We’ve served sandwiches in Harry’s Bar from the beginning. They’re the ideal bar food—light, easy to eat, not too expensive. The secret of a perfect sandwich is that everything be absolutely fresh. We bake our own sandwich bread (which in Italy is never sweetened), and we would never serve a sandwich on day-old bread. The eggs are freshly boiled every morning, the chicken and shrimp freshly poached. We use creamy, newly made mayonnaise. The sandwiches don’t sit around for even a minute—they are made only when someone is ready to eat them. When a plate of pale yellow egg sandwiches, spiked with salty anchovies and rich with mayonnaise, comes to the table, customers find it irresistible. And when crisp, hot strips of Croque Monsieur are handed around by a waiter, wrapped in their crisp paper napkins, almost nobody says no.
SANDWICH DI UOVA E ACCIUGHE
Egg and Anchovy Sandwich
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
12 thin slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, largest available slices
6 large hard-cooked eggd, sliced
12 anchovy fillets
Spread some mayonnaise generously over one side of each slice of bread. Place half the egg slices in mounds on half the bread slices, leaving a 1-inch (2½ cm) margin of bread. Top with the anchovy fillets, then the remaining egg slices. Cover with the remaining bread and press firmly on the edges to seal the sandwiches. Trim the crusts if you wish. When you cut the sandwiches in half, they will have the characteristic Harry’s Bar shape shown in the photograph above. Serve immediately.
Italian: Muller Thurgau—Schiopetto
American: Chardonnay—Hargrave
Chicken Sandwich
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
To make a really good chicken sandwich you must use freshly cooked chicken. If you want to use leftover chicken, you will need about 3 cups (750 ml) for 6 sandwiches.
1 celery rib, cut into chunks
1 small onion, halved
1 carrot, trimmed and cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
salt
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts, split and trimmed
12 thin slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, largest available slices
½ head romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
Worcestershire sauce
Poach the chicken: Put the stock, celery, onion, carrot, bay leaf, and some salt in a large saucepan. Heat to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Add the chicken breasts, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from the heat and let the chicken cool in the broth for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a cutting board and cut it into julienne strips.
Strain the double-rich chicken stock and save it to use in a soup or sauce.
Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some mayonnaise generously over one side of each slice of bread. Mound half the lettuce on half the bread slices, leaving a 1-inch (2½ cm) margin of bread. Mound the chicken on top of the lettuce and season with salt and a little Worcestershire sauce. Cover with the remaining lettuce, then another slice of bread. Press firmly on the edges to seal the sandwiches. Trim the crusts if you wish. When you cut the sandwiches in half, they will have the characteristic Harry’s Bar shape. Serve immediately.
Italian: Tocai—Volpe Pasini
American: Chardonnay—Colbertson
Shrimp Sandwich
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
1½ pounds tiny
gamberetti or large shrimps, cooked (675 g)
12 thin slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, largest available slices
½ head romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
salt
Worcestershire sauce
Cool the cooked shrimps, then shell and devein them. If the shrimps are large, cut them in half lengthwise.
Assemble the sandwiches: Spread some mayonnaise generously over one side of each slice of bread. Mound half the lettuce on half the bread slices, leaving a 1-inch (2½ cm) margin of bread. Mound the shrimp on top of the lettuce and season them with some salt and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Cover with the remaining lettuce, then another slice of bread. Press firmly on the edges to seal the sandwiches. Trim the crusts if you wish. When you cut the sandwiches in half, they will have the characteristic Harry’s Bar shape. Serve the sandwiches immediately.
Italian: Sauvignon Blanc—Jermann
American: Chardonnay—Bidwell
CROQUE MONSIEUR
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
This is our version of the traditional French toasted cheese sandwich. At Harry’s Bar we fry the sandwiches in olive oil.
½ pound Swiss cheese at room temperature, diced (225 g)
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon dry mustard or 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt
cream, if needed, to thin the cheese mixture
12 thin slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, crusts removed
¼ pound smoked boiled ham, sliced (110 g)
olive oil for frying
Put the cheese, egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and cayenne in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until smooth. Taste and season with salt. If the mixture is too thick to spread easily, thin it with a little cream.
Spread the cheese mixture over one side of all the bread slices. Arrange the ham over the cheese on half the pieces of bread and invert the remaining bread over the ham. Press the sandwiches together firmly.
Film the bottom of a heavy skillet with oil and heat it over medium-high heat until it is very hot. Add as many sandwiches as will fit in the pan and fry, turning once, until they are golden brown and crisp. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches, adding more oil to the pan as necessary. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve hot, wrapped in a paper napkin.
Italian: Soave—Anselmi
American: Chardonnay—Pindar
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
salt
freshly ground pepper
3 pounds lean ground sirloin (1.350 g)
6 slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (30 g)
2 medium tomatoes, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish
Using your hands, blend the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper into the meat and form it into 6 patties, about 1-inch (2½ cm) thick. Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the hamburgers to the dry skillet and cook them, turning once and pressing them down in the skillet with a spatula, until they are done as you like them—about 4 to 6 minutes for rare, 6 to 8 minutes for medium-rare, and 10 minutes for well-done.
Assemble the sandwiches: While the meat is cooking, toast the bread, butter one side, and put it on plates, buttered side up. When the hamburgers are done, put them on top of the toast. Pour off any fat from the skillet, add the sautéed onions, and heat them through. Spoon a little Carpaccio sauce over the hamburgers, add the tomato slices, and top with the sautéed onions. Sprinkle on some chopped parsley and serve immediately.
If you prefer a hamburger sandwich, toast another piece of bread, butter it, and put it buttered side down on top of the onions.
Italian: Cabernet Franc—Livio Felluga
American: Pinot Noir “Los Carneros”—B.V.
MAKES 6 SANDWICHES
This classic has always been a favorite with Harry’s Bar customers. It’s packed so full you have to eat it with a knife and fork.
12 slices bacon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (30 g)
12 slices homemade-style unsweetened white bread, largest available slices
½ head romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
3 medium tomatoes, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cut into julienne strips (2 whole chicken breasts,
poached) (750 ml)
salt
freshly ground pepper
Worcestershire sauce
Preheat the broiler.
Cook the bacon in a skillet until crisp and put it on paper towels to drain.
Assemble the sandwiches: Butter one side of each slice of bread and toast it, buttered side up, under the broiler. Spread mayonnaise generously over the unbuttered side of the toast. Mound a layer of lettuce on top of the mayonnaise on 6 slices of toast, leaving a 1-inch (2½ cm) margin of bread. Lay half the tomatoes and the chicken on top of the lettuce. Season with salt, pepper, and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Spread on a little more mayonnaise, lay on the remaining tomatoes, and put 2 slices of bacon on top of each sandwich. Cover with the remaining bread, toasted side up. Press down on the edges to seal the sandwiches and trim off the crusts if you wish.
Just before serving, broil the sandwiches about 2 inches (5 cm) from the heat source until they are crisp and golden. Serve hot.
Italian: Pinot Nero—Volpe Pasini
American: Chardonnay—Palmer (Long Island)