It’s a sad state of affairs, but, believe it or not, chef’s don’t often eat well.  Working around food all day, constantly tasting and sampling, we often find we miss meals and aren’t really all that hungry anyways.  Even when we are hungry we rarely have time to sit down and enjoy a meal.  Most of our meals are eaten “on the fly” which usually means throwing something between 2 pieces of bread and wolfing it down between tasks.  Despite that fact, I love sandwiches.  The variety is endless and a well crafted sandwich can be a work of art, in my opinion.  Of course most people go through life not giving much thought to the lowly sandwich.  We “slap” sandwiches together because they are easy, we’re in a hurry, or we don’t know what else to fix. It’s too bad because with just the smallest amount of work sandwiches can be so much more than just quick fuel. With this blog I hope to help combat that mindset. Sandwiches, in all forms, will make their way into posts here as I have lots of great, satisfying sandwich recipes to share. Don’t worry, this isn’t turning into a “sandwich” blog. I still plan tackling plenty of other foods and topics, but expect to see sandwiches appear here regularly. Today’s recipe is quite simple but makes a great luncheon entree when served with a small salad.

Curried Chicken Salad Sandwich
2 stalks celery, small dice
1/2 medium onion, small dice
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, small dice
1/4 cup Raisins (preferably golden raisins, but regular works well also)
2 1/2 cups Chicken breast, cooked and diced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup Pecan pieces
1 Tbls. Curry powder
salt
pepper
Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
12 slices Whole Wheat or 7 Grain Bread (any hearty, whole grained bread works best though any bread is fine)

Toss diced apples with lemon juice. Toast the pecans on a sheet pan until starting to brown. Allow the pecans to cool and mix all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among six slices of bread. Top with lettuce then the other slices of bread

Last Saturday while shopping at the Fond du Lac farmer’s market I came across the first beets of the season. Well, at least the first beets to arrive at the market. Excitedly, I grabbed up a couple of bunches, just thinking of all the possibilities. Life interjected and we got busy with visiting friends, work, and the daily grind. I forgot all about them. This evening as I was driving home from work, in 90 degree weather, with no AC (I know you probably don’t care, but I thought I’d share my misery with you), I remembered buying them along with some beautiful baby spinach. Being hot out, salad sounded good so I threw this salad together for a refreshing late night dinner.

Beet and Spinach Salad
2 bunches Baby Beets, tops removed (if fresh you can add the tops to the salad)
2 pounds Baby Spinach
6 slices Bacon, thick cut
4-6 oz. Blue Cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Pistachios, shelled
1 can French Fried Onion Rings
1/3 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Malt Vinegar
1/2 cup Vegetable oil (any neutral flavored oil will work)
Salt
Pepper, freshly ground

Place the beets in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until a paring knife, when inserted into the beet, encounters little resistance. For baby beets, this should take about 12-14 minutes, depending on their size. When done, remove from heat and run under cold water to cool them. Peel and quarter the beets. The skins should slip off relatively easily. Meanwhile chop the bacon and cook, in a saute pan until crisp. Remove the bacon, leaving the bacon fat in the pan. Add the maple syrup and vinegar. Scrape up an bits stuck to the bottom of the saute pan and cook 1 minute. Add the oil, salt and pepper, tasting and adjusting the seasoning as needed. Remove from heat. Combine the spinach, beets, and bacon in a large bowl. Add the warm, not hot, dressing to the salad and toss to coat. Add the blue cheese and toss again. Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if necessary. Divide among 4 large plates and sprinkle with the pistachios. Place a small mound of the onion rings on top. This recipe serves 4 as an entree salad or 8 as a first course.