Years – MANY years – ago, Peter and I spent a summer in the western part of Virginia.
It was at that time I became acquainted with cucumber sandwiches, served at luncheon by a gracious family who, although of modest means, were rich in ancestral land holdings. They were true Southern aristocrats, self-assured enough to offer hospitality with an open heart rather than begrudgingly through clenched teeth.
The cucumbers were sliced thin, and served with mayonnaise on white bread, the crusts trimmed, the sandwiches themselves cut into dainty quarters.
I had a yen for this delicacy today and decided to try a variation: bacon, lettuce and cucumbers with mayo on whole wheat pita.
It was great – not the same by any means as the originals enjoyed back in Virginia, but far superior to the common BLT.
For one thing, you can get rid of cucumber seeds, if you wish, a lot easier than the messy pulp of a tomato, which drips all over everything when you try to eat a BLT.
Also, unless you have the plants on your back porch, it’s much trickier to get a good tomato than a good cuke.
Finally, cukes have a nice, crunchy texture which counterpoints rather than overpowers crispy bacon.
Try it, I’ll bet you’ll like it.