MY PICNIC SANDWICH: HAM & CRÈME CHEESE
By GM for The Planet Food
One of the most fun and yet, filling, picnic foods would be the classic ham sandwich. I mean, what better than a juicy smoked ham on a wonderful Sunday afternoon? Some would say bacon is another fun option, but then, a fried bacon doesn’t really fit into the summer picnic basket. I mean, who doesn’t love good old bacon with pancakes, but that’s for another day and time.
For my picnic, I just love the thought of a smoked pork ham with a swirl of crème cheese packed into in beautifully toasted bread. If that doesn’t already make you hungry, how about I throw in some delicious honey mustard and caramelised onions? Voila! That’s our perfect picnic stack. Add to this a two- fruit smoothie, and we’re all set for an afternoon of fun.
Making the Sandwich:
Serves: 4
Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
• 8 -10 slices of any good brand of smoked ham (make sure it’s smoked ham)
• 200 grams of any good brand of crème cheese (it should not be flavoured but plain)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup of thinly sliced onions
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• One bunch of chives
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon English mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Organic Honey
• 2 table spoons of Olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 8 -10 slices of Multigrain bread (I prefer the Health Total brand)
Preparing the sandwich
• First put the crème cheese in a bowl and whisk in the chives
• In a pan, add some olive oil and sauté the sliced onions with sugar, salt and pepper
• In a separate bowl, blend the melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, English mustard, organic honey
• Toast the bread and place it on a plate
• Spread the crème cheese mix on the inside of each bread slice
• Layer the smoked ham on the cheese, and put the caramelised onions on it. You can add another layer of the ham for a better meatier bite
• Add the blended Worcestershire, mustard and honey dressing on this
• Sprinkle the grated parmesan on this and place the other slice of bread
You sandwich is ready.
For the Two Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients
Banana: 14 -16 small elaichi variety or 7- 8 large regular ripe banana
8 cups chilled orange juice (fresh unsweetened juice would be great, else a carton one also works fine, but pour in honey accordingly to measure correct sweetness)
Yougurt: 1/2 cup low fat unflavoured
Ice cubes: 4-5 cubes
Organic Honey: 1 tablespoon
Making the smoothie:
Peel and slice big pieces of the bananas into the blender.
Add the orange juice, yougurt, sugar and ice cubes into the blender and blend until you can her the ice being crushed
Pour into the flasks and good to go
You can pack each sandwich with cling wrap sheets and stack them into a big picnic basket and carry your refreshing smoothie in bottle with disposable glasses and plates, and you’re ready for the picnic.