BLTs and Father's Day
the most "Dad" sandwich that comes to mind honestly.
When I think of the two primary men in my family (my dad and my Gido), I really do think of BLTs.
Since it’s Father’s Day and all!
Growing up, my Siti made my Gido a BLT for lunch every single day. For like, 20 years, I kid you not.
bonus points if it came with a side of cucumber slices, chips, and served in between slices of potato bread.
I can’t separate the two in my brain, they really go hand in hand!
As a kid, for my Dad’s birthday, my mom would make what she called a “BLT Pizza”. It’s supposedly one of my Dad’s favorite dishes, but so is any meal that has meat and is made with a lot of love.
I’m trying to think of something more sentimental to touch on…but all I want to talk about are BLTs.
Plus, parental holidays aren’t always the easiest. Whether you don’t resonate with a fatherly figure, have lost a ‘Dad’ in your life, or it’s somewhere in between, I hope you can enjoy just you and me talking about BLTs (and Brett in between).
Types of BLTs to enjoy this Father’s Day and the rest of summer.
Simple…a literal BLT.
I believe BLTs are one of the best sandwich combos and are a bit underrated. I recently heard Sohla El’Wehley describe bacon’s role in the BLT to be an “accent” vs. the main star, and I think it’s a perfect analogy.
For your bread, you have to go with something flavorful and crusty, like a potato bread, ciabatta, or sourdough.
You could go the Lebanese route and use Syrian bread, which is arguably the best way but isn’t the most accessible.
For lettuce, I say go for crunch like iceberg or romaine. If you want something richer, butter lettuce is your go-to. I usually do twice as much lettuce because I’m whimsical.
Tomatoes need to be salted beforehand, I don’t make the rules.
Use whatever bacon you have on hand, just as long as it’s hot and crispy!
MAYO. MAYO. MAYO. She is the real star and if you don’t like mayonnaise, I don’t know if this blog is for you. Hellmann’s, specifically, it really is the best.
BLT Salad? Instead of bread…do croutons?
I think a Ceasar Salad/BLT baby sounds like the salad of the summer. If you brought that to a dinner party, a barbecue, or any occasion someone asked you to bring a side dish, this would be a great option.
The outline.
Greens.
Cherry Tomatoes.
Thick wisps of parm. (not shreds, thick, beautiful shards)
Bacon.
And an untraditional Caesar dressing.
No anchovies in this recipe, sorry traditionalists. I’m thinking more along the lines of garlic, dijon, olive, mayo (what else?!), and lots of parm.
BLT Pizza
As mentioned before, this was one of my mom’s specialties, typically made to celebrate my dad.
It’s a regular white pizza (no tomato sauce, just olive oil/garlic with mozzarella), with cherry tomatoes and cooked bacon, throw it into the oven until the crust is done, cheese is melted, tomatoes burst, all that jazz.
Then, and arguably the best part of the pizza, my mom would toss shredded lettuce with a little bit of Hellmann’s, salt, and pepper in a gallon bag. Shake it up real good, and dress your cooked pizza.
The dressed lettuce provided crunch, along with a good chew from the crust of the pizza. The cherry tomatoes burst in your mouth, with the richness of the cheese, the salty bacon, and the light salad, lettuce situation. It’s simply a party.
If you want a more elegant take on this dish, top it with arugula instead of lettuce, and dress it with some lemon juice and olive oil. A BLT flatbread, if you will.
Anywho, Happy Father’s Day to one of the coolest dudes that continues to inspire me to get in the kitchen, and how to love the people around me better. You (and my Gido) continuously show your love and care through not only words but actions. Here’s to you, Happy Father’s Day!
With love,
Cara