Bánh Mì Saigon

A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in TriBeCa, reporting for the very first time for jury duty.  I found myself actually looking forward to it; I’d never done it before and it was a chance to do something a little different on a workday.  I got to walk a whole new path to my destination, and I got to revisit my old high school stomping grounds for lunch.  

That first day of jury duty was itself unremarkable but for the long lunch break we were granted.  Though the official lunch hours were 1 – 2, by noon it became obvious that the judges were not going to be calling anybody, and we were told that we were free to go and be back by two.  Now, if I’d had a mere hour to procure my lunch, I’d have made a decision lickety-split and been done with it.  That I found myself with two hours made the decision that much tougher.  It was also excessively gorgeous that day, and I found myself ambling around, not paying much mind to my rumbling belly.  I fetched some horchata, and set to wandering.  

I passed by so many potential lunch destinations, but, in typical fashion, couldn’t settle on a single one.  I resisted the pull of Morgan's Market, a stalwart of my Stuy days, where I sat on the stoop outside with my grilled cheese deluxe (with tomatoes, obvs)  far more frequently than I'd like to admit.  So I strolled, and suddenly it was 1:30, and I was forced to make a decision lest my fellow potential jurors be forced to listen to my stomach grumble angrily at me for the next few hours (which ended up being only about hour as we were released way early; #jurydutywin).  Like the professional procrastinator I am, once under the gun, I was able to quickly settle on what I wanted.  And that was a bánh mì.  I often crave the salty, pickley sandwiches, but I don’t often find myself near Chinatown when those cravings hit.  I had to take advantage. 

I marched on over to  bánh mì Saigon and placed an order for a #4, the  bánh mì Pate Cha: Vietnamese ham and pate and retreated to a park to enjoy.  The sandwich came, as is traditional with bánh mì, on a crispy rice flour baguette, yielding but crispy, and not too flavorful so as to detract from the cacophony of flavor within.  Lightly pickled carrots and daikon radish and strips of cucumber aplenty helped offset the richer flavors of the duo of pork.  Vietnamese ham, or pork roll, is an interesting thing, almost like a salty, delicious Vietnamese gyro made of pork.  The pate brings a mild funk to the sandwich.  Mayo joins the party to add some moisture and tie together the funk, the salt and the acid with some creaminess.    Cilantro brings freshness and keeps the palate from being overwhelmed.  Though not the best bánh mì I've had, it's a fine example of the form.  


Banh Mi Saigon
198 Grand Street (b/w Mulberry & Mott)
New York, NY
(212) 941-1541
http://www.banhmisaigonnyc.com/

Sardine and Avocado Sandwich

                            

So, where did we leave off, oh…three months ago? That’s right – that kind-of-sort-of-vegan thing. Well, suffice it to say that my efforts for healthfulness in that journey were not met with success, and for a variety of reasons I have chosen to depart from a mostly-vegan diet. Though many of my meals are still vegan, and I think that it is a truly admirable and healthful way of life, it’s just not right for me, right now. Though I’ve reverted back to my fish and cheese and egg-eating ways (oh runny yolks, how I missed you), I haven’t been as quick to jump back on the totally-omnivorous track, though perhaps that will come. Phew, now that that’s off my chest, we can proceed.

This little meal here I think serves as a wonderful bridge between my last post and what I imagine for those in the future. While fishing practices for certain species have vastly degraded the environment and left certain fish on the verge of extinction, sardines are an exception and a great sustainable choice, as they’re abundant and have high reproductive rates. Not only that, but those little buggers are healthy as hell, boasting awesome amounts of omega-3s and essential proteins, and since sardines are low in the food chain, the mercury levels in sardines are much, much lower than their big-eye tuna brethren. Eat your sardines from a can and you’ll receive an added bonus: the teeny little bones, which can barely be detected, are a great source of calcium. Oh yea, they're cheap too.

