I don’t understand why my children won’t eat sandwiches. Packing lunches for them is my own personal version of Gehinnom — as close to hell as we Jews get.
If only the kids would eat turkey, or the sunflower seed spread our nut-free schools insist on. If they did, I would skip around the kitchen packing two slices of bread (plus filling!) in environmentally friendly sandwich containers. I would tuck those containers joyfully into well-balanced lunchboxes. My children would look back on their childhood with fondness, remembering how much their mother loved preparing school lunches.
But this doesn’t happen, because the children won’t eat sandwiches. Not with crusts cut off. Not with marshmallow fluff added. Not at all. So each day I’m reduced to scanning the fridge as if my cranium contained a protein-seeking sensor. Will they eat hard-boiled eggs? What about tofu?
Perhaps this makes me a stronger, more creative lunch packer. When it comes to my own lunch, that is. Because my husband and I — we eat pretty well. At least, we do the day before a J. column deadline.
Blistered Shishito Peppers and Roast Beef Sandwich
Serves 4
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 lb. shishito peppers
½ tsp. salt plus more to taste, divided
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced in ½-inch-thick rings
8 slices seeded whole-grain bread
2 avocados, sliced
1¼ lbs. roast beef
1-2 Tbs. cream style horseradish (dairy-free)
Heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil in a wide sauté pan until it is hot but not smoking. Add the peppers and cook them over medium heat, tossing frequently until they blister. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, but don’t let them char except in a few places. Season with ½ tsp. of the salt. Cut or pull off the stems and set aside to cool.
Brush the onion rings in remaining 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Grill over medium-high heat until charred in places and soft. Set aside and cool. Both peppers and onions can be prepared 1-2 days in advance. Assemble sandwiches by shmearing one-quarter of an avocado on each of the 8 pieces of bread (toast bread in advance if desired). Sprinkle avocado with salt to taste. Distribute the roast beef equally among 4 slices of the bread. Spoon horseradish on roast beef. Top with grilled onions and blistered peppers. Add avocado-shmeared sandwich tops and serve.
Muhamarra and Mozzarella Baguette Sandwich
Serves 2
2 roasted red bell peppers (from a jar, drained; or blackened in oven)
11⁄2 cup whole walnuts
1 large or 2 small cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup olive oil
2 Tbs. pomegranate molasses (or substitute agave)
1 tsp. salt plus extra as desired
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ cup cured Moroccan olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 Tbs. parsley, minced
½ tsp. lemon zest, grated
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 (8-inch) sections of baguette, split and toasted
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼-inch thick
freshly ground black pepper
6-8 fresh basil leaves
If you are roasting your own peppers, peel, remove seeds, skins and veins. Set aside. Toast walnuts till golden (do not burn). Cool. To make the muhamarra spread: In a food processor, pulse the toasted walnuts and garlic together until finely chopped. Add roasted bell peppers, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, salt and cumin.
In a small bowl, combine the olives, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. To assemble sandwiches, take your sliced, toasted baguette and spread muhamarra thickly on both top and bottom halves. Scatter olive mixture over bottom half of baguette. Layer fresh mozzarella over olives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Layer basil leaves over mozzarella. Top with upper half of baguette. Serve.
Josie A.G. Shapiro, who won the 2013 Man-O-Manischewitz Cookoff, is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.