Recipe: The JRD Club Sandwich

If you're drawing up plans to host a tea party any time soon, turn to the recipes of the Taj hotel group's legendary Chef Satish Arora, who fed kings, queens, prime ministers, presidents and an endless parade of dignitaries.

• MUST READ! The Dishes I Cooked For Vajpayeeji

The Cannelloni Arora is a time-consuming affair, but the melt-in-your-mouth stuffing, with a sinful cheese sauce and its tangy tomato sauce, makes it an irresistible dish that has pleased scores of VIPs.

The JRD Club Sandwich, which was a fave of J R D Tata as its name indicates, is relatively easier to make, and the chicken + ham + bacon + fried eggs + cheese combo takes the flavour to a boom-boom level.

JRD Club Sandwich

'Mr Tata was a genuine gourmand. He particularly appreciated an elegant grilled fish, while his palate for Indian food was confined to a Goan-style prawn curry or a Parsi-style Patrani Machhi or Dhan Do Patio (a celebratory rice, dal and fish preparation). But he did not like his food to be spicy.' This is a recipe for the sandwich the incomparable business legend preferred.

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 4 slices multigrain bread

For the filling

• 120 gm shredded roast chicken
• 80 gm shredded English ham
• 60 gm Emmenthal cheese, ideally or any other sharp cheese
• 6 gm rocket or arugula leaves
• 2 fried eggs, well-done over easy (fried first yoke up and then on the second side for about 30 seconds)
• 20 gm crispy fried bacon bits
• Salt to taste, just a pinch
• Butter
• 3 tbsp cocktail sauce (please see the note below)
• 50 gm tomato slices

Method

• Toast the bread and butter the slices.
  Mix the chicken, ham, bacon with the cocktail sauce.
  Put the rocket leaves onto 2 slices of bread.
  Then put the chicken-ham-bacon mixture on top, followed by the fried eggs, cheese and the tomato slices.
  Cover each sandwich with the remaining two slices of bread.
  Grill till golden.
  Serve hot.

Editor's Note: Cocktail sauce, also called seafood sauce contains ketchup, chilly sauce mixed with lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce.

Traditionally a club sandwich is one large-toasted sandwich of four layers of bread.

You can opt to make this recipe as a club sandwich, by first layering the bread with rocket leaves, then adding a slice of bread, then the ham-chicken-bacon mixture, then another slice of bread, then the eggs, cheese and the tomato slices and then the final slice of bread and grilling.

Cannelloni Arora

'Dhirubhai Ambani's elder son Mukesh, now one of the richest persons in the world, got married at Cooperage (South Mumbai). I was in charge of the banquet that catered to hundreds of guests. It was a traditional affair with a lavish vegetarian spread and I was responsible for creating imaginative and delicious vegetarian dishes that would appeal to his eclectic guest list.'

'I create a fusion cannelloni with a creamy cottage cheese filling and tender bits of pineapple to add to the dish's delicate flavour. I made a stuffing of onion, garlic, celery, chopped spinach, grated cottage cheese, black pepper, herbs and a white sauce. I stuffed it into the cannelloni rolls, put it in a serving dish, coated it with a cream sauce and an herbed tomato sauce and baked it with cheese.'

'Mr Ambani's younger son Anil was responsible for the banquet and he was so pleased will this particular dish that he suggested I call it Cannelloni Arora. The same dish was later served at other high-profile banquets'.

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• 16 pasta sheets, about 5''x5''
• Few drops extra virgin olive oil
• Butter for greasing the serving dish

For the stuffing

• 40 gm chopped onion
• 30 gm chopped fresh chives preferably, or greens of spring onions
• 20 gm chopped garlic
• 15 gm chopped fresh celery
• Pinch dried thyme
• 500 gm chopped spinach, boiled
• 1 tbsp crushed black pepper
• ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
• 400 gm grated paneer
• 100 gm pineapple, brunoise cut (julienned and then diced)
• 50 gm red Shimla mirch or red bell pepper, brunoise cut (julienned and then diced)
• 200 ml fresh cream
• 60 gm butter
• Salt to taste, about 1½ tsp
• 40 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the cheese sauce

• 700 ml milk
• 2 tbsp maida or all-purpose flour
• 80 gm butter
• 80 gm grated cheddar cheese
• 60 gm cream cheese
• 150 ml fresh cream
• Salt to taste, about ½ tsp
• 3 gm chopped fresh parsley

For the tomato sauce

• 500 gm chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 400 ml tomato juice
• 30 gm chopped onion
• 15 gm chopped garlic
• Pinch dried oregano
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste, about ½ tsp
• 20 ml extra virgin olive oil

To finish

• 100 gm grated cheddar cheese, to bake
• 3 gm chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Method

• Heat water in a large saucepan over high heat.
  Add in the few drops of olive oil.
  When the water boils, add the pasta sheets, perhaps in batches if the saucepan is not big enough to accommodate all without overcrowding.
  Simmer for almost 20 minutes, stirring at times.
  When done, drain, refresh the sheets with cold water.
  Keep aside on a large platter.
  Do not put the sheets one on top of the other.

For the stuffing

• Heat the oil and the butter in a frying pan over medium heat.
  Add the onion, garlic, celery and saute till translucent.
  Add the thyme.
  Now put in the spinach and saute over low heat for 15 minutes.
  Add the paneer and saute.
  Add the black pepper, nutmeg and red bell pepper.
  Fry for 4 minutes, then add salt and the pineapple.
  Add the cream.
  Stir well.
  Check the salt, take off heat and keep aside.

For the cheese sauce

• Heat the milk in a saucepan over medium heat till burning hot.
  Keep aside.
  In another saucepan, heat the butter over low heat and then add the flour.
  Saute for 3 minute, stirring.
  Add the parsley followed by milk and whisk.
  Stir till it starts to thicken.
  Add the grated cheese and the fresh cream.
  Check the salt.
  Take off heat.
  Keep aside.

For the tomato sauce

• Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute the onion, garlic in it.
  Now add the chopped tomatoes, oregano, and after 5 minutes, add the tomato puree.
  Then add the tomato juice.
  Add the sugar, salt and after 5 minutes take off heat.
  Keep aside.

To serve

• Grease a serving dish with butter.
  Roll the stuffing into the pasta sheets.
  Arrange the cannelloni rolls in the dish.
  Pour cheese sauce over the rolls.
  Then pour tomato sauce on top of it.
  Sprinkle with grated cheese on top.
  Gratinate (allow the cheese topping to turn crispy and crusty) in a grill or oven, till the top is brown and bubbling.
  Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

With over 56 years of experience, Chef Satish Arora is the director food production at Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces.