Friday, June 12, 2026

1950s Lunch Counter Sandwiches

 Some of these are no longer served but they sound DELISH (well most of them) to me! Serve with a pickle and a hot cuppa Joe?

EGG SALAD. It was simple: 4 eggs, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, celery salt, dill weed, and some cut up green bell pepper.

LIVERWURST ON RYE. came with raw red onion, soaked to take away some of the bite but keeping the pepperiness, a slip of mayo, brown mustard and a dill spear on the side

OLIVE-NUT SANDWICH. This was more of a tea sandwich. No crust! Room temperature cream cheese is mixed with chopped green olives (with pimientoes) and toasted walnuts, chopped. Mixed together, spread on white bread cut into 1/4 triangles.

WELSH RAREBIT. Is an open face on toast meal. A white sauce is the base with sharp cheddar, a little beer, some dry mustard and worchestershire sauce. Poured over toasted bread and broiled until brown on top.

BANANA-MAYO. Thinly sliced banana with Dukes mayonnaise sprinkled with chopped, salted peanuts.

DEVILED HAM ON RYE. Finely chopped ham mixed with 2 tbsp mayonnaise, mustard, chopped egg and pickle relish and served on toasted rye.

COTTAGE CHEESE ON DATE NUT BREAD. You will want a dense version of this. You also drain your cottage cheese before smashing it. You can add in some crushed, drained pineapple and top it with cinnamon before serving or a round of pineapple.

WATERCRESS AND BUTTER TRIANGLES. Good luck finding watercress. Some health food stores do sell it though. Room temperature butter is spread on both slices of bread and watercress wedged inside. 

TONGUE ON RYE. with mustard. You would have to cook it for a long time and peel it but its very tender after. Sliced very thin, a scrape of mustard, some onion, lettuce and tomato.

TUNA MELT. 1/2 sandwich, open faced, with tunafish (tuna, flaked, celery, mayonnaise and finely diced onion) spread on the bread, topped with swiss, and broiled until browned.

MANHATTAN SLOPPY JOE. triple decker sandwich of corned beef, swiss, and cole slaw. Grilled and served with a pickle.

SOS ON TOAST. The classic is a roux made with cream or milk and chopped up canned sliced beef but get this- you can make it with burger, or cut up bacon, or even sausage!

HAM SALAD. Finely diced ham, mayo, relish mustard and egg between two slices of bread or served with crackers.

PIMENTO CHEESE ON RYE. Sharp cheddar, pimentoes, mayo and a pinch of cayenne or hungarian paprika or powdered mustard for zing.

HOT BROWN. Open face, toast, placed on a sheetpan with sliced  turkey,bacon, topped with a mornay sauce and broiled. Can broil with a tomato on top. (Mornay sauce is a roux with heavy cream and whole milk combined, gruyere cheese or swiss and pinch of nutmeg.)

PATTY MELT. Thin hamburger with darkly carmelized onions, swiss cheese or american, grilled once put together on Rye

CREAM CHEESE AND OLIVE TRIANGLES. chopped olives with the pimento mixed with the cream cheese- can replace with black olives.

SALAMI ON A KAISER. Kaiser roll, toasted, Salami, mozzarella red onion.

BACON TOMATO ON TOAST. Hot bacon on toast with mayo and tomato.

DENVER SANDWICH.  2 eggs, diced ham, tomato, green bell, scrambled and served between 2 slices bread.

MONTE CRISTO. 3 pc of bread, 2 pc ham, 2 pc turkey, 2 sl swiss, dipped in an egg/milk mixture and fried in butter 

CUCUMBER AND BUTTER. The bread needs to be cold. Spread softened, seasoned butter on both sides and sandwich inside thinly sliced cucumber (english is best).

MANHATTAN CLUB. 3 slices toast, turkey breast, 3 strips bacon, lettuce, tomato mayo 

CUBAN PRESS. sub roll, mustard both sides, roasted pork (night before, shredded) sliced ham, swiss, grilled and pressed flat.

RUBEN ON RYE. warmed corned beef, seeded rye, drained, warmed kraut, swiss cheese and russian dressing on both sides, warmed and pressed flat.