it's the simplest themes that really get your creative juices flowing, and the humble sandwich is no exception. No plain, old ham and cheese for Cook readers though (even if I was very tempted by PriscillaE's peanut butter and bacon). Instead, you've sent me spiced Greek aubergine and feta rolls, marinated anchovies on rye inspired by the piquant little fish of southern French waters, and a soft-shell crab sandwich that brought back some veryfond memories of a road trip round Chesapeake Bay.
My favourite, however, is from somewhere that I've sadly never been, but am now even keener to visit – Trinidad and Tobago, where the average lunchtime sarnie knocks our chilly triangles of egg mayonnaise forsix. Bara doubles are freshly fried flatbreads stuffed with curried chickpeas and topped with fresh cucumber relish and mango chutney; they're very messy, and utterlymoreish.
Bara doubles
A common street food in Trinidad and Tobago, these light and crispy baras (flatbreads) are usually filled with curried chickpeas and topped with a variety of chutneys (mango, cucumber, tamarind) and pepper sauce. Usually eaten for lunch, they can be a late‑night snack as well.
Ranette Prime (lovelorettaskitchen.com) via GuardianWitness
Makes 8
For the bara dough
80ml warm water
¼ tsp sugar
1 tsp instant yeast
300g strong white bread flour
½ tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
Oil, for frying
Tamarind sauce and mango chutney, to serve
For the chana
½ medium onion, grated
2 spring onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped red pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp madras curry paste or Chief curry powder
½ tsp ground cumin
400g tin chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
60ml coconut milk (optional)
For the chutney
1 cucumber, cut in fine ribbons
2-3 garlic cloves
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp finely chopped scotch bonnet chilli
½ tsp brown sugar
1-2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 Put the warm water, sugar and yeast in a small bowl, stir and leave for 5 minutes, until foamy. Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, curry powder, turmeric and cumin in a large bowl.
2 Mix the yeast mixture into the flour to make a firm-ish dough. Knead for 3minutes, then place in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for 1½ hours.
3 Meanwhile, fry the onion, spring onion, garlic and red pepper within the oil for 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and cumin, lower the heat and fry for a minute or so before adding the chickpeas and stirring to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then slowly add about ¾ of the reserved chickpea water. Add the coconut milk, if using, and season to taste. Simmer for 8minutes or so.
4 To make the chutney, combine all the ingredients and season to taste.
5 Tip the dough on to a floured surface and punch the air out of it. Divide into 8-10 pieces and shape each into a tight ball. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
6 Wetting your fingers regularly with warm water to keep the dough moist, flatten each ball into a circle 10-13cm in diameter. Pour 5cm oil into a frying pan on a medium-high heat and, when hot, drop 3 of the baras in; they should take no more than 30 seconds on each side. Place in a warm oven to keep warm while you fry the rest.
7 Split the bara, fill with chana and top with cucumber chutney, tamarind sauce or mango chutney.
Moussaka-spiced aubergine with feta on ciabatta
These delicious spiced aubergines are inspired by a recent trip to the beautiful Greek island of Paxos. We picked up a few spices and fresh herbs from a local co-op and created this dish based on our interpretation of moussakaspices.
TwinnyDip (twinnydip.com), London
Makes 4 sandwiches
2 medium aubergines, sliced lengthways into 5mm slices
4 ciabatta rolls
100–150g feta, crumbled
60g rocket
For the marinade
4 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp ground allspice
A large handful of parsley, chopped
1 Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Put the aubergine slices on greased and lined oven trays, drizzle with 1–2 tsp oil and bake for 20-25 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, mix together allthe marinade ingredients.
2 Line a deep dish with a layer of aubergine, drizzle some of the marinade evenly over the top, then repeat the layers until all the aubergine is used up. Cool completely, then cover and chill overnight.
3 Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and bake the rolls for about 5 minutes, then cut lengthwise and divide the aubergine slices between the bottom halves. Top with feta and rocket, add the tops and serve.
Mediterranean anchovy sandwich
A few years ago, I spent several days in the beautiful French Mediterranean port of Collioure and had my first taste of marinated anchovies; they were absolutely delicious! That memory hasinspired this sandwich. I think wholegrain rye works best with the bean spread, but I'm sure it would be just as good on a bread of your choice.
cookeathope, via GuardianWitness
Makes 2 sandwiches
A large handful of rocket
2 tomatoes, sliced
10 marinated anchovies
A few basil leaves, chopped
A pinch of chilli flakes (optional )
For the spread
125g cooked cannellini beans
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped parsley
4 slices of wholegrain rye bread
1 Blitz all the bean spread ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add alittle more olive oil if it's too thick, and season to taste.
2 Spread some of the bean paste on to a slice of bread, top generously with rocket, tomato, anchovies, a little chopped basil and a few chilli flakes, if using. Dollop a little more of the spread on to the other slice, sandwich together and enjoy.
Soft-shell crab sandwich with chilli-lemon mayo
Soft-shell crabs are amazing creatures, caught for eating just after shedding their outer shell, leaving behind an entirely edible crab. This is a heavenly sandwich of crispy-battered crab, fresh lettuce and chilli-lemon mayo, served on soft white bread. The crab can be found frozen in Asian supermarkets.
foodforaking.co.uk via GuardianWitness
Makes 2 sandwiches
50g flour
1 egg
A splash of soy sauce
2 soft-shell crabs, thawed
35g mayonnaise (Japanese kewpie is ideal)
2 tbsp sriracha hot sauce
Lemon juice, to taste
½ small lettuce
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 soft bread slices or 2 buns
Salt and white pepper
1 Place enough flour in a bowl to coat both crabs. Season. Beat the egg in a separate bowl with the soy sauce.
2 Pat the crabs dry, then coat well in the flour, followed by the egg and then another layer of flour.
3 Combine the mayonnaise, sriracha and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and add more sriracha if you like it hot. Shred the lettuce.
4 Heat 1cm of vegetable oil in a small frying pan over a high heat. When smoking, fry the crabs for about a minute on each side, or until the batter is brown and crispy. Meanwhile, gently toast your bread to warm it up.
5 Put a layer of lettuce on the bottom half of each bun, then place a crispy crab on top, followed by a dollop of chilli mayonnaise, and the remaining bread. Serve immediately.
Chicken salad sandwich
I often use leftover roast chicken for this, but when the urgent need for a delicious chicken sandwich overwhelms me, I use a couple of chicken breasts instead. The tangy, smoky mayo dressing goes beautifully, and adding a little (or in my case a lot) of salad, makes this quite a substantialmeal.
Rachel_Kelly (marmadukescarlet.blogspot.co.uk) via GuardianWitness
Makes 2
4 tbsp plain flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
2-3 chicken breasts, cut into thick strips (or leftover roast chicken, shredded)
Vegetable oil, for frying
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp natural yoghurt
1 tbsp lemon juice
4 slices of good rustic bread
A handful of lettuce leaves
½ cucumber, halved, deseeded and thinlysliced
6-8 cherry or baby plum tomatoes, sliced
Salt and black pepper
1 Season the flour with salt, pepper and ½ tsp of the paprika. Pat the chicken breasts dry with kitchen paper, then coat with seasoned flour.
2 Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for a minute on each side, then cover, turn the heat down low and leave for 10 minutes, shaking occasionally.
3 Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, yoghurt, lemon juice and remaining paprika, and season.
4 To assemble: smear a thin layer of dressing over each slice of bread. Add a layer of salad, then top with the chicken and more dressing, before adding the other slice of bread. Press down gently and cut in half to serve.
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