Homemade Pastrami sandwich
Recipe by Naama Ran. A tasty, healthy homemade filling that kids love too. All you need is good wholegrain bread and favorite vegetables for a complete meal. The pastrami keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and can also be frozen whole or in separate slices.
Ingredients (15 servings)
For the pastrami:
- 1 whole turkey breast (butterflied)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
For assembling the sandwich:
- Sliced bread
- Mayonnaise, mustard or Thousand Island dressing
- Cut vegetables
Preparation
Pastrami: In a bowl, mix the honey, olive oil and spices. Add the turkey and massage the spice paste over all sides. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before roasting. Press the two breast halves together and tie with kitchen string along the length of the meat to create even thickness for uniform roasting.
Meanwhile, place a deep pan with boiling water on the bottom rack of the oven and heat to 200°C.
Place the turkey on a rack and roast for 40 minutes. If the piece is large (more than 1.3 kg), turn off the oven and leave it inside for about 10 more minutes.
Cool for at least 20 minutes. Slice thinly.
Assemble the sandwich: Spread a slice of bread with your spread of choice, add pastrami slices and vegetables, top with another slice of bread and serve.
Caprese French toast sandwich
Recipe by Michal Levy Elhalal. Anyone who has visited Italy probably remembers panini, the local sandwiches, especially the toasted ones with gooey melted cheese. This local version combines French toast with classic Caprese ingredients — mozzarella, tomatoes and basil.
Ingredients (4–5 servings)
- 10–12 thin slices challah or white sandwich bread
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil
- 100–120 g sliced mozzarella or sliced mozzarella fresca
- 3 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- Leaves from 2–3 sprigs fresh basil
For the batter:
- 4 eggs
- Salt, black pepper
- 1⅓ cups (320 ml) milk
Preparation
Batter: Put the eggs, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Dip a bread slice into the batter, once on each side. Add mozzarella, tomato slices and basil leaves. Dip a second slice on both sides and close the sandwich. Place in the skillet, lower the heat to medium and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until golden and the cheese melts. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
Cool for about 1 minute, cut in half and serve.
Smiley-face sandwich with pink tahini spread
Recipe by Anat Lebel. With a striking pink spread and smiling vegetables, nobody is going to call this sandwich “not tasty.”
Ingredients (6 sandwiches)
- 12 slices bread
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red pepper
For the tahini spread:
- 1/4 cup raw tahini
- Juice of 1/2 lemon, or more for taste
- 1/3 cup cooked, roasted or vacuum-packed beet cubes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4–1/2 cup cold water
- Salt
Preparation
Spread: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Keeps up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Using an apple corer or round cutter, cut 2 circles from 6 bread slices and 12 matching circles from the cucumber. Cut a smaller inner circle in each cucumber slice. Cut 12 small pepper circles to fit the cucumber holes.
Place the cucumber circles into the bread holes and insert the pepper circles inside them. Carefully cut a mouth shape into each decorated bread slice, cut matching shapes from the red pepper and insert them.
Spread the tahini mixture on the whole bread slices. Close with the decorated slices and serve.
Bonus recipe: homemade chocolate spread
Recipe by Amit Donskoy. A rich, tasty chocolate-cream cheese spread, plus a trick that turns it into a Nutella-style spread. Delicious on any bread, especially sweet challah.
Ingredients
- 300 g milk chocolate
- 150 g butter
- 3 tbsp cream cheese
- Optional: 1 tbsp ground hazelnuts
Preparation
Place the chocolate and butter in a suitable container and melt gradually in the microwave until smooth and creamy. Let it cool down.
Add the cream cheese and mix.
For a Nutella-style spread, stir in the ground hazelnuts. Ready to serve.
Storage: Keeps up to 10 days in the refrigerator.