Some great picnic sandwich ideas

Spring time -- fresh, new and exciting. Get out, go on a hike. Pack a nice picnic. Take a good book. Nice music. Fine wine. A blanket to sit on or a nice compact folding chair. For dessert, maybe a nice chunk of good chocolate. Vegetable sticks and potato chips, with a little container of creamy salad dressing for dipping. Sandwiches can be new and exciting. Start with great bread, different looking and fresh. Make a flavored mayonnaise, then you can put on anything you like...

Try these:

Grilled Mushroom with Red Pepper Mayonnaise

MAYONNAISE

10 pitted olives
1/4 cup chopped drained red peppers (grill or fry, or take them from a jar)
2 tbsps. chopped basil
1 cup of mayonnaise

Puree olives, peppers and basil. Add to mayonnaise.

SANDWICHES

1 cup vinegar
2 tbsps. mustard
2 tbsps. fresh basil
2 tbsps. oregano (fresh or dry)
2 green onions cut in 3-inch pieces
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 cup oil (olive recommended)
6 large mushrooms
6 slices of cheese
12 slices of bread
6 slices onion
6 slices tomato
6 green lettuce leaves

Blend vinegar, mustard, basil, oregano, green onion, and garlic with blender. Keeping blender running, gradually add oil. Add mushrooms to marinade. Fry 3 minutes on each side. Place one piece of cheese on mushrooms.

Toast bread. Spread red pepper mayonnaise on each. Add mushrooms, then onion, tomato and lettuce.

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The following recipes are from Epicurious.com

Fried Kielbasa Sandwiches

You can grill any cooked sausage you like for this sandwich, but we recommend kielbasa or salami.

Active time: 25 minutes. Start to finish: 30 minutes.

3/4 to 1 lb. smoked kielbasa or salami
2 tbsps. olive oil
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. drained bottled horseradish
2 tbsps. white-wine vinegar
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 small head Boston lettuce, torn into small pieces
4 (6-inch-long) crusty rolls, such as Portuguese, halved horizontally

Cut kielbasa crosswise into 4 long sections, then halve each section lengthwise. If using salami, cut lengthwise into 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices.

Whisk together oil, mustard, horseradish, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl until emulsified. Toss lettuce with half of vinaigrette and reserve remainder.

Toast tops and bottoms of rolls, then transfer, cut sides up, to a platter. Brush cut sides of top halves with remaining vinaigrette and mound salad on bottom halves.

Fry sausage in lightly oiled Teflon pan until desired crispness, then arrange on top of lettuce (2 pieces per sandwich) and cover with top halves of rolls. Cut sandwiches in half crosswise.

Makes 4 servings.

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Best Ever Egg Salad Sandwiches

Chopped pimiento-stuffed olives and Dijon mustard take a standard to new heights. Offer potato chips, cherry tomatoes, and sliced deli-style pickle alongside. You can also add salami to this one.

8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
12 slices white sandwich bread, toasted
12 red leaf lettuce leaves

Combine chopped eggs, celery and olives in a bowl. Mix in ¼ cup mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

Place toast slices on a work surface; spread lightly with remaining mayonnaise. Divide egg salad among 6 toast slices. Place (fried salami, if you like, plus) 2 lettuce leaves atop egg salad on each. Cover with remaining toast slices, mayonnaise side down. Cut sandwiches diagonally in half.

Makes 6 servings.

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Tandoori Chicken Sandwiches

INDIAN SPICED MAYONNAISE

1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 jalapeno chili, seeded, minced
3 tbsps. chopped onion
2 tsps. cider vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise

Combine 1 cup mint leaves, 1 cup cilantro leaves, minced jalapeno chili and chopped onion in work bowl of processor. Process until very finely chopped. Mix in cider vinegar. Add mayonnaise and process just until combined. Season mayonnaise to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes one cup.

SANDWICHES

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice
1 cup parve cream
2 tbsps. chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. tumeric
12 slices sourdough bread

Arrange boneless chicken breasts in a single layer in a large glass baking dish. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice; season with salt. Mix parve cream, chopped fresh ginger, chopped garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and tumeric in a medium bowl. Pour marinade over chicken breasts and turn to coat. Cover chicken and refrigerate 3-8 hours.

Preheat broiler. Remove chicken breasts from marinade (do not wipe clean). Grill or boil chicken until just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Cool slightly. (Chicken can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Lightly toast sourdough bread. Spread one side of each piece of bread generously with Indian Spiced Mayonnaise. Slice chicken breasts diagonally. Place slices of 1 breast atop each of 6 sourdough bread slices. Top with remaining bread slices. Cut chicken sandwiches in half. Serve sandwiches warm or at room temperature.

Article Supplied by: ABSA