Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Childhood Nostalgia

I have two separate food philosophies. One is Italian - great, fresh ingredients allowed to speak for themselves. The other is French - everything tastes better with butter, cream and sauces.

Today I had a longing for what I consider to be part of the Italian philosophy.

As a kid I had a lot of interesting favorite food. Many of these, most people consider weird, like raw onion and butter sandwiches. Some of these, however, I found were a precursor to my broader appreciation of cuisine.

The one I was yenning today was unfortunately out of my reach in original form. A thick slab of good, sturdy brown Russian bread slathered with rich, quality mayo and generously sprinkled with sliced garlic and salt. What made it so wonderful was that combination of fresh, good ingredients, the bread cutting some of the bite of the garlic and the mayo giving the sandwich complexity and creaminess.

I can only wish I had a Slavic grocery nearby but I have yet to be able to find one nearby. (That's something I'm keeping lookout for and will report back promptly if such a wonder is spotted.) So I did a quicker, easier and good in its own way version. I had some slices left from a good, sturdy white bread. A food processor made quick work of a handful of peeled garlic cloves mixed with salt, mayo and a sprinkle of dill. Combined, the taste took me back to my childhood. Not the healthiest snack in the world but worth every bite.

-Vixen

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