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September 29, 2021. Dear Kids– The “sabich”, the eclectic, vegetarian sandwich that originated in Israel as a quick breakfast sandwich made from common leftovers, is certainly something you two did not grow up eating, but is something I became slightly obsessed with shortly after I read about the tantalizing sandwich ingredients a few years back and something I thought you might like to try to shake up your plant based eating.
After some tinkering in the kitchen, I came up with a Dad version of the sabich, which starts with a good bit of hummus smeared on a toasted burger bun that’s then topped with roasted eggplant, a soft or hard cooked egg, a bit of cabbage and a very creative- if I do say so myself- “salsa, that I unashamedly call the Hummburger!
Diet: Vegetarian, Vegan Option
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
GET YOUR STUFF OUT
Israeli Salsa
- 1/3 cup tomatoes of your choice, 1/4” dice
- 1/3 cup seedless cucumber, 1/4’ dice
- 1/3 cup mango, peeled, seeded, 1/4” dice
- 1/3 cup dill pickles, 1/4” dice
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
The Rest of the Sandwich
- 2-3 small Italian eggplants (to yield about 20-30 1/2″ slices)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons canola oil
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup store-bought or homemade hummus
- 1/2 cup very thinly sliced red cabbage
- 4 sturdy burger rolls
- 3 tablespoons cow or plant butter
- Tahini Sauce, optional (Mix: 2 tbsp. tahini, 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice and enough water to make it “drizzleable”-2-4 tbsp.)
- Amba Sauce, optional
COOK AND PLAY
Play “The Times They Are a-Changin’”, a take on a Bob Dylan classic by Netta, one of Israel’s most influential female singers to get you started as you cook. For some extra fun, check out Netta’s very food forward “Ricki Lake” video, complete with Netta in a tub full of donuts, that has over 9 million views on YouTube.
1. Preheat Time. Set up two middle rack and preheat oven to 425.
2. Salsa Time. This is easy- get a medium sized bowl and combine all the salsa ingredients!
3. Roasting Time. Trim ends of eggplants, peel if you like and cut into 1/2” rounds. Toss slices with oil and salt on a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer on two sheet trays. Roast slices until dark golden brown on each side, turning to brown each side evenly- about 10-15 minutes a side.
4. Egg Time. While the eggplant is roasting, get a medium pot to a boil over high heat and add eggs to cook, as you wish- 6 minutes for runny, 7 minute for jammy, 8 minutes of mostly hard and 10 minutes for hard. Cool slightly with cold water, crack on both ends, peel, cut into slices and set aside.
5. Sandwich Time. Spread butter on inside of buns, place buttered side down in large skillet and toast over medium heat to golden brown, about 5-10 minutes. Smear the bottom of each toasted side of buns with a good layer of hummus and top with several slices of roasted eggplant, slices from one egg, salsa and sliced cabbage and you can even put a bit more hummus on the top toasted side of the buns if you like.
6. Bonus Drizzle Time. You can also drizzle a tahini sauce and amba (mango) sauce over everything, but I don’t go through the bother.
THE LECTURE
The Sabich. If you want to head a little more towards a traditional sabich, you can bread and fry the eggplant (I roasted it for ease and health), swap out the burger bun for a pita (I don’t care for most supermarket pita, so I went with a toasted burger bun), omit the mango and pickle for the amba sauce and add the tahini sauce as well (I skipped the sauces because I think hummus is “saucy” enough and, besides, who wants to buy a jar of tahini paste and a jar of amba sauce and feel guilty about them going to waste in the fridge.)
The Mango. Look for unblemished mangoes and the color and touch will depend on whether you want a hit of sweet or sour in your salsa. For sweet, look for a mango with a bit of a reddish, orange and/or yellow hue, that gives a bit to a gentle squeeze and smells of fruit at the stem end. For sour, look for a mango that’s green and firm to a gentle squeeze. Also, be warned, there’s a big pit you have to deal with when you dice up a mango. I started to write a description of how to deal with it, but it was getting long and confusing, so let’s just click on this link to see how the National Mango Board dices up a mango– imagine that, an entire board dedicated to mangoes! Note- the video shows a large dice, so you’ll need to cut that down into a smaller 1/4″ dice on your cutting board for the salsa.
Veganize It! Swap out the eggs for some slices of firm tofu and diced avocado.
Make It a Starter or Salad. For a starter, make crostini and top with hummus, a slice of eggplant, a slice of egg and salsa. For a salad, tear buns, pita or any leftover bread into small pieces and season and toast for croutons; add a bit of hummus to a vinaigrette; and toss your favorite lettuce with the vinaigrette and top with the remaining ingredients.
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