Hoping My Grandmother Won’t Turn Over In Her Grave
We all know I’m crazy and at times will make two completely different meals for my boyfriend and myself; I just love cooking that much. But sometimes—even I—cave to the heat of summer and just make a sandwich. Although you know it’s just not some deli meat thrown on white bread.
When I was younger my oma used to eat this very odd sandwich for lunch. Rye bread, butter, cucumber slices, served open-faced. However I expressed this in my 8-year-old brain, I thought the combination lacked flavor and was just, well, weird. Not that I didn’t adore butter, for even at a young age I piled on the creamy spread an inch deep. But just cucumbers—who wants a cucumber sandwich when you can eat pizza bagels?!?!
I’d forgotten about that lunch staple until I recently watched someone else, an English woman, eat butter and cucumbers together. I honestly that my oma made that up. So I investigated the origin a bit.
It of course now makes perfect sense: it’s a proper tea accompaniment. She must have picked it up in her time in England after fleeing Nazi Germany.
Over my vacation, 80P and I stopped by my parents place and I brought back with me DAD GANSIE’s homegrown cucumbers. I used one in a white bean and feta salad. And I used one on my spin of my oma’s cucumber sandwich. I’m hoping she’d be okay with this variation.
Oma’s Cucumber Sandwich Revisted
I had leftover feta-basil mixture from my Baked Egg Pattypan with Feta and Basil that I used to spread over toasted rye bread (I know, it’s pretty insane to sub feta for butter—what could top butter?!?!—but it worked.) And then I placed salt-and-peppered cucumber slices over the feta.
I even made this at the office. Since there’s not a toaster over at work, I toasted the bread at home and wrapped it in tin foil and left it out on my desk until lunch time. I didn’t want the fridge to mess it up. I then cut and seasoned the cuke. Yes, I keep mini salt and pepper grinders at work. Brought in a separate container, the feta and basil mixture was spread on the slice so the bread wouldn’t become soggy right before I was ready to eat.
Cooling, simple, summer sandwich. Serve open-face.
neat gansie, your video clip of the children was interesting; it would of really made us cry if she was in it. CAN YOU IMAGINE SEEING YOUR PARENT, GRANDPARENT FROM THAT TIME ERA
OMA WOULD HAVE LOVED IT
DID YOU WRAP TOASTED BREAD IN PAPER TOWEL TO AVOID IT GETTING SOGGY IN FOIL???
LOVE YA
DAD GANSIE
PS OMA PEELED SKIN IT WASN’T TOUGH??/
This looks amazing! even if it is meatless… hahaha
I have to admit, I will definitely give this a try. Thanks for the recipe.
Anna
PS… You are after my own heart! I too have a personal (small sized) pepper mill and salt sachets with me at all times. he he he (lol)
CRIPES I WANT A SAMMICH I AM SO SICK OF LENTILS