A sandwich is a snack that, on the face of it, is so simple, but when you look deeper into the subject, there's a vast potential for disaster. Basically, a sandwich is bread, butter or some other spread, and filling, and that's where the problems can arise. Each component has to be just right for the perfect sandwich. This is what's in my favourite Spanish sandwich.
Bread
Obviously, you can't have a sandwich without bread - if there's no bread, there's no sandwich. But what type of bread? For my favourite sandwich, there's only one possible choice. Fresh wholemeal or granary bread, and it has to be ready sliced.
I don't mind uneven slices of bread to go with soup or salad, but if it's a sandwich, I want it nice and level, not looking like a roller coaster made from bread. It's almost impossible to slice a loaf evenly, unless you have a machine to do it, and the bakery's machine is more efficient than anything I can ever come up with.
Spread
I don't do butter these days. Living in Spain, bread is served with just about everything except butter, which is mainly used in cooking. We have olive oil, ali oli or tomato salsa with bread, and I carry this over into my sandwiches. I make my own ali oli with low fat mayonnaise, minced or grated fresh garlic, and a little lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. The lemon juice adds a tang, and the parlsey tones down the effects of garlic on the breath.
My tomato salsa is simply grated fresh tomato, with a splash of olive oil and freshly ground black pepper. Use a grater with a dish or bowl beneath, and place a whole fresh tomato, pointed end down, on the grater, or cut it in half first. Apply just a little pressure, and the skin will peel back as you grate, forming a protective layer for your fingertips as you work through the tomato. I usually make a big batch of ali oli and salsa, as it keeps well in the fridge for several days.
I'll use one or other of these on my sandwich, but if we're talking my favourite sandwich, it's ali oli on one slice of bread and tomato salsa on the other.
Filling
No contest here - it has to be tuna. The tinned tuna we buy in Spain seems so much chunkier that that available in England. It's usually in olive oil or sunflower oil, but because it's so thick and chunky, you can drain almost every vestige of oil away with no problem, if you're concerned about your fat intake. Once the tuna's in place - always on the bread with ali oli - it's time for the crowning glory. That's a liberal scattering of cold, tinned sweetcorn, topped with thin slices of cucumber. A little extra freshly ground black pepper - I just love it - and then the bread with tomato salsa tops the whole sandwich off.
It takes much less time to make my favourite sandwich than it's taken to write about it. It's a healthy lunch or supper choice, based on the Mediterranean way of eating. My mouth's watering just thinking about it. Time for a sandwich break, I think!
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