Old-Fashioned Cheese and Green Pepper Sandwiches (Toasted)

Cheese and Green Pepper Sandwich on plate

Grilled cheese sandwiches can get a little boring, so when I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-old cookbook for Cheese and Green Pepper Sandwiches that were toasted, I decided to give it a try.

The sandwiches were delightful. The crunchiness, slight sweetness, and subtle tanginess of the green peppers co-mingled nicely with the melted cheese.

The old recipe said to cut the toasted sandwiches into strips. I have never previously cut a sandwich into strips, but I decided to give it a try and it made a nice presentation.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cheese and Green Pepper Sandwich — Source: Rumford Complete Cook Book (1925)

The ingredient list indicates that salt is an ingredient in this recipe, but it is not mentioned in the cooking instructions. Since cheese already contains salt, and it was not mentioned in the instructions, I did not add any salt when making this recipe.

Maybe most people had meat choppers a hundred years ago, but today I don’t think that many cooks have one. I know that I don’t. Instead, I decided to use my grater to grate the green pepper. That worked fine and there was some green pepper juice similar to what was described in the old recipe. It would also work to finely chop the green pepper, though there might be less juice, but I think that it would still work since the cheese will melt and hold everything together when the sandwich is heated.

This recipe is very specific regarding the amounts for the cheese and green papers, but very vague about the number of slices of bread to use. I decided to make three sandwiches, and adjusted the amount of green pepper and cheese to make an appropriate amount of filling. Three green peppers sound like a lot of green pepper. I think that green peppers often were much smaller a hundred years ago than what they typically are today, so I decided to use 1/2 cup of shredded or grated green pepper. I also thought that 8 ounces of cheese was more than was needed to make 3 sandwiches, so I used 4 ounces of cheese.

The original recipe says to “toast over a hot fire,” so I toasted the sandwiches using the broiler in my oven; but, it would also work well to put butter on the bread slices and grill in a skillet.

I didn’t think that there was any need to tuck the toasted sandwich strips in the folds of a napkin to keep them warm. I just served the hot sandwiches immediately.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cheese and Green Pepper Sandwich (Toasted)

Servings: 3
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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4 ounces cheese, grated or shredded (I used cheddar cheese)

1/2 cup green pepper, grated or finely chopped

6 slices bread

Put the cheese and the green pepper in a bowl; stir until the cheese and green pepper pieces are evenly distributed. Put half of the bread slices on a baking sheet, then spread with the cheese mixture. Top with the remaining slices of bread.

Set the rack 7-8 inches under the broiler. Put the baking sheet with the sandwiches under the broiler. Broil until the top slice of bread is lightly browned; gently flip the sandwiches, continue broiling until the other side is lightly browned. (Another option for browning the bread would be to lightly butter the bread slices, then grill in a skillet.) Remove from heat. If desired, cut each sandwich into three strips. Serve immediately.

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Old-fashioned Club Sandwiches

I recently was browsing through a hundred-year-old funding-raising cookbook compiled by the Michigan Grand Chapter of the Eastern Star, and was amazed to see a recipe for Club Sandwiches. Somehow I didn’t think that they existed back then – though perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised because I can remember eating Club Sandwiches with my mother years ago when I was a child at a department store restaurant – so they’ve clearly been around for awhile.

The Club Sandwiches were made about the same as modern ones with bacon, chicken or turkey slices, tomatoes, lettuce, and mayonnaise – though they weren’t double decker and crusts were trimmed off the bread. They were perfect for lunch on a hot summer day.

Here’s the original sandwich:

Club Sandwiich Recipe — Source: Order of the Eastern Star Relief Fund Cookbook (Michigan Grand Chapter, 1923)

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Club Sandwich

Servings: 1
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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For each sandwich:

2 slices bread

butter

2 slices bacon, cooked

2 slices tomato or dill pickle slices (I used tomato slices.)

1 ounce thinly sliced roasted chicken or turkey

1 lettuce leaf

mayonaise

parsley sprig (if desired)

Trim crusts from bread, then toast the bread. Spread with butter. On one of the slices of bread, place a layer of bacon. Next add a layer of tomato or pickle slices. Then add the chicken or turkey slices; top with the lettuce. Spread mayonaise on the second slice of bread (on top of the butter), then put this slice of bread on the sandwich as the top cover. Cut the sandwich diagonally to create two triangles. If desired, garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serve immediately.

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Old-Fashioned Open Cheese and Bacon Sandwich

Open Bacon and Cheese Sandwich

While browsing through a hundred-year-old cookbook, I came across a recipe for Open Cheese and Bacon Sandwiches, and decided to give it a try. I was intrigued because this toasted bacon and cheese sandwich recipe called for a topping made of soft cheese (I used pureed cottage cheese) and eggs, plus a little ketchup, paprika and cayenne red pepper which gave the topping a bit of a zing. The cheese and the bacon worked well together, and made a delightful sandwich that was a nice change from the typical grilled cheese and bacon sandwich.

Here’s the original recipe:

I decided to use cottage cheese when I made this recipe since it would have been readily available a hundred years ago. I put it through my Foley mill to make it smooth.

I’m not exactly sure what the old cookbook is referring to when it calls for table sauce, but when I made this recipe, based on the previous suggestions of some readers, I decided to use ketchup.

I skipped the salt since the bacon and cheese already contained salt, and I didn’t want an overly salty sandwich. I cooked the bacon until it was lightly crisped before assembling the sandwich since I thought that it would be too greasy if I put the bacon on top of the cheese without cooking it. I put the sandwich under the broiler to cook.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Open Cheese and Bacon Sandwich

Servings: 8 sandwiches
Time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: moderate
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8 – 12 slices of bacon (cut in half) (If the slices are wide use 8 slices, if narrow use 12.)

