I need a heck of a sandwich

[PicnicChef]

Host Note: I have moved this from the NJ forum, because great sandwich ideas are universal. To familiarize yourself with Picnic's concept, check out their website, here's a link to the daily specials. - Rachel

Hi there! Christine from little Picnic in Emerson. We change our lunch menu every day with between 11-13 items. I'm running out of ideas for new and exciting sandwiches. Got any? I'll give them a test drive and if they are swell, you'll see them on our menu. Thanks in advance for your help!

Edited January 21, 2006 by Rachel Perlow (log)

[tommy]

i'm a big fan of pulled pork. and i think bergen county needs more pulled pork.

with a slight drizzle of a somewhat sweet and tangy sauce, and maybe some slaw.

even if you can't smoke the butt, slow roasting is definitely an option. you can make up for the lack of smoke with a rub.

please.

[Anonymouze]

Actually am I ever glad you asked! heeeheeee... Your menu is quite mouth watering but I will tell you what I order or pick up - when I do not order from you or a local chinese or italian place.

Grilled Chicken with sundried tomato's fresh mozz' and (sliced fresh avocado's or dressing - eaters choice?) on either a baguette or a sundried tomato wrap.

Sliced peppercorn lemon turkey (or is it chicken?) with cranberries, stuffing or rice or roasted potatos and fruit sliced in or on it! (like apples or mango's whatever the "house" has that particular day!) as a sandwich/wrap or platter.

Pate with peppercorns with carmelized onions on a pressed bread or baguette with a nice starchy side such as your delicous mashed potatos or sweet potatoes would work wonderfully.

I hope that's a good start. It's a shame I don't like to cook, I like to order or take out or get delivered.

[rooftop1000]

Christine how about...

Roast beef with Asiago, Roasted Peppers and Pesto

Grilled veg with Smoked Mozz and Roasted Onion dressing on Focaccia

Smoked Turkey, Brie, Apples, and Honey Mustard on Multigrain Baguett

Black Forest Ham with Havarti and Cranberry Mustard

Grilled Salmon, Cucumber, Red Pepper strips and Dill dressing in a wrap

Crab salad - Swiss Melt

too bad I dont do this for a living anymore

"Lucille from Taylor says Hi"

tracey

[Daniel]

I had a skirt steak sandwich the other day that was really good.. I made a soy marinade.. Grilled with onions and blue cheese. I was very happy.

Edited January 21, 2006 by Daniel (log)

[kitwilliams]

I've just fallen in love with the pureed beans, bacon and grilled/marinated escarole sandwich from Nancy Silverton's Sandwich book. Some good ideas in there.

Ever made a Cobb Club Sandwich? Especially great on croissants.

[Jason Perlow]

The Odd-Job: Grilled Marinated Korean Bulgogi Beef with Scallions and Spicy Napa Cabbage Kimchi in a wrap. (I stole it from Sara Moulton)

Zorba the Greek: Sliced Leg of Lamb with Tzadziki Sauce, with fried zucchini and Skorthalia in a Pita, with lettuce, tomato, bibb lettuce, red onion, and crumbled Feta.

The English Bastard: Rare Roast Beef, Melted Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, Spicy Horseradish/English Mustard Mayo, Raw Onion and Chutney on Pumpernickel.

Le Saigon: Grilled Vietnamese-marinated Pork Loin, Peanut-Hoisin Sauce (Nuoc Leo), Romaine Lettuce, Fried Shallots, and Pickled Vegetable Salad on toasted French Bread. Also, Le Saigon Beef Flank Steak, Le Saigon Chicken.

[raxelita]

Coppa, sopressata, fresh mozzerela on crusty baguette drizzled with balsamic and evoo.

[Daniel]

One Zorba please! Extra Feta.

[rlibkind]

Tuna niçoise: hollowed out baguette filled with light tuna (olive oil) mixed with olives, etc., tightly rolled into the sandwich and allowed to mellow overnight.

Salmon salad: not done nearly enough! Make it like your favorite tuna salad sandwich. Better quality canned salmon is perfectly good, though poached or roasted salmon is better.

Ham salad: again, a sandwich filling that's neglected even though it can be superb. Start with a really, really good ham (easier to say than find). Among the items I like to mix in: little cubes of roasted beets, cornichon or homemade dill pickles, etc.

Shrimp & Dill salad. Again, simple but sophisticated. Hey, try potted shrimp, making your own potted shrimp, of course.

If you're a knife & fork establishment, consider Danish open face sandwiches. Talk about variety! But labor intensive to prepare.

Your own version of bahn mi.

Have you done Cubanos? How about a version with corned beef and roast beef instead of ham and roast pork? (Would then be a Reubeno?

Marinated fish sandwich: Fried flounder or just about any other thin/medium fried filet (even, perhaps especially, herring) which you marinate overnight with sliced onions and a thin vinegar/sugar pickle solution spiked with a clove (very Scandinavian). Serve it as a Danish open face on Danish rye, or on a Portuguese long roll.

[Cook456]

How about an Asian Tuna made with wasabi mayo, or a curried chicken salad with raisins and almonds.

