This recipe has been extracted from an oral history of American Food interview taken by members of the Yale North American Field Archeology Team with an icon of down home American cooking known only as “Big Mama.” The interview was conducted over a period of months at an unknown location high in the rarified atmosphere and craggy peaks of the Northwest Florida Alps referred to as Mount Waxahatchee. Each member of the team gained hundreds of pounds and died soon thereafter of congestive heart failure. It is an honor to present this small part of their courageous effort to capture, record and preserve for eternity, a small but vital chapter of American History, here on this website. More of Big Mama’s recipes gleaned from the Oral History Archives interview may be found at Big Mama’s All American Down Home Recipes.
Ingredients
· Sliced White Bread (Barbara Ann, Sunshine, Bunny Rabbit, and Holsum). True French bread or San Francisco Sour Dough Bread is good, too. Vietnamese style French bread, purchased in a Vietnamese Bakery, is a good substitute for true French bread. · Salt Pork (preferably “streak of lean”) · Sliced Ripe tomato · Leaf of Lettuce · Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip · Black pepper
Optional
· Avocado · Red pepper · Toast the bread in the fried pork drippings
Procedure
· Slice the salt pork. If it has the rind (skin), trim that off. · At the minimum, wash the salt off the sliced salt pork. You might want to boil it in clear water for a few minutes to get rid of even more salt. · Fry the salt pork · Put Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip on each slice of bread · Sprinkle a little black pepper on this · If you are inclined, sprinkle red pepper to taste · Put a leaf of lettuce on one slice · Put the sliced tomato on this · If desired, sprinkle red pepper and/or black pepper on the tomato. You probably don’t need any more salt on this sandwich · Put sliced avocado on the other slice of bread · Lay the fried salt pork atop the avocado or, if no avocado is used, on the slice opposite the tomato · Join the two sides
Enjoy