It's a living thing, what a terrible thing to lose...

One of my first blog posts was the traditional banh mi sandwich. I have revisited this delight today in a different form. Actually, banh mi is a Vietnamese term for all kinds of bread. Bread, or more specifically the baguette, was introduced by the French during its colonial period. The bread most commonly found in Vietnam is a single serving baguette; therefore the term banh mi is synonymous with this type of bread. The banh mi is usually more airy than its western counterpart, so as a result, has a thinner crust. In the western hemisphere, especially in areas with substantial Vietnamese expatriate communities, the term is used to refer to a type of meat-filled sandwich on banh mi bread, found in Vietnamese bakeries. Typical fillings include steamed, pan-roasted or oven-roasted seasoned pork belly, Vietnamese sausage, grilled pork, grilled pork patties, spreadable pork liver pate, grilled chicken, soft pork meatballs in tomato sauce. Accompanying vegetables typically include fresh cucumber slices, generous amounts of cilantro, and pickled carrots and daikon in shredded form. Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, and mayonnaise. I wanted to take all these intense flavors and make a cool refreshing summer sandwich, so I set out to recreate all this goodness in a chicken salad banh mi. It in fact turned out just as delicious as the original. You can cater the heat to your liking, but this is supposed to be a spicy sandwich. This salad keeps nicely in the fridge for a few days. If you have extra pickled veggies they are good on just about anything or simply on their own. This would serve as an ideal summer evening dinner.  

Chicken Salad Banh Mi Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more if you like)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon soy sauce

2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cups chopped chicken breast

3/4 to 1 cup pickled carrots and radishes (recipe follows)

1/2 cucumber, seeded and diced (slice the second half for sandwiches)

1 green onion, finely sliced

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (for sandwich topping) finely chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

1 jalapeno, diced (remove ribs and seeds for less heat)

baguettes

Instructions

In a small bowl, whisk together the Sriracha sauce, mayonnaise, light sour cream, soy sauce, and lime juice. Whisk in the ginger, garlic and salt - set aside.

In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients (minus pickled veggies).

Pour dressing over the salad and stir until evenly mixed.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.

Place salad on bread with sliced cucumbers, pickled veggies and cilantro.

Pickled Veggies

3/4 cup shredded carrots

3/4 cup shredded radishes

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

In a small saucepan, combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt.

Heat and stir until combined.

Remove from heat and allow to cool completely before pouring over veggies.

Let them pickle overnight or longer for best results.

Until tomorrow…Peace.

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Come on let's just see what you've got...

Today, I am delivering an alternative to the traditional Cobb salad. With high temperatures keeping the summer days heated, this may just be the refreshing meal you are searching for. The Cobb salad is a classic.  Various stories of how the salad was invented subsist. The most popular being that it came about in the 1930's at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, where it grew to be a signature dish. It is named for the restaurant's owner, Robert Howard Cobb. Stories fluctuate as to whether the salad was invented by Cobb or by his chef, Chuck Wilson. The legend is that Cobb had not eaten until near midnight, and so he mixed together leftovers he found in the kitchen, along with some bacon cooked by the line cook, and tossed it with their French dressing. Regardless of whether or not there is validity to this account I agree with many that these ingredients create a delicious salad. Often Cobb salads are prepared with shredded (or diced) chicken, I omitted this as I served my cups as a component for a light brunch. Feel free to make the poultry addition. I also whisked together a simple vinaigrette instead of French dressing. This salad can be shaped to your personal preferences; black olives bring a briny element. The cups are a fun presentation, and would be lovely for a luncheon.   

Cobb Salad Cups

1 Radicchio, rinsed

2 cups chickpeas (from dried or from one can – drain and rinse well if canned)

1 Tablespoon flour

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 eggs

1 large tomato diced or cherry tomatoes

Half of an Avocado, diced

Arugula

Blue cheese, crumbled

Bacon crumbled

For the dressing:

1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

Salt / Pepper

First, hard boil the eggs. Place the eggs in a small saucepan and fill with water until eggs are emerged. Bring water to a boil, and then remove from heat. Cover and let the eggs sit in the water for 12 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel and chop.

Toss chickpeas with the flour. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpeas and cook until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel to remove excess oil. Set aside.

Whisk all dressing ingredients together until incorporated. Set aside.

Chop the bottom of the radicchio and peel back each layer to create little cup like pieces. Fill the cups with arugula, hardboiled eggs, chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese, and bacon. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Until tomorrow…Peace.

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