Perfect the art of the sandwich with these chefs’ recipes

Sandwiches are nostalgic, convenient and delicious: two pillowy slices of bread holding a world of flavour between them. Everyone loves them, or at least they should. Though they can be supremely simple, a good bite is packed with flavour and perfectly balanced; they've come a long way since the first recorded meat-between-two-slices served to the 4th Earl of Sandwich whilst gambling back in the 18th century.  

Over the years, as conflict provoked the movement of people, sandwiches crossed borders into new cultures, creating new takes on the culinary classic. John Oh, Executive Chef at Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, talks of the evolution of the bánh mi in his native Vietnam, “The history of the bánh mi can be traced back to French colonialism when the French brought over baguettes to eat with butter and cold cuts. When they left, locals modified French dishes to include local ingredients: mayonnaise replaced butter, and veggies replaced more expensive cold cuts, and the banh mi morphed into a staple in the Vietnamese diet that everyone could afford.” 

Sandwiches are a staple in most culinary cultures. For Vincenzo Castaldo, Executive Chef at Villa Treville in Positano, they have become somewhat of a necessity, replacing meals that cannot be eaten at home without compromising on the intensity of flavour. “For as long as I can remember, my family has eaten sandwiches when visiting the fields cultivated by our grandparents. I remember the unique flavour of the wood-fired bread and vegetables seasoned with a drop of my dad’s homemade vinegar,” he says. 

But what makes a good bite? Richard Galli, Executive Chef at Claridge’s in London says: “The quality and freshness of the bread is paramount and should always be your first consideration. Picking different breads to pair with your fillings also gets exciting: rye, malt, granary, brown, onion, plain white… these are just some of the breads we regularly use.”  

We spoke with these three chefs to bring you three sandwich recipes to make at home.  

John Oh’s surf and turf bánh mi 

Ingredients (for one sandwich) 

Crunchy baguette, lightly toasted 
Mayonnaise to spread and warm oil of your choice, such as Annatto seed oil
Half a large tomato, sliced
20g/0.7 oz green mango/regular mango, thinly sliced or julienne
20g/0.7 oz green papaya, thinly sliced or julienne
A few romaine lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
30g/1 oz braised pork belly, sliced
30g/1 oz of cooked lobster meat or shredded crab meat
A splash of oyster sauce, soy sauce
A pinch of five-spice powder
A pinch of lemongrass, red chilli, garlic and shallots

Method 

Combine a splash of oyster and soy sauce, and a pinch of sugar, salt and five-spice powder in a bowl. 

Finely chop a small amount of lemongrass, red chilli, garlic and shallots, and add a pinch of each to the liquid marinade. 

Marinate the pork belly slices with the five-spice, lemongrass, red chilli, garlic, shallots, sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce. 

Cook the lobster meat and shred it, or use prepared shredded crab meat. 

Slice the lightly toasted baguette and spread the oil of choice and mayonnaise. 

Lay the lettuce, tomato, green mango and papaya over the mayonnaise, with the lobster or crab meat and pork belly on top. 

You can serve your bánh mi with a small Asian side salad of fresh-cut herbs such as mint or coriander, and crushed peanuts.  

Vincenzo Castaldo’s country bread with buffalo bresaola, provolone del Monaco cheese and marinated aubergine  

Ingredients (for one sandwich) 

45g/1.6 oz thinly sliced aubergine
½ clove of raw garlic
A pinch of dried oregano
7ml/0.2 oz extra virgin olive oil
2ml/0.07 oz white wine vinegar
2 slices of rustic country-style bread
70g/2.5 oz of buffalo (or regular) bresaola

Method 

First, slice some aubergine, roast and then marinate with garlic, oregano, extra virgin olive oil and a drop of white wine vinegar. 

Grill or toast a country-style bread with the Provolone cheese on top, allowing it to melt into the bread. 

Once toasted, add the buffalo bresaola (or regular bresaola) and your marinated aubergine, and enjoy. 

Richard Galli’s Breckland Brown & Clarence Court egg mayonnaise on white bread 

Ingredients (for one sandwich) 

Two soft-boiled eggs
Two slices of soft white bread

For the mayonnaise  

1 large egg yolk
2 tsp Colman’s mustard powder
3 pinches of salt, plus extra to taste
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
500ml/17 oz vegetable or rapeseed oil
Dash of cayenne pepper
Mustard cress 

Method 

For the mayonnaise, combine the egg yolk, mustard powder, salt and vinegar in a glass bowl and whisk briefly to dissolve the salt. Whisking rapidly, add small drops of oil bit by bit, allowing the egg and oil to emulsify. Once you have added about one-quarter of the oil, the mixture will start to look like mayonnaise, at which point you can add more oil faster. Add the cayenne pepper and adjust the seasoning to taste. This mayonnaise can be kept plain or flavoured with chopped chervil, tarragon and chives. 

Soft boil two eggs then chop them by hand, turning with your homemade mayonnaise, and finish with a good twist of pepper and pinch of mustard cress.  

Spread the mix between two slices of fresh white bread.