The Sputnik -- Salami and Fried Egg Sandwich w. Green Chili Pickle

Today we are going to take a look at a sandwich I invented that I have nicknamed The Sputnik. It combines salami, fried egg and Indian style Green Chili Pickle on rye for a sandwich with a unique, salty and spicy flavour.

For this you want to use some hot Genoa style sliced salami. Put a couple of layers of the salami onto a slice of toasted and buttered rye.


Top the salami with a sunny-side up egg fried in butter. You want to make sure the yoke is nice and runny and that it does not break before you lift it onto the salami.

If you want a tip for making a perfect sunny-side up runny egg, I like to melt some butter over high heat in a saucepan, crack the eggs into the melted butter and let fry for about 30 seconds and then turn down the heat to low (around the 2 mark), cover the pan, and let the eggs fry gently until fully done. Do not flip the egg.

Once you have topped the salami with your egg, top the egg with around a tablespoon (or to taste) of Indian style Green Chili Pickle. There are a number of brands of Green Chili Pickle out there but one relatively common one in North America is Mother's Recipe brand.


Top this with another piece of toasted, buttered rye and press down gently so the yoke breaks and runs down over the bottom on the sandwich.

Eat immediately.

Terrific stuff.

For another terrific sandwich using Indian style pickle see: Montreal Smoked Meat, Lime Pickle and Avocado Naan Wrap

Spicy Peanut Butter and Dill Pickle Sandwiches

Tested and modified by Natalie 

Today we are doing our take on a sandwich recipe from Sam Sifton of the New York Times that was itself a take on "a great old sandwich of the American South". This one may take a little time for some to get their heads around, as it involves peanut butter, pickles and hot sauce, but trust us, it is very good.

While Sifton used sriracha we switch it up a bit with the sauces and the ingredients.

To start you want to toast the bread to add some crunch. You can use any number of breads for this but we used a rye.

Top your toast with a nice layer of (preferably crunchy) peanut butter. Drizzle a bit of soy sauce over it. Then top this with sliced pieces of full sour style dill pickles.

Drizzle some hot sauce over top of the pickles. As noted Sifton suggested sriracha or sambal oelek but we used the similar Saigon Hot Chilli Sauce and also some of Grace's Caribbean style Scotch Bonnet Hot Pepper Sauce.

Then, to give some more depth, we added some thin sliced green onion and some slices of radish. You can also add a few more minced or chopped peanuts over top.

While it may sound a bit "out there", after you try it you will love it.

See also: Sardine Sandwich with Sauteed Spinach, Garlic & Jalapeno

Trini Gardens, Kothur, Zippy Pickle Soup & more -- The Top 5 Food Posts of 2018

A few days ago we posted the Top Ten Blog Posts of 2018 on The Left Chapter. As any regular reader of this blog knows, The Left Chapter also has many food related posts.

There have been posts about Beef Barley Soup w. Kale, Parsley & Carrots,  Quick and Easy Pan-Fried Salmon Burgers, Pasta Puttanesca -- A classic, rustic sauce easy to make at home, Curry Flavoured Clay Baked Red Chicken, Italian-Style Hero Sandwiches and many, many more!

We also looked at some favourite restaurants and vintage cookbooks such as with Parkdale's Little Tibet w. Sha-Bhaley & Momos or Cooking Cards of the Soviet Ukraine (Part I) w. Dushenina, Kiev Style Chicken Cutlets, Fried Duck with Apples and more.

I want to thank everyone who contributed recipes to the blog and to our readership for such a great year and I look forward to what 2019 brings.

Here, without further ado, are the top five food related posts for 2018:

1) Trini Gardens Brings Excellent West Indian - Chinese Fusion to South Etobicoke

2) Kothur Indian Cuisine's fantastic lunch special in Mimico

3) Zippy Pickle Soup

4) Clay Baked Peameal Bacon Roast

5) Clay Baked Caribbean Style Curried Chicken w. Green Seasoning and Scotch Bonnet Pepper Sauce

Thanks again for a great fourth year.

Do you have a left point-of-view or opinion, a recipe or a story you want to share?

Send them to The Left Chapter via theleftchapter@outlook.com!

See also: Minassian's Misogynist Attack, Courage to Leap, James Laxer & more -- 2018 on The Left Chapter in review

See also: Beef Roast with an Onion Jus, Rude Boy Burgers, Indian Style Ground Lamb Flatbread Wraps & more -- The Top 5 Food Posts of 2017

Zippy Pickle Soup

Zippy Pickle Soup- Adapted from a Ukrainian Pickle soup that my Dad, Greg used to make

Submitted by Natalie

Ingredients: 

-1 medium onion chopped
-2 carrots grated
-2 cloves of garlic, grated
-few sprigs of fresh or dried thyme
-4 bay leaves
-2 dried sage leaves
-3/4 cup washed pot barley
-1 TB olive oil- may need more
-1 leftover chicken (remove meat, chop and set aside for later) add carcass to simmer in the broth.
- 1 cup pickle juice
-3 full sour dill pickles (fresh from the deli if possible or we like Strubs) chopped.
-1 handful kale (any kind) ribs removed, shredded.
-1 bunch shredded dill (to add at the end of cooking) and for garnish
-1 tsp vegeta seasoning
-1 1/2 cubes chicken stock
-salt, pepper & cayenne pepper to season
-Lemon wedges

Saute the onion and shredded carrot in the olive oil until golden. Add the garlic, add the rinsed pot barley, saute for a few minutes. 

Make this in a fairly large pot, enough to hold approx 5L of water.
Add 5L of water to the simmering barley/veg mixture, add the stock cubes, vegeta, a few dashes of cayenne pepper, and a bit of black pepper. Add the stripped chicken carcass. Simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove chicken carcass. Remove sprigs of thyme and bay & sage leaves.

Add the pickles and juice, the chopped chicken & shredded kale and a bit more water: 1/4-1/2 cups if the consistency is rather heavy. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Simmer 5-10 mins and add fresh dill, reserving some for garnish. Squeeze a spritz of lemon into individual bowls of soup if a more tart flavour is desired. Serve with buttered, toasted, whole grain bread.

See also: Bread and Garlic Soup

See also: Pepper Goat Soup

Quick Indian-style Kumquat Pickle

By Natalie

This is a recipe for making a quick Indian style pickle based around kumquats. Kumquat pickle has a wonderful, distinct and unique flavour with a sweet, tangy bitterness. 

While many Indian pickle recipes take many days, or even weeks, to prepare, this one does not.

Ingredients: 

10 kumquats quartered 

1/2 medium red onion diced

1 good sized jalapeno diced - remove the pith and half the seeds

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 dashes cayenne pepper

1/4 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

In a skillet heat some vegetable oil over medium heat.

Add the kumquats, onion and jalapeno as well as the spices and salt, stirring constantly.

Saute for 3-5 minutes or until fragrant. 

Add the vinegar, lower heat and simmer for around 15 minutes until soft and the flavours have melded. Add a little vinegar and a bit of oil if the mix seems to be drying out. 

You want the pickle mixture to be slightly oily in texture as this carries the flavours of the spices and seasonings. 

Remove from heat and add the lime juice stirring it in.

Place the mixture in a bowl and let cool to room temperature to serve.

This is great served on the side of another dish, or as an appetizer with crackers, toasted English muffins or naan or pita style bread.

Any leftover pickle will keep for at least 3-5 days, covered in a clean container in the fridge.

See also: Quick Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots

See also: Easy homemade jalapeno hot sauce