I recently had a wonderful week of viewing movies in the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. There were four or five films a day, and with less than an hour between showings, there wasn’t much time for lunch or dinner.
Little meals eaten out of hand — namely sandwiches and wraps — are portable feasts that are a perfect solutions to eating on the run. I looked around at the lunchbox fare my fellow moviegoers were eating between films, and saw that I was right: stuffed pitas, flatbread wraps and sandwiches made with artisanal breads.
For the best product, use only the freshest, tastiest ingredients. Also, protect the bread from overly moist ingredients by placing some sort of well-dried green between the bread and filling. Also, textures should be varied — crunchy and creamy in one bite.
And as they say in Hollywood, “That’s a wrap.”
Ratatouille and Spinach Pockets
Makes 6 servings
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small eggplant, diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, de-veined and diced
4 oz. small cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1⁄2 tsp. dried thyme
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 6-inch pita breads, cut in half to make 12 pockets
3 cups spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
Heat oil in medium skillet on medium-high setting. Sauté onion, garlic, eggplant, diced pepper and mushrooms until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and thyme, cover, and simmer 8 minutes. Uncover and simmer another 5 minutes. Stir in basil. Let cool and add salt and pepper. Line pita halves with spinach and fill with ratatouille.
Extravagant Egg Salad
Makes 6 sandwiches
6 hard-cooked eggs
6 oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and cut into strips
2 Tbs. capers, drained and rinsed
3 oz. smoked salmon, cut into thin strips
2 Tbs. chopped shallot
1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. sherry vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
12 slices of crusty Italian bread
2 cups mixed seasonal greens
In large bowl, mash eggs. Combine with tomatoes, capers, salmon and shallots. In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise with vinegar. Add to egg mixture and mix well to combine. Add salt and pepper. Spread 6 slices with egg salad mixture and top with greens.
Turkey Chutney Aram Rolls with Watercress
Makes about 10
3⁄4 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup chutney
1 large Armenian flat bread
2 bunches watercress leaves
1⁄2 lb. thinly sliced turkey breast
2 red peppers, seeded and diced
Combine mayonnaise and chutney. Spread on bread. Layer watercress and then turkey on top of mayonnaise-chutney mix. Sprinkle with diced red pepper. Roll up tightly and wrap securely in plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight and cut into 11⁄2-inch slices just before serving.
Louise Fiszer is a Palo Alto cooking teacher, author and the co-author of “Jewish Holiday Cooking.” Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Questions and recipe ideas can be sent to j. or to [email protected].