Sandwiches

A sandwich is a done thing for a picnic. We stuck to two simple sandwiches a Chicken with Marinara Sauce and a Tomato and Cheese one. I had initially planned to do a pesto one however one of the salads had a pesto in it, so I thought why not change it up. Again, I haven’t made the sandwiches, my friend has, so anything henceforth are her words.

For the Tomato and Mozzarella sandwich:

Whole Wheat bread
Butter
Tomatoes
Mozzarella cheese
Bunch of basil
Salt and pepper

Lightly toast two slices of the whole wheat bread (we avoided toasting the bread as we made the sandwiches quite sometime before the picnic and wanted to avoid soggy bread!) and butter them.

Slice tomatoes and the cheese. Layer the cheese and tomatoes on one slice of bread. Tear up some basil and add to the sandwich.

Sprinkle on some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

This sandwich is a personal classic. I remember eating these as a kid on a rainy day and serves as a perfect quick fix when you have an empty fridge!

For the Chicken and Marinara Sandwich:

Whole wheat bread
Butter
Marinara Sauce (or sambal, or a tomato chutney)
Chicken breast
Salt
Olive oil
Black pepper
Basil

In a heated grill pan, add a dash of olive oil and then add bite size pieces of the chicken breast. Grill on both sides till cooked. Once cooked, add a pinch of salt.

Lightly toast and butter the bread. Spread a spoonful of Marinara sauce on one of the slices and add the grilled chicken. Garnish with torn basil leaves. Finish with a sprinkle of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.

This sandwich tastes equally good with some chutney or Sambal. Living in Indonesia for the past 4 years has introduced me to numerous different flavours and the Sambal (which is a chilly paste with onions and tomatoes, sometimes dried shrimp) is quintessentially Indonesian. Similarly, using Indian flavours such as a tomato chutney does the job equally well.