Now I realize what I’m proposing may be a bit of a hard sell. But before you balk at the mere idea of sardines, hear me out. Canned tuna is eaten with vim across this country – and I maintain that canned sardines should be too. Though they’ve gotten a bit of a bad rap from their former status as a recession-friendly food (and, fine, their stink), there are many who take great joy in eating them straight from the can with some mustard and crackers. There’s even an entire blog devoted to them. If the idea of straight tin-to-cracker sardine consumption sounds a bit intense for you, let me propose something a bit more dressed-up, which should calm some fears about the fishiness and “ick factor” of sardines. I can find little fault in a meal of sardines, dressed in a mixture of sherry vinegar, lemon and parsley. Add some avocado and delicious bread, and you have an open-faced sandwich that’s pretty damn good all around.

This sandwich idea comes from Alton Brown, who hailed it as his diet savior – and that makes total sense – this is a meal that is balanced, healthy and totally satisfying. And because sardines are oily fish, the sandwich has a certain richness while still feeling virtuous. So go on, embrace the sardine.

Sardine and Avocado Sandwich

Makes 2 open-faced sandwiches
Adapted from Alton Brown

I usually use one tin per two open-faced sandwiches, though bigger appetites may want to use the whole tin; the leftover sardine mix stays well in the fridge and makes the second sandwich a breeze to prepare. I have used both oil- and water-packed sardines with success. If you use water-packed sardines, be sure to add some oil to the mix, about a tablespoon or so will do, though do note that the oil from the tin lends great flavor to the sandwich. I like to add a little bit of Dijon mustard and onion, but both are entirely optional. Alton recommends brushing the bread with the sardine oil before toasting – I think this is unnecessary.

1 tin sardines
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley, additional for garnish
1.5 – 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar (if you don’t have sherry vinegar, substitute lemon juice, but the sherry really does add a very nice touch)
1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or to taste (optional)
1 tablespoon onion
2 slices of bread (I like using a whole wheat sourdough; try to pick a bread with a good bite, as opposed to sandwich bread)
½ ripe avocado
salt and pepper to taste

If using oil-packed sardines, drain the oil from the tin into a bowl. If using water-packed, drain off and discard the water and add one tablespoon of olive oil to a bowl. Add the parsley, sherry, lemon zest, and, if using, the mustard and onion to the bowl. Add the sardines and mix to combine, mashing a bit if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside for a few minutes to allow the flavors to combine (in the refrigerator if not using for more than an hour).

When you’re ready to assemble, toast the bread. Mash the avocado half in its skin and divide between the two slices of bread, spreading the avocado evenly to cover the bread. Divide the sardine mixture evenly between the two slices of bread, spreading it out over the avocado. Sprinkle sandwiches with additional parsley and finish with a squeeze a lemon. Then, enjoy.

A Simple Sandwich

Is all it takes to turn a day around. One second you're in a huff, totally overwhelmed by the happenings in your world. The next second you're reminded of the sandwich that never was, and you get a craving. You rush to the grocery store and buy the items necessary. You get nostalgic about something you can't fully remember because you've never actually enjoyed it. For me, this sandwich is one I spied on a menu at Les Deux Gamins in the Village this summer. I really did want to get it, but something in me told me not to. Since that day, I have envisioned this sandwich. Today was the day I finally decided to make it.



I couldn't quite remember what was on it exactly, but I knew what the building blocks were - a baguette, smoked salmon and hard boiled egg. I also remembered that there was mayonnaise on it, which was probably what led to my order of eggs over a goat cheese potato cake. I just don't really like mayonnaise. I decided to replace it with a dill-speckled creme fraiche. I'm sure the mayonnaise worked better, since it didn't have that slightly sour note lingering after each bite, but I enjoyed that sour note. It was a very simple sandwich in the end - I layered some smoked salmon, julienned cucumber, sliced tomato, onion and chopped hardboiled egg on the baguette. I chopped up some dill and mixed it into my creme fraiche and then slid that on to the top. It was perfect. And when I was finished I understood why I was so nostalgic for something that I had never tasted before. I didn't have to eat the sandwich to miss it. It was a testament to pure simplicity. Those are the tastes we cling to, the ones that are simple and familiar, the ones that you crave even though you've never tasted them before.