Honestly, I don’t know that Filipinos (well, old school ones) like sandwiches all that much. Rice trumps bread…always. Bread is mainly reserved for breakfast or snacktime, and it’s dunked in coffee nonetheless.

Growing up, sandwiches were not a staple in my home and were made really thin: too little meat, thin bread, thin layer of chicken salad or (and I even hate admitting this) it was just sandwich spread. We had road trips with thin sandwich spread sandwiches, like eating mayonnaise on white bread. Imagine the look on my face when I actually saw a well-made deli sandwich for the first time? I remember my mom taking my brother and me to Wag’s (Late 1970’s Walgreen’s had a little restaurant) for lunch and we ordered a BLT. It was delicious, but I remember I had a torn-up upper palate from the toasted bread. Thirty years later, BLT’s are still a favorite, and my mouth still gets raw.

It wasn’t long after that I started making my own sandwiches for school lunches. No more Miracle Whip sandwiches for me. Had a big love affair with Philly steak sandwiches in college, and my brother introduced me to Bahn Mi, Vietnamese sandwiches, a few years ago. But, I really like paninis; it’s like a grown-up grilled cheese sandwich but bigger and with more fixin’s. The crispy, toasted bread with fluted ridges did me in – Pretty and tasty at the same time.

So, why not a Filipino version? Is there one? A good one? Mine are a bit like bahn mi in the respect I used cilantro and matchstick carrots. I couldn’t think of vegetables that represented Filipino cuisine, would taste good with sweet, seasoned sausages and wouldn’t necessarily have to be cooked. And I definitely wanted to keep an Asian flavor. Maybe next time, I could try a Napa cabbage slaw? I don’t own a panini maker, either. I did this all on the range with our cast-iron grill.

• 1 pkg. (typically 9-10 pcs.) of Longanisa (Filipino pork sausage: sweet, garlicky, peppery)
• Pan de Sal (Filipino rolls: soft, airy bread)
• Sauteed onions (optional)
• Cilantro
• Carrots (cut into small matchsticks)

Butterfly cut the sausages so they will lay flat for the sandwich. Place on grill at medium-high heat. Cover with foil, heavy cookie sheet and then a weight (filled tea kettle) so the sausages won’t curl while cooking. Cook for 4 min. Remove weight, flip over the sausages and cover up again. Cook for another 3-4 min. When done, remove from grill and set aside.

While sausages are cooking, prepare the bread by cutting open and brushing olive oil on both sides. Place cooked sausage on prepped bread, then layer cilantro, carrots and onions. Top with bread. Return to grill,cooking the sandwiches on medium heat. Again, cover with foil, cookie sheet and weigh down. This will press the sandwiches. Cook for 2 min. or until toasted to your liking. Remove weight, flip sandwiches and weigh down again. Cook until toasted. Enjoy with a San Miguel (or your beer of choice).

Will be back next week with lots of art project updates!