“Labor Day is the last event of the summer,” says Andrea Nguyen, the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based cookbook author and writer. “Sandwiches can mean a little less labor of the party host. My thought is to involve your guests and have a sandwich bar where they can mix and match.”
Nguyen offers plenty of ideas about fillings, condiments and seasoning accents in her new book, “The Banh Mi Handbook” (Ten Speed, $16.99). But the concept of a sandwich bar can work for any sandwich, not just a Vietnamese one. The party sandwiches she envisions, whether a banh mi, a hoagie (aka grinder, sub or wedge), a Dagwood, a torta or whatever, share many of the same elements, such as a sturdy but lightweight bread, just enough meat and lots of flavorful accents.
You don’t have to make one sandwich on one roll for one person. You can always cut a sandwich up into bite-size nibbles, especially if you’re doing more of a cocktail party theme. Or supersize the bread and cut these big loaves into individual slices or lengths. Follow the example of Hugo Ortega, a Houston-based restaurateur (co-owner of Hugo’s and Caracol; executive chef of Backstreet Cafe). He offers a breaded and fried chicken sandwich recipe in his 2012 cookbook, “Street Food of Mexico” that calls for six sesame seed buns or cemitas. You could use three larger loaves, like those for muffuletta, and cut each into portions, he says. Tracy Vaught, his wife and restaurant partner, would go in the other direction, cutting each of those six sandwiches into fourths to provide bite-size portions.
What goes on the sandwich along with the meat or other protein depends on your taste and what you might have on hand. But do consider a mix of flavors, colors and textures. Nguyen’s grilled lemongrass pork sandwich, for example, offers sprigs of fresh cilantro, just-sliced pieces of cucumber and pickled daikon and carrots.
And don’t forget to offer some creative sides. Vaught recommends putting out a number of salads, from a watermelon salad to a slaw to a mix of pickled vegetables.
Refritos
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Makes: 3 cups, about 6 servings
For his cemitas poblanas (a torta with traditional sesame bun), Hugo Ortega makes refritos or refried beans with black beans in “Street Foods of Mexico.” He’s replaced the traditional lard with olive oil. Make ahead, cool, store in an airtight plastic container and refrigerate up to 3 days. You can use cooked canned beans instead of the dried to speed up the process.
4 cups water
2 cups dry black beans, well rinsed
1/2 small white onion, quartered, plus 1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 Place a large pot over medium heat; add water, beans, quartered onion and salt. Heat to a boil, 5-7 minutes. Lower heat and simmer until soft, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Strain and discard liquid. Transfer beans to a food processor or blender; process into a smooth puree.
2 Place a skillet over medium heat; add olive oil and heat 2 minutes. Add chopped onion; cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add puree and lower heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent beans from sticking to pan, 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Serve or store as mentioned above.
Nutrition information per serving: 209 calories, 12 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 33 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 705 mg sodium, 21 g fiber
Daikon and carrot pickle
Prep: 20 minutes
Marinate: 1 hour
Makes: About 3 cups
“If you have only one pickle for banh mi, this is it,” writes Andrea Nguyen in “The Banh Mi Handbook.” No daikon available? Nguyen suggests using red radishes, watermelon radish or purple top turnips. No need to peel the red radishes and cut them into rounds, she adds. Use this pickle in her grilled lemon grass pork banh mi.
1 medium daikon, about 1 pound
1 large carrot, about 6 ounces
1 teaspoon salt, fine sea salt preferred
2 teaspoons plus 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1 cup lukewarm water
1 Peel and cut the daikon into sticks about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch thick, the width of an average chopstick. Peel and cut the carrot to match the size of the daikon sticks but slightly skinnier. Put the vegetables in a bowl. Toss with the salt and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Massage and knead the vegetables for 3 minutes, or until you can bend a piece of daikon and the tips touch without breaking.
2 Rinse daikon and carrot with running water; drain. Press or shake to expel excess water. Transfer to a 4-cup (1 quart) jar.
3 For the brine, stir together the remaining 1/2 cup sugar with the vinegar and water until dissolved. Pour into the jar to cover well. Discard any excess brine. Use after 1 hour or refrigerate for up to one month.
Note: Accurate nutritional analysis is not available because of the brine.
