Wednesday, December 22, 2004

The Christmas Sandwich

Part of the holidays is food, sweet and savory - all kinds of food.  Today I want to share a sandwich I discovered a couple of weeks ago.  It’s probably only new to me, but I have fallen hard for it and, as usual, can’t keep quiet about a good thing :) I get so used to eating prepared foods that I sometimes forget how good and how intense fresh food can be.  This is my Christmas sandwich named for colors and because of the season in which it was first made.

The ingredients are simple:

Christmas Sandwich (makes 2)

Tuna salad (or turkey breast)
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe Roma (Italian plum) tomato
Slices of red onion (as much or as little as you prefer)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pieces flat bread (sub rolls would probably work just fine too)

First, make your tuna salad to whatever specifications you prefer.  I like a bit of chopped sweet pickle (a spoonful of drained sweet relish works nicely too) but I don’t have any at the moment so I left it plain.  You can add chopped celery and/or onion - whatever you like to have.  Once it is mixed, set it aside.





I like the old fashioned small, Haas avocadoes - about the size and shape of a small pear.  In the markets in my area there are usually these plus at least one that’s quite a bit bigger (with a pit the size of a child’s fist).  The larger ones tend to be sweeter and while it’s not a bad flavor, I prefer the mild nuttiness of the Haas.  Use whatever suits you or whatever you’d like to try.  Look for one who’s skin has darkened slightly and who’s flesh yields to slight pressure.  If you’re anything like me you’ll want to make this sandwich when you get home and not have to wait three days for the avocado to ripen.  Oh, and if you do pick up an avocado that’s less than ripe (for future use) leave it on the table or the counter.  Don’t put it in the refrigerator.

Roma tomatoes are great for sandwiches because they’re less juicy and more meaty than regular tomatoes.  Look for a nice, deep red color and again, if they need to ripen, leave them on the table or the counter.

I love red onion though I only recently realized that it can be used raw with relative impunity.  It has a good, hefty flavor, but doesn’t have the effrontery of a raw yellow cooking onion.  I generally look for a small one as cut onions have a limited life-span and you won’t be using the whole thing for two sandwiches :)

Okay, now you want to cut things up.  Don’t try to peel the avocado yet.  Take your knife and run it around the lengthwise (top to bottom) circumference of the thing.  Make sure your knife is going right down to the pit.  Then turn the avocado and do the same thing so the second cut crosses the first (at the top and bottom) at right angles.  Now, insert your knife into one of the cuts on the side and pry gently.  The quarter slice should pop right off the pit.  Do this all the way around until your fruit is free.  You should be able to peel the skin right off easily but if you run into a persistent sticky bit, just run your knife tip between the skin and the flesh until it comes loose.  Your avocado should be in quarters.  Cut each of these pieces in half lengthwise.

Trim off the stem end of the tomato and stand it on the cut end.  Cut it into lengthwise quarters and then cut each of these in half - just as you did with the avocado.

For the onion - I found a useful trick for handling that.  Partly it was a hint from Diane following the Pasta Fagioli post.  She recommended keeping onions in the refrigerator and trying, if possible, not to slice off the root end.  What I also realized is that there’s no need to peel the thing for just a couple of slices.  Just cut your slices and pull off and discard the outermost ring.  All set!  Then put the remaining onion into a plastic bag, cut side right up against the plastic, seal and put back into the refrigerator.  It will stay useable for several days this way but I wouldn’t try to keep it more than a week.

Now, lay out two pieces of your favorite flatbread.  Here I’m using spinach but tomato is equally luscious - or just plain if that suits your fancy.  Play to your tastebuds :) I like the eye appeal of the colored breads but anything you like will work just fine.

If you’re using turkey breast, spread some mayonnaise over the surface of the flatbread and then place two or three slices of turkey on the bread, roughly in a line down the center.  If you’re using tuna salad, spread it on in the same way - in a swath down the center of the bread.

Now place 4 of your avocado slices and 4 tomato slices on the turkey or tuna.  Scatter red onion over all.  Lightly salt and use the pepper mill generously.

Turn the bottom third of your flatbread up over the filling.  Then, starting at one side, roll the sandwich up. 

Obviously you can do a lot with this kind of thing.  You can add condiments or relishes as and if you like.  I don’t use lettuce - that classic sandwich staple (to me, lettuce belongs in salads) - but many people wouldn’t feel it was a sandwich without it.  I’m a huge cheese lover, but for me, the avocado makes this sufficiently rich.  However, if you want to throw on a slice of cheddar or grate on a bit of Parmesan or Asiago, have at!  A couple of strips of bacon probably wouldn’t go amiss either :)

Grab a handful of chips and a bowl of soup and you’re good to go.  Wishing all your tastebuds and appetites a very, tasteful holiday - and leave one of these out for Santa :)

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1. you made a supper sandwich into a colorful photo essay- looks grand and probably tastes even better- i say anything that has avocado in it just has to be good-

   you did forget the final step though- after eating the sandwich, *plant* the avocado pit-

   eleanor sends regards to miss amelia and wants to let her know that her first night in texas was quite satisfactory- she is already quite the object of admiration but she has promised to remain humble-

   pouring rain here- guess i should have decided to start the shopping earlier-

   stay happy-

   Posted by  on  12/22  at  12:55 PM
   Location : behind the 8-ball



2. Ah, looks to die for!!!!! YUMMY YUM!!! Love your care in showing us and explaining the steps!!

   Posted by  on  12/22  at  01:39 PM
   Location :



3. Barb - I agree with you about the avocado - anything with that in it has got to be good. 

   Glad to hear that Eleanor is making herself to home.  I knew she would love it there :)

   PJ - Well, I realize that making a sandwich is no big deal, LOL - but this is such a good one that I thought it deserved better than the “Throw this and this together” treatment :)

   Posted by Robbyn  on  12/22  at  03:08 PM
   Location : Wishing I could ride with Santa...



4. I’m sitting here waiting for the bf to pick me up so we can go out to dinner because we’re both starving.  And i thought “oh I’ll just surf a couple blogs while i’m waiting.” well now i’m DYING of hunger and I must go somewhere that will make THAT sandwich for me right now!! Thanks!

   Posted by Laura  on  12/22  at  07:12 PM
   Location :



5. Laura - LOL!  I hope you and the BF have a wonderful dinner :)

   Posted by Robbyn  on  12/22  at  08:40 PM
   Location : Wishing I could ride with Santa...



6. I’ll have to try that one… after the holidays.  Thanks for sharing.

   Posted by Chery  on  12/22  at  09:37 PM
   Location : KCMO



7. Chery - That’s so cool!  I first learned about and ate avocadoes in Kansas City so it’s come full circle :)

   Posted by Robbyn  on  12/22  at  09:47 PM
   Location : Up the creek...

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