Old Fashioned Egg and Olive Sandwiches

Egg and Olive Sandwich on plate

HAPPY EASTER!

A few days ago, I colored hard-boiled eggs with my grandchildren. We had lots and lots of fun coloring and decorating the Easter eggs, but we ended up with lots of them. I then needed to figure out how to use all those eggs, which (me being me) sent me to my hundred-year-old cookbooks.

I found two versions of recipes for Egg and Olive Sandwiches, and concluded that they must be good if the cookbook author liked them enough to provide two options. Here are the original recipes:

Egg and Olive Sandwich Recipes
Source: The New Winston Cook Book of Guaranteed Recipes

I decided to make the first option. The Egg and Olive Sandwiches were wonderful. The egg salad was nicely seasoned, and the olives added additional zest and tanginess.

The recipe does not say whether green or black olives should be used. I decided to go with green olive that were stuffed with pimento. The recipe also does not provide guidance regarding the amounts of olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. I used 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, about 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2  1/2 tablespoons of vinegar. When I made this recipe, I tasted the egg mixture after putting in a little vinegar and thought it seemed a bit bland, so added a little additional vinegar to make it tangier. Similarly, the original amount of olive oil and vinegar that I used was insufficient to make the mixture cling together, so I added a little more.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Egg and Olive Sandwiches

  • Servings: 2 - 4 sandwiches
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

4 hard-boiled eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt (If the olives are very salty, use a little less salt.)

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil + more, if needed

2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar + more, if needed

2 tablespoons chopped green stuffed olives

bread slices

butter, if desired

Step 1. Mash or finely chop the hard-boiled eggs.

Step 2. Add the salt, pepper, olive oil, and vinegar; stir to combine.

Step 3. Taste the egg mixture. If it does not taste as tangy as desired, add a little more vinegar. If the mixture is not clinging together, add a little additional olive oil and vinegar.

Step 4. Stir in the chopped olives.

Step 5. Spread on slices of bread (buttered, if desired), and top with additional slices of bread.

http://www.ahundredyearsago.com

31 thoughts on “Old Fashioned Egg and Olive Sandwiches”

  7. I had an egg and olive sandwich at a Girl Scout camp where I was a counselor many, many years ago. What a treat! I haven’t thought of it since then. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  9. Just stumbled across your blog. It’s such a great and interesting concept!

    Regarding this recipe, I wonder if brining practices for commonly available olives were much different a hundred years go? I wonder if a readily available green olive back then would taste the same as now.

    Now that Easter has passed, I’m in the same boat with a bunch of hard boiled eggs. Perhaps I’ll give this recipe a try…

    Reply

    1. hmm . . . I don’t know anything the brining process for olives years ago, but I do know that I’ve seen quite a few recipes calling for olives in hundred-year-old cookbooks. Sometimes the old recipes called for green olives, other times for black olives, and sometimes the type of olive wasn’t specified. Here’s some other old recipes I’ve made over the years that contain olives:

      Green Olives (Stuffed Olives)

      Dainty Cheese (Cheese Ball) Recipe

      Butterfly Salad

      Black Olives

      Beef Loaf

      Type of Olive Not Specified

      Olive Rarebit

      Thousand Island Dressing

      Reply

    1. I selected the first recipe for purely practical reasons. I didn’t have any anchovy essence (not sure exactly what that is) or anchovies, so I went with the first recipe. The second recipe does sound good. The anchovies would add a nice savory, umami taste to the egg filling.

      Reply

      1. In my store cupboard I have a tube of anchovy paste, which lasts for ages. If you can find any, it’s very useful. I can’t remember where I found it, but I’m glad I did.

        Reply

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