3 eggs, beaten

12 ounces soft cheese (cottage cheese, chevre, feta, Brie, ricotta, etc.), grated or pureed ( I used cottage cheese, and put it through a Foley mill to make smooth.)

1 1/2 teaspoon ketchup

1/2 teaspoon paprika

dash cayenne (red) pepper

8 slices bread

Put the bacon in a skillet; arrange so that each piece is flat. Using medium heat, cook until lightly crisped, while turning frequently. While cooking, periodically press the pieces with a spatula or back of a spoon to flatten and make thinner. When lightly crisped, remove from the heat and drain on paper towel towels.

In the meantime, put eggs, soft cheese, ketchup paprika, and cayenne pepper in a bowl; stir to combine.

Put the bread slices on a baking sheet, and put under the broiler until lightly browned. Remove from oven/broiler, and flip. Spoon the cheese and egg mixture on the bread, and spread to the edges of each slice. Top with 2 – 3 slices of cooked bacon, and put back under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the bread is lightly browned. Remove from oven/broiler and serve.

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Old-fashioned Cucumber Sandwiches

Cucumber Sandwich on Plate I often see sandwich recipes in hundred-year-old cookbooks. They often contain different ingredients from modern sandwiches, and don’t pique my interest. But. I was intrigued by a recipe for Cucumber Sandwiches. There’s a bumper crop of cucumbers this year, so decided to give the recipe a try. The sandwiches contain lettuce and cucumber slices coated with a sweet-sour Boiled Dressing.

The lettuce and cucumber slices were crisp and the sandwich was tasty – though it seemed very old-fashioned and made me think about old novels where the heroine eats dainty sandwiches similar to this.

The bread is buttered for this recipe. I haven’t buttered bread when making sandwiches in years. Which made the sandwich seem even more old-fashioned.

I probably won’t make this recipe again, but it was fun to make one time.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Cucumber Sandwiches — Source: The New Cookery (1921) by Lenna Frances Cooper

And, here’s the old recipe for Boiled Dressing:

One loaf of bread would make 8 or 10 sandwiches. There was no way that my husband and I were doing to eat that many. So when I made this recipe, I really scaled the Cucumber Sandwiches Recipe down, and gave directions for one sandwich. The Cucumber Sandwich recipe calls for Boiled Dressing. I made the full Boiled Dressing recipe and used the left-over dressing on other salads. It kept well in the refrigerator.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Cucumber Sandwiches

Servings: 1
Time: 30 minutes active prep time
Difficulty: moderate
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For each serving:

6 – 8 cucumber slices, thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons boiled dressing (see recipe below)

1/8 teaspoon grated onion

2 slices bread (preferably thinly sliced)

butter

leaf lettuce

Put boiled dressing and grated onion in a small bowl; stir to combine. Add cucumber slices. Gently roll and stir the slices to coat with the dressing. Set aside.

Butter the bread slices. Put the lettuce leaf on one slice. Top with the cucumber slices that are coated with dressing. Put the second butter slice of bread on top. Serve immediately.

Boiled Dressing

2 egg yolks, well beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon flour

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

Put beaten egg yolks, salt, sugar and flour in a small bowl; stir until blended. Add milk, lemon juice, and butter or olive oil. Put in a saucepan, and heat using medium heat while stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, remove from heat and refrigerate. If the mixture begins to curdle place the pan in a larger pan of cold water and beat vigorously using a mixer.

The dressing will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

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Old-fashioned Hot Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

Hot Toasted Cheese Sandwich on Plate

I often make toasted cheese sandwiches for lunch (actually I make grilled cheese sandwiches, but I call them toasted cheese sandwiches), so I was intrigued by a hundred-year-old recipe for Hot Toasted Cheese Sandwiches.

The old recipe called for toasting the sandwiches in the oven (or over a coal fire!). It also called for making a cheese filling that contained grated cheese, dry mustard, and paprika – rather than just using slices of cheese.

The sandwiches turned out well. The Hot Toasted Cheese Sandwiches were crisp and toasty, and nice and gooey in the middle. The cheese filling had just a hint of the spices.

Here’s the original recipe:

Recipe for Hot Toasted Cheese Sandwiches — Source: Mrs. Scott’s Seasonal Cook Books (The North American Newspaper, Philadelphia, Winter, 1921)

The recommended way of softening the grated cheese by putting it in a bowl that is then placed over another pan containing hot water seemed very old-fashioned, but I followed the directions and it worked well. The cheese softened quickly so that the spices could be easily stirred into the cheese, and it was very spreadable.

Since I know that cheese contains a lot of salt, I skipped adding salt when I made this recipe. Also, I used a level teaspoon of dry mustard instead of a rounded one that was called for in the recipe.

Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:

Hot Toasted Cheese Sandwiches

Servings: 3 Sandwiches
Time: 15 minutes
Difficulty: easy
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1 cup grated cheese (I used cheddar cheese. American would also work well.)

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon paprika

6 slices bread

butter

Put grated cheese, dry mustard, and paprika into a bowl; stir to mix. Put the bowl in a shallow pan of hot water for 2-3 minutes (or put in the microwave for a few seconds). Once the cheese has begun to soften, stir again to get the spices evenly spread throughout the mixture.

In the meantime, butter the bread on one side. Place three slices on a baking sheet with the buttered side down. Spread the slices with the cheese mixture. Top with the remaining bread slices. The buttered side should be up.

Put under the broiler in the oven, and toast until the bread is lightly browned. Flip the sandwiches and return to broiler. Toast until the second side is lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve.

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