Piquillo Pepper Num Pangs

I made homemade Kaiser rolls, and I had a plan for them. I had been thinking about these sandwiches on Kaiser rolls for a year, or the recipe had been sitting in my files for that long anyway. Last September, these num pangs appeared in Food and Wine, and the combination of big flavors and crisp vegetables was something I wanted to try. They could have been made with just about any roll, and semolina baguettes were suggested as another option, but they were shown on Kaiser rolls which seemed just right. There’s a lot going on in these sandwiches. The julienned carrots aren’t just raw carrots. They’re crisped in vinegar with a little sugar. And, the pesto is no standard pesto. It’s made with Thai basil and spiked with anchovies, lime juice, and fish sauce. That’s not all. While plain mayonnaise would have been good, drizzled with sriracha, it was even better.

So, to make those quick-pickled carrots, cider vinegar and sugar were combined and the julienned carrot sticks were tossed in the mixture. That was left at room temperature for an hour and stirred from time to time. The pesto was made by whizzing the following in a food processor: Thai basil leaves, anchovies, lime juice, fish sauce, crushed red pepper flakes, and chopped garlic. The Kaiser rolls were split, toasted, and buttered, and then it was time to build sandwiches. One side of each roll was spread with mayonnaise and drizzled with sriracha, and the other side was topped with pesto. The sandwich was layered with thinly sliced cucumber, piquillo peppers, carrots, and cilantro leaves.

This sandwich has been by far my favorite use of these Kaiser rolls. For a sandwich full of vegetables, the flavor was incredible. The smokiness from the piquillos was a nice touch, but even raw red bell pepper strips would have been great. I definitely recommend the pesto, and there’s a tip in the recipe intro for a quicker version. Store-bought basil pesto could be doctored by adding chiles, lime juice, and fish sauce for a similar result. I also wouldn’t skip the sriracha on the mayonnaise. In fact, that will be appearing on almost all of my future sandwiches.

Lime-Habanero Mayonnaise with Grilled Salmon and Micro Greens

This dish was inspired by a Bobby Flay recipe, but I made a few changes. Bobby’s dish was tuna salad made with the mayonnaise and put into a sandwich with watercress. He suggested a lemon-habanero mayonnaise, but I’ve moved on from lemon for now so I used lime. Also, I used less lime juice and less onion than suggested, and I added garlic. I used the mayonnaise as a sauce over grilled salmon, and since I couldn’t find watercress, arugula micro greens dressed in a lime vinaigrette danced on top. As a sauce, it’s a little acidic, so next time I might cut back on the reduced lime juice, but if it were put into a sandwich or on a fish taco, it would be fine. Actually, on a fish taco it would be amazing. The mayonnaise gets even better after sitting in the refrigerator overnight. It was divine on a veggie burger the next day. Grilled chicken would also be a good vehicle, and I might try that tomorrow. When making the mayonnaise, I would recommend adding just a little habanero at first, tasting, and adding more if you want it hotter. I ended up using one and a half habaneros this time as they were kind of small. Here's my rendition of the mayonnaise:

2 c fresh lime juice
1 to 1 1/2 habanero chiles, seeded and chopped
1 t lime zest
1 c excellent, prepared mayonnaise (or, make it fresh)
2 T red onion, finely diced
½ large stalk celery with leaves, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

-Place lime juice in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/3 c. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Place lime syrup, habanero (a little at first), and remaining ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Add more habanero to taste.