Steak sandwich

This is in my opinion the most manly meal I've ever wrote a post about - a proper steak sandwich. And I'm sure I'm not wrong in saying that it is probably every meat eating man's dream. I find that there's something really manly about eating steak - maybe it's the whole caveman thing in a more modern angle.

We have a couple of steaks at home that need to be eaten before we leave for Vietnam this weekend and I started it by making a lovely steak wrap for my other half for yesterday brunch. And then suddenly inspiration hit me - I should make him a steak sandwich instead. And I wanted to make him a proper steak sandwich and thus I found myself making bread a couple of hours later as I really wanted all of it to have a lovely home made feel to it. And I must say I was not disappointed with the outcome.

Apart from baking the bread and letting the steak come up to room temperature the whole thing was really easy to put together. And by all means use some nice and fresh bread or bread rolls from a bakery - had I been short of time that would have been exactly what I would have done.

I really love the rustic look and feel of those sandwiches. And you should have seen my significant other's eyes when he saw them when I was taking photos. That was pure happiness. So here you go - a juicy filling homemade lunch which is guaranteed to go down a treat.

Ingredients
(Makes 2 sandwiches)
- 4 slices of bread (I used this)
- 200g steak
- Butter
- Lettuce
- 1/2 tomato, sliced
- 4 tsp mustard
- 2 gherkins
- Salt, pepper to season
- Olive oil

Directions
Start by taking the steak out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking in order to allow the steak to come to room temperature before cooking it. When the time has passed, heat up a non-stick pan. In the meantime season both sides generously with salt and pepper and then rub the steak with some olive oil. When the pan is hot, place the stake on it and cook for a couple of minutes (this really depends on the thickness of the steak and how well do you like it cooked). Whilst the steak is cooking, spread some butter on all four slices of bread and add lettuce and tomatoes on 2 slices. Then flip the steak and cook for the same amount of time. In the meantime slice up the gherkins. When the steak is done, remove it from the pan, place on a chopping board, cover with cling film and let it rest for about 5 minutes, so the juices that concentrated in the middle of the steak could even out and result in a more flavourful and juicier steak.

So finally, slice up the steak, divide it between the sandwiches, top it off with some mustard and gherkins. Place the other slices of breads on top of it and enjoy!

Turkey & mustard sandwich

Usually when I'm longing for a quick lunch or a snack I try to think of new and interesting (and not always the fastest) ideas. However, this time I had reached a point when I just wanted something simple and therefore I opted for a nice open sandwich. I am a big fan of open sandwiches as they have less bread and to be honest I even didn't know that 'real' sandwiches were with two slices of bread. Over the years I've began having rye or wholegrain bread instead of white bread, which means that my sandwiches have become a lot healthier. I had bought some really nice roast turkey from Whole Foods deli counter (absolutely heavenly), so decided to make my sandwich with that. To spice it up a bit I added some mustard and to keep the sandwich nice and moist I used some spinach, cucumber and tomato. But, long story short, this sandwich was exactly what I needed - simple, tasty, healthy and quick to make. This makes a perfect snack or a nice lunch bite, which can be easily taken into work or university.

Ingredients
(Makes 2 slices)
- 1 slice of Biona rye bread, halved
- 2 slices of turkey ham (or roast turkey)
- 20g baby spinach leaves
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 4 slices of cucumber
- 2 cherry tomatoes
- Bit of butter
- Freshly ground pepper

Directions
First cut the bread into half and toast it.  Then spread a very thin layer of butter on the slices. Divide the baby spinach leaves between the bread slices, top each with turkey and spread a teaspoon of mustard on each. Place two slices of cucumber and tomato on each and top it off with some freshly ground pepper.