Mushroom, Potato and Pepper Open Sandwich

I love Scandinavia - I'm currently reading Stieg Larson (the second book); have always had a very soft spot for hunky Scandinavian men - they've got a wicked sense of humor and their blue-eyed/blonde hair look, preferably with a golden tan acquired sunbathing (Cough: naked) in Goa, really does it for me. Indian men are like goats - and not in a good way. And the daily recipe emails from My Danish Kitchen had me yearning for magically being in Sweden or Denmark this morning.

If I can't be magically teleported there, at least I can take my first jab at their cuisine. An open sandwich - what's more Danish than that?! Well, the Danish Pastry is, but I ain't got the time or requisite skill to attempt something so complicated. I had a nice loaf of organic multigrain bread from the farmer's market that was unused. And I had a boiled potato (the advantages of living with your family) and chives (I love chives - they seem so buttery). So, made an open sandwich for breakfast. But Indian that I am, I did make it a bit spicy with some green chutney. Good thing I only made one slice, coz the bread was really hearty and filling.

Mushroom, Potato and Pepper Open Sandwich

Ingredients:

• 1 slice bread/baguette
• 1/2 boiled potato
• 2-3 white button mushrooms
• 2 teaspoons coconut milk/cream
• Handul of finely chopped green pepper
• 1 tablespoon green chutney
• 1 teaspoon chopped chives
• 5-8 black pepper corns
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

To make:

• Mash your potato along with some coconut milk to make a thick gooey paste. Ideally, do this while the potato is still hot.
• In a pan, heat the olive oil.
• Chop your mushrooms and add to the pan, along with freshly ground black pepper.
• Saute the mushrooms for 3-5 minutes until brown.
• Slice your bread (fairly thick). You may want to toast/grill your bread if its too flimsy.
• Spread the green chutney over the bread.
• Next spread the mashed potato over the bread.
• Layer the sauted mushrooms next.
• Next come some finely chopped green pepper.
• Finish off with a sprinkling of finely chopped chives and a dash of olive oil.

Subway Fix

Finally, a Subway sandwich that actually looks like the one on their posters!

What I Want Now: Vegetarian Bánh Mí Sandwich

Vegetarian Bánh Mí Sandwich featuring a delectable mushroom pattie. I've also seen variants of this recipe with marinated and grilled tofu as your "meat."

Recipe and photo courtesy The Chubby Vegetarian (Wonder why there is egg in the recipe, then?!):

Hummus and Veggie Patties

There's a quiet nip in the air over the last few days - well, you can't really complain that it is cold in Mumbai! So, I am definitely craving a bit of heat from my food. There's always alcohol to do that job for me - but you can't go around boozy all day!

...And my pot of hummus (quite literally - it came in an earthen pot) needed intensive attention before its demise this Sunday (at least that's what the hummous lady at the Farmer's market told me last Sunday). Hence, the hummus, which is already boiled and ground up, was the perfect replacement for other lentils I might have used. Mine contained the usual chick pea as well as sesame and pumpkin seeds.

I made the mistake of adding some water in the blender which left the patties a bit on the soggy side. So, definitely don't do that! And I had mine with normal white (yes, processed) bread grilled with a lettuce leaf and two patties in each sandwich.

Hummus and Veggie Patties

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons of hummus
• About 1 - 1/2 cups of zuccini, peppers, carrots
• 2 whole jalepeno peppers
• 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder
• A pinch of tumeric powder
• About a cup of semolina

To make:

• Chop up the zuccini, peppers and carrots roughly.
• Toss the veggies into a blender and blitz the life out of them.
• Add the hummus, jalepenos and the spices. Mix again.
• Form patties of your desired shape.
• Coat the patties uniformly in the semolina (or bread crumbs, if you have them).
• Deep fry till a golden brown.
• Enjoy with a mint chutney or Tabasco.

Serving: Will make about 6 patties.

What I Want Now: Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I miss hot, gooey, runny cheese! Recipe courtesy Closet Cooking.