[moosnsqrl]

The Two Fat Ladies made a Shooter's Sandwich on their show once that I always intended to steal for a picnic. This recipe looks more simplified than I thought theirs was but in the interest of a timely response it was the best I could do. I would probably want to watch the show again for the 'real deal'.

[Rachel Perlow]

I still remember the tuna hero Dino, of the late Dino's Bakery (now a Domino's ) in Cliffside Park, made me once. It was a good quality olive oil packed tuna with herbs and chopped tomatoes mixed in. Mmm.

Jason's favorite day after roast turkey dinner sandwich is sliced turkey breast with a lot of black pepper ground on, romaine lettuce and a thin schmear of mayo on the bread. We usually use wheat, but any bread is acceptable, the main thing is to use an obscene amount of ground pepper. Mayo the bread, grind on the pepper so you don't really see the mayo anymore, then the turkey and lettuce.

Do you ever do "leftover" based sandwiches? Jewish style (braised) brisket makes a great next day sandwich, hot (when hot with gravy, it can get rather messy, perhaps serve open faced, or just with a warning that it may need to be eaten with a knife and fork because of the gravy) or cold. What about meatloaf?

I was also going to suggest cubanos. They don't have to be served on long bread, I'll bet your foccacia rolls would panini into great cubanos. It's the combination of meat/cheese and pickle/mustard flavor that gets me. Shouldn't be over loaded with meat, just enough.

I don't know if you ever do eggplant, but if you do, I hate most pizzeria eggplant parm. The eggplant is sliced too thin and then breaded/fried. It usually tastes like breading parmesan to me. When I do it at home, I make thicker eggplant cutlets, baked with a very light breading. Of course, this is something I make at home, so I wouldn't order it, but someone who doesn't like to cook (Anonymouze?) might appreciate this as a casserole or sandwich.

Hummos or Babaganoush with Israeli salad stuffed into pita.

I know it's weird and not gourmet, but for your bargain menu on the bottom of the page, something my mom used to pack me for school lunches, chicken roll with ketchup on white or rye. Yes, the processed kind of chicken roll. Just for something tacky and nostalgic? I'm really curious if this would sell.

[PicnicChef]

I still remember the tuna hero Dino, of the late Dino's Bakery (now a Domino's ) in Cliffside Park, made me once. It was a good quality olive oil packed tuna with herbs and chopped tomatoes mixed in. Mmm.

Jason's favorite day after roast turkey dinner sandwich is sliced turkey breast with a lot of black pepper ground on, romaine lettuce and a thin schmear of mayo on the bread. We usually use wheat, but any bread is acceptable, the main thing is to use an obscene amount of ground pepper. Mayo the bread, grind on the pepper so you don't really see the mayo anymore, then the turkey and lettuce.

Do you ever do "leftover" based sandwiches? Jewish style (braised) brisket makes a great next day sandwich, hot (when hot with gravy, it can get rather messy, perhaps serve open faced, or just with a warning that it may need to be eaten with a knife and fork because of the gravy) or cold. What about meatloaf?

I was also going to suggest cubanos. They don't have to be served on long bread, I'll bet your foccacia rolls would panini into great cubanos. It's the combination of meat/cheese and pickle/mustard flavor that gets me. Shouldn't be over loaded with meat, just enough.

I don't know if you ever do eggplant, but if you do, I hate most pizzeria eggplant parm. The eggplant is sliced too thin and then breaded/fried. It usually tastes like breading parmesan to me. When I do it at home, I make thicker eggplant cutlets, baked with a very light breading. Of course, this is something I make at home, so I wouldn't order it, but someone who doesn't like to cook (Anonymouze?) might appreciate this as a casserole or sandwich.

Hummos or Babaganoush with Israeli salad stuffed into pita.

I know it's weird and not gourmet, but for your bargain menu on the bottom of the page, something my mom used to pack me for school lunches, chicken roll with ketchup on white or rye. Yes, the processed kind of chicken roll. Just for something tacky and nostalgic? I'm really curious if this would sell.

←

Thanks, all for the suggestions to date. On the bargain menu, we did a fried bologna sandwich, and it worked! Sold like a little charm. Heaven knows why! We do a "Picnic Cubano" with our own pickles...I'm getting some great sandwiches on this post. Thanks millions.

[fifi]

We now make this eggplant gratin almost exclusively for pressed sandwiches. Slice a good crusty bread loaf in half, take out some of the crumb, brush with olive oil, fill the bread and press. Slice into portions.

[snowangel]

Then there was the time I craved a BLT, but it was the middle of December and there was no way I was going to stoop to the styrofoam balls masquarading as tomatoes that were available.

So, the BLH to the rescue -- Bacon, Lettuce and Hummous on toasted rustic bread. It was so good I continue to make them!

[devlin]

Falafel!

[JAZ]

Then there was the time I craved a BLT, but it was the middle of December and there was no way I was going to stoop to the styrofoam balls masquarading as tomatoes that were available.

So, the BLH to the rescue -- Bacon, Lettuce and Hummous on toasted rustic bread.  It was so good I continue to make them!

