Sandwiches III – Not Actually About Beaches or the Occult

Banana and Mayonnaise

Sliced bananas and mayonnaise on bread are a great combination. No-one believes me. And yet it is wonderfully, deliciously true.

BLT

Bacon can be gotten from the grill station in Upper; then just fill it out at the sandwich station and you’re home free. Well, except for paying for your food.

Bacon
Lettuce
Tomato
Mayonnaise (this is one time you actually want a lot of mayonnaise)

Spread the bread with mayonnaise and top with the B, the L, and the T. Mmm. Bacon.

Grilled PB&J

It is exactly what it sounds like: PB&J grilled on a panini press. (An alternate method follows the recipe below.) I am an unabashed evangelist for this sandwich. I have recommended it to everyone from my friends to prospective students, and without fail, this is what happens:

1. Surprise / mild disgust
2. Willingness to try it
3. This is the best thing ever, thank you.

Chum’s offers it for $2 (I think), but for $2.50 (I think) you can get the after-school special: Grilled PB&J and a glass of milk. It is a good deal.  But you don’t have to go to the coffeehouse: upper Usdan also carries sandwiches, and has a panini press. I think you can take it from there.

Note: The dining hall sandwiches are made with grape jelly, but I encourage you, if making it at home, to try different types of nut butters and jellies. Cashew butter and almond butter are the only two I can think of off the top of my head, but there are innumerable jams: strawberry, rhubarb, cherry, peach, raspberry, blood orange…

Alternate method:
If you don’t have a panini press or George Foreman grill-type deal, you can also make this sandwich using a regular PB&J, a skillet, PAM, and a brick wrapped in foil. You don’t have to use the brick (any weighty object like a saucepan will work), but it makes the sandwich roughly three times more awesome. Do wrap it in foil, though: most bricks aren’t that clean.

Heat the skillet until it is very hot and spray with PAM. Place the whole sandwich in the skillet and place the brick (!) on top. When it’s melted, the peanut butter will turn gooey. Enjoy!

Applesauce Tomato Sauce

Suggestions would be appreciated!

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped in half then into thin slices
1 x 28 oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained of most of its juice (I used Nicola San Marzano plum tomatoes, which smelled amazing)
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp basil
1/2 cup applesauce (I used a single-serving plastic cup)
1 small apple, mashed with a potato masher

1 lb linguini

In a large nonstick skillet, heat about 3 Tbsp olive oil until it’s hot. Toss in the onion and move it around so it’s coated with olive oil. Cover and leave until the onions turn brown/black and kind of stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and roughly crush them with a hard rubber spatula. Add the allspice, basil, applesauce, and mashed apple. Cover and put on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the linguini and cook according to package directions. Drain.
Enjoy!

Note: the sauce might be kind of soupy, so I suggest using a slotted spoon to serve it.