America's sandwiches and wraps need rescue!

American sandwiches and wraps are screaming for rescue. Rescue from dryness, rescue from an abysmal lack of taste and rescue from unimaginativeness!

We took a trip to San Diego over the Christmas break and visited all the tourist pilgrimage sites like the Legoland and the Seaworld. My son had a great time as he is a Lego freak! We had to eat out for four/five days in a row, something that we rarely do. And as usual I came away with a few strong thoughts.

Being a vegetarian gives me a reasonably limited choice in restaurants - though not as limited or non-existent choice, say ten years ago. That choice is often reduced to pizza, a sandwich or the new- age- favorite-of-the- spa-menu, a wrap, especially if it's a meal on the go. Tired of the greasy pizza, I had a vegetable wrap in Seaworld, an unerasable blot in the name of an edible item. The recipe of that wrap was as follows - Chop red bell peppers, red onions and spinach. Combine them. Do NOT season with salt and pepper. Throw them in a tortilla and roll the tortilla tight. Let it lie on a granite counter for a few hours and serve stone cold.With every bite, I was getting livid. That the hideous thing cost $7.99.

The next day we decided to have lunch in La Jolla, the fancy sea-side town north of San Diego.We selected this elegant, yet informal Italian/Mediterranean place. The menu showed that our choice was salad and sandwiches. I had buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and basil panini. When the friendly waiter got the sandwich, it looked great and fresh. But when I tasted it, it was dry, unseasoned and tasteless. Not even the fresh ingredients could rescue it. And I realized that I had gotten suckered for the nth time.

Every time I am out and need a quick meal, I reach out for sandwiches and pretty much every single time I have been hugely disappointed. With any kind of taste as the last possible criterion, a vegetable sandwich is an unwieldy melange of vegetables thrown between an even more unwieldy mass of bread. You have to be able to open your mouth 180 degrees to take a decent bite.

Why can't paninis at least have a pesto and wraps hummus? Hell, at this stage, I will even take ketchup as a spread. Bad taste wins hands down over no taste.

What are all these dishes lacking? A lubricant of some sort, a spread to bring the ingredients together, a k a the chutney!
Here are some chutneys that will spice up your sandwich world !

Pine nuts chutney

With what

• 1 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt

How to

Grind all these ingredients coarse in a food processor or a blender.

How to eat

Take 3 tbsp of pine nuts chutney. Add 1 tsp of olive oil and make a paste. Spread that paste on two slices of herb bread. Layer pieces of grilled zucchini and tomato and season with salt and pepper.

Cilantro Chutney

With what

• 2 bunches cilantro,
• 7 thai chile peppers,
• 2 big garlic cloves
• ½ cup raw peanuts,
• juice of 2 limes,
• ¼ cup water to facilitate blending,
• 1 tsp salt

Makes about 2 cups. This chutney lasts for almost a month if stored properly in a refrigerator in a dry glass bottle.

How to

Cut off the lower end, about an inch, of the cilantro bunch. The upper stems, being soft and fresh, can be used even if they don’t have the leaves.
Wash this foliage thoroughly. The best way to rid the cilantro of the dirt is to fill the sink with cold water and immerse the cilantro in it for few minutes. Take the cilantro out and drain the sink of the unclean water. Carry out the same process two-three times depending on the color of the water after taking out the cilantro.

Combine all the ingredients except the lime juice, water and salt in a food processor. The purpose of this step is to break down all the ingredients into small, manageable parts so that they are ready for a blender without adding too much water and turning the chutney into a soup. Take the coarse mixture out of the food processor and put into the blender. Add salt, lime juice and a few teaspoons of water to enable the blender to run. The chutney turns out thick, pasty and creamy.

How to eat

Take two slices of white bread or white flat bread (none of the healthy wheat or multiple grain bread would do because we want bread to function as a medium to put the chutney on. The taste or the texture of the bread should not interfere). Butter them and lather the cilantro chutney. Keep both the slices next to each other on the cutting board in front of you. Now start adding the delicious fillings on one slice; thin slices of tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, boiled potatoes and boiled beets – yes, beets! Salt and pepper the vegetables liberally. Cover with the other slice. Cut this mountain in the middle lengthwise and width-wise. Serve it with ketchup. Vegetable chutney sandwich is ready, street vendors of Mumbai style.

Enjoy! Bye, bye to mediocrity!

You don't want to miss the next post!! It's on chutneys, duh! That are weird, crazy ..... dysfunctional.