←

Another variation is to use roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes. With pesto mayonnaise, it's great.

[KatieLoeb]

To me, it's the little things that make a sandwich go from good to great. Interesting spreads or flavored mayonnaise/aioli that really compliments the protein. Using things like hummus or baba ghanoush in the sandwich. Interesting additions that add a new dimension of flavor like the fig jam I love to use in grilled Brie sandwiches. Interesting flavored cheeses that are a twist on the tried and true.

So here's my short list of things to put on sandwiches to make them better:

Pesto mayo

Chipotle mayo

Roasted Red pepper mayo

Smoked Paprika Aioli

Tapenade mayo

Hummus (with flavored hummus bringing other variations)

Baba Ghanoush

Tapenade

Fig Jam

Pepper Jelly

Orange Marmalade

Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Garlic Cheddar

Jalepeno Jack cheese

Horseradish Cheddar

Etc.

Any combo of one interesting sauce, with one/two interesting protein and one interesting cheese makes for a good sandwich.

[little ms foodie]

More ideas here Picnic, what's in your basket?

[project]

i'm a big fan of pulled pork.  and i think bergen county needs more pulled pork. 

with a slight drizzle of a somewhat sweet and tangy sauce, and maybe some slaw. 

even if you can't smoke the butt, slow roasting is definitely an option.  you can make up for the lack of smoke with a rub. 

please. 

←

I grew up in Memphis, and there the BBQ pork was just coarsely chopped and not pulled. Chopped is fine. And, yes, with a good rub and some good sauce just after chopping, oven roasting can be plenty good. For the oven roasting, just give it a lot of time at a low temperature and stop when the internal temperature is about 180 F. The oven temperature might be, say, 225 F. Then, might need about 16 hours to reach 180 F.

So, yes, start with just fresh pork 'picnic' shoulder, that is, the front leg, from just above the wrist to just below the shoulder joint. The lower part will still have the skin on -- just leave it on.

Yes, serve on lightly toasted large white bread bun with cole slaw and some especially hot table sauce customers can add in drops.

A good side dish is some BBQ beans that do contain some chunks of BBQ pork. I do NOT have a good recipe for the beans!

With the sandwich and beans, cold beer goes great!

Traditional dessert is chocolate ice box pie -- basically a pie shell with some variety of chocolate pudding topped with a layer of whipped cream.

Then all that is missing is a 1957 Pontiac Bonneville and, in the right front seat, a sweet young thing with a long blond ponytail tied up with a red ribbon, a circle pen, and a poodle skirt, but I digress!

[prasantrin]

I don't know what you already serve, so forgive me if I repeat anything...

One of my favourite bakeries does a Croque Monsieur (with bechamel, of course!). They reheat it in a toaster oven and it comes out perfectly rich and gooey and just...divine!

Parco Cafe in Nashville does a salmon sandwich--chunks of salmon, mixed with chunky vegetables and marinated in an oil/vinegar/herb dressing. They also have an eggplant sandwich that was amazing. I still have dreams about it, and I'm dying to get back to Nashville to try their new place.

[PicnicChef]

i'm a big fan of pulled pork.  and i think bergen county needs more pulled pork. 

with a slight drizzle of a somewhat sweet and tangy sauce, and maybe some slaw. 

even if you can't smoke the butt, slow roasting is definitely an option.  you can make up for the lack of smoke with a rub. 

please. 

←

You got it! I have a new smoker to boot...so I'll do it right! Thanks for the idea!

[PicnicChef]

i'm a big fan of pulled pork.  and i think bergen county needs more pulled pork. 

with a slight drizzle of a somewhat sweet and tangy sauce, and maybe some slaw. 

even if you can't smoke the butt, slow roasting is definitely an option.  you can make up for the lack of smoke with a rub. 

please. 

←

I grew up in Memphis, and there the BBQ pork was just coarsely chopped and not pulled. Chopped is fine. And, yes, with a good rub and some good sauce just after chopping, oven roasting can be plenty good. For the oven roasting, just give it a lot of time at a low temperature and stop when the internal temperature is about 180 F. The oven temperature might be, say, 225 F. Then, might need about 16 hours to reach 180 F.

So, yes, start with just fresh pork 'picnic' shoulder, that is, the front leg, from just above the wrist to just below the shoulder joint. The lower part will still have the skin on -- just leave it on.

Yes, serve on lightly toasted large white bread bun with cole slaw and some especially hot table sauce customers can add in drops.

A good side dish is some BBQ beans that do contain some chunks of BBQ pork. I do NOT have a good recipe for the beans!

With the sandwich and beans, cold beer goes great!

Traditional dessert is chocolate ice box pie -- basically a pie shell with some variety of chocolate pudding topped with a layer of whipped cream.

Then all that is missing is a 1957 Pontiac Bonneville and, in the right front seat, a sweet young thing with a long blond ponytail tied up with a red ribbon, a circle pen, and a poodle skirt, but I digress!

←

Thank goodness, I'm a blonde!

[snowangel]

You got it! I have a new smoker to boot...so I'll do it right! Thanks for the idea!

←

For the definitive word on smoked butt, click here. Behold my butt!