in our neighborhood. Last night, Desmond and Felix and I sauntered over there after dinner and there were two men playing acordians as the light turned pink and kids played. There's often a man blowing giant bubbles and one of the musicians from last night sometimes puts on old timey puppet shows set to music. This sandwich does not look portable - it's very at home on a plate, but I wrapped up the other half and ate it two hours later sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and a pile of cookbooks.
So, so enjoying all this mental space.
Grilled Tempeh Sandwich
Makes: 2 big sandwiches
Takes: 20 minutes
- 1 8-ounce block tempeh
- 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1/4 cup minced onion, soaked in cold water
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/4 cup basil mayonaise (recipe below)
- a couple handfuls of wild arugula
- 4 slices of really good bread
Slice the block of tempeh into thirds and then cut each third into half so that you have 6 rectangles of tempeh. In a cast iron skillet, or even better on an outdoor grill (in that case rub the tempeh with oil and salt), brown the tempeh in a couple tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
While the tempeh is browning, halve or quarter the cherry tomatoes,and toss them with the corn, onion (drained and rinsed), lemon juice, and salt to taste.
Slather each slice of bread with basil mayo and arrange grilled tempeh slices on one half of bread. Pile the tomato salad on top. Scoop a handful of arugula onto the other half. Put that sandwich together and enjoy.
Basil Mayonnaise
Makes: about 3/4 cup
- 1/2 cup vegenaise
- a handful of fresh basil leaves (More precise? I used 18 large leaves. I counted. For you.)
- 1 clove garlic
- pinch of salt
Throw all that in the food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Or, if, like me, you decide that you don't feel like dirtying any appliance, then finely chop the basil and mince the garlic, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and mash it into a paste with the flat side of your big knife. Mix the basil and garlic paste into the mayo. Or, if you happen to have some pesto in the fridge, just mix a heaping tablespoon into the mayonnaise.
