Italian Egg Salad Sandwich - A Recipe

Okay, I’m misleading you with the title. The only Italian part of the sandwich is the seasoning. I had a bit of a craving for egg salad, but didn’t want the same old same old. So what I did was add finely minced green onions (aka spring onions) and a bit of small-dice tomato (firm, not too ripe). The resulting mixture had a red-white-green look, reminiscent of the Italian flag.

Ingredients:
I haven’t specified too much in the way of measurements, but I usually get two sandwiches out of my mixture. I don’t like too much mayo, and prefer a really chunky mixture, so I don’t mash the life out of the eggs.

• Two boiled eggs, slightly cooled.
• 2 tbsp finely minced green onion
• 2-3 tbsp small or medium-dice tomato (firm, not too ripe)
• If you really want some crunchy texture, add some celery slices. (Reduce the amount of tomato and green onion.)
• Some people prefer a bit of green relish - about 1 tsp - in their egg salad mixture. You know, the kind used for hamburgers and hot dogs.
• Italian seasoning to taste (dried rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano).
• Salt + black pepper to taste.
• I also like to add either red pepper, paprika, or crushed red pepper flakes for a bit more colour.
• Mayonnaise to taste. With two eggs, I usually use no more than 2 heaping tbsps.

Preparation:

• Let the water reach a boiling point, then add the eggs. Boil for 8 minutes, then rinse in flowing cold water for a minute or two. Provided the eggs are relatively fresh, the easiest way to peel them is to flatly crack both ends, then gently and evenly roll the eggs on their side with the flat of your palm. Do this rolling over top of a piece of paper towel (kitchen paper). It’ll save you some clean up time, and you won’t have to pick up little pieces of shell off the counter.
• Once the eggs are peeled, rinse them, shake off any excess water, and place in a bowl. Using the side of a fork, cut the boiled eggs in half.
• Add the green onion and tomato (and the celery and relish, if using).
• Sprinkle with all the dry seasonings, herbs and spices.
• Add the mayo and, using the fork, both mix the ingredients and lightly mash or break the eggs.
• Toast your choice of two slices of bread - I like whole wheat or even multigrain, but a good pumpernickel or rye bread also works. Just remember to butter the last two types after toasting.
• If you want a cheese melt, preheat your oven or toaster oven to 350 F. When the oven is ready, place your pretoasted slices of bread on a cookie sheet. Cover one slice, for each sandwich, with a nice helping of the egg mixture, then top with a slice of your favourite cheese. (In this context, a sharp cheese actually works very well.) Heat for only as long as it takes to melt the cheese. Breadwise, don’t start with anything too crusty, else oven-baking them may make the slices so hard that they cut the roof of your mouth.

Tags: curryelvis, curry elvis, egg salad, sandwich melt, recipes