This colourful sandwich is a good source of protein and can be eaten as a light snack for lunch or dinner. It also works well in lunchboxes and as finger food at posh parties.
I discovered this classic sandwich recipe, which comes from Peru, while trying to find a name for the previous trick. I was going to call it "Triple Sandwich", but a Google search of that name caused me to stumble upon this recipe, so I decided to call it "Peruvian Sandwich" instead (this name makes the trick sound far more mysterious).
A "Triple" (el "treep-lay") in Peru is a sandwich with three basic ingredients: avocado, hard-boiled egg and tomato. Triples are a culinary institution in Peru, where fresh avocados are plentiful.
1/2 ripe avocado;
1/2 ripe tomato;
1 egg;
Salt;
Ground black pepper;
Mayonnaise;
3 Slices of thin white bread.
Put the egg in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Once the water is gently boiling, set your timer for 7-10 minutes, depending on how well done you like your eggs. The longer the egg is boiled, the firmer it will be.
Run the egg under cold water, then peel and cut into thin slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut the avocado into thin slices and season with lime juice, salt and pepper. Cut the tomato into thin slices as well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on a slice of bread and layer the avocado slices on top.
Arrange the tomato slices on top of the avocado. Again, spread another slice of bread with mayonnaise, but this time on both sides. Place it on top of the tomato layer.
Add the egg on top and finish off your Triple with the last slice of bread, thinly spread with mayonnaise on one side, mayonnaise side down.
Cut into four triangles and enjoy this simple Peruvian pleasure.
Most people remove the crusts when making Triples. I don't usually do this because this seems like a waste of good bread. However, if I was serving these at a party, I would remove the crusts because the sandwich looks more refined when presented this way.
Try experimenting with different fillings, such as chicken mayonnaise. You can also add some chilli or Tabasco sauce to the filling for some added kick. In Peru, a variety of chilli pepper called Aji Panca, with a fruity flavour and smoky aromatic taste, is sometimes added to a Triple. Thinly sliced cucumber often makes an appearance too.
It should be noted that this is a fairly healthy sandwich, so long as you go easy on the mayonnaise!