8 Classic Comfort Foods Revamped
Upgrade the classic sandwiches
When I got home from school as a kid, I used to make my favorite sandwich, which consisted of white bread, mayo, iceberg lettuce and American cheese slices. This wasn’t out of the ordinary.
The sandwich went through a tasteless period when American moms went to work and relied on a lot of processed food.
Here are some ways to modernize the classic sandwiches:
- Use high-quality bread. Cheap and bread do not go together. Good bread is worth the money. Find bread that your family likes that does not contain corn syrup and a ton of fillers. Whole wheat bread can create a weird mouth feeling, especially for young children, so try different brands and combinations of whole grains until you hit the right one.
- Better PB&J. For variety in this classic sandwich, try almond, cashew, or pumpkin butter. If you prefer peanut butter, find a good natural brand or get it freshly ground at a natural foods store. Skip the sugary brand-name jelly and try “just fruit” spreads (we like Whole Foods’ 365 brand). Pick up homemade jams from the farmers market or use honey.
- Upgraded tuna fish. Start with good-quality tuna fish. Try one of the Italian brands, like Tonnino or Flott, or one of the low-mercury brands, like Wild Planet or St. Jude. Skip the mayo and simply add enough olive oil to hold it together, some fresh lemon juice or vinegar, drained capers and a pinch of minced shallot or chives.
- Bologna/baloney replacements. Spend the money to get uncured and/or organic sandwich meat. Bump up the humble sandwich into something special with olive tapenade, Mama Lil’s peppers, pepper jack cheese, pickles, chutney, etc.
- Sophisticated egg salad. Buy organic eggs and cook them properly. Eggs mixed with a bit of mayo (or yogurt) and mustard is the base. Add any combination of well-diced parsley, basil, pickles, chives, celery or even apples, as well as seasonings like tarragon, curry powder, garlic powder, etc. Add a drizzle of sun-dried tomato sauce and remember rule number one: high-quality bread — say, an artisan loaf studded with kalamata olives? — really elevates egg salad.
