1001 Sandwiches

Sometimes when I'm bored I like to go to the library and check out poor, lonely old books, you know the ones no one seems to ever check out. Today I found this lovely little one
sitting on her own.

It hadn't been checked out since March of 1970. I flipped through it and couldn't resist taking her home.

When I opened the inner jacket and saw this:

"There are all kinds for all tastes and occasions---for men and women, old and
young, eupeptics and dyspeptics; for lunch, tea, late supper, picnics---the
largest and most complete collection ever put forth in book form"

I was hooked.

A "eupeptic" is a gay, right? I'm pretty sure I'm a eupeptic.

It was published in 1928 in Boston, and the recipes are quite fascinating...if often uneatable. Here's a sampling of Mrs. Cowles's genius at work:

"Tomato Soup Sandwich:
Spread rye bread with creamed butter and cover with a leaf of lettuce. Spread undiluted tomato soup, canned, on the lettuce, cover with another leaf and then with he other slice of bread."

"Cauliflower sandwich", "Yeast Sandwich", "Baked Bean sandwich" ("Press three cups of cold baked beans through a sieve..." and then she lost me...)



There are a number of recipes for the charmingly named "Hamburg Sandwiches"


I decided to forgo the ominous sounding "Emergency Sandwich"

(Put six sweet pickles though the food chopper, also five
boiled eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Cream two tablespoons of peanut butter
and one of prepared mustard....")

and make a watercress, cucumber, tomato sandwich instead.

I'd never actually had a watercress. It's one of those things that I've read about all the time, but never have, like sex.

So I went the the Asian market and found some watercress (much cheaper than at Whole Foods) and some cucumbers and tomatoes. I bought some white bread and butter and voila.It's actually pretty good. Here's to Mrs. Cowles, the Scherezade of Sandwiches!