I, for one, welcome our new grocery overlords
July 12, 2010 7:49 AM   Subscribe

Once, there was the shooter's sandwich. Now Tesco bring us a new lunchtime delicacy - the Lasagna Sandwich. Hungry for more unorthodox pasta products? Then try a Chicken Tikka Lasagne, or a Lasagna Pie

Of course, if you're all lasagna-ed out, there's always the Macaroni Pie...
posted by mippy (63 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
It really bothers me that you are connecting the awesome shooter's sandwich to this starchy monstrosity.
posted by greasy_skillet at 7:53 AM on July 12, 2010


I'd eat it, but then again, I'm an American.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:56 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


From the Independent article:

Japanese-American abominations such as sushi with maple syrup were briefly in vogue;

I'm friends with a Japanese / Canadian couple (wife is Japanese, husband is Canadian.) They served tomago in maple syrup as a joke at their wedding reception.

It was delicious, as I recall. :)

I don't think unagi in maple syrup would have been as tasty, though.
posted by zarq at 8:00 AM on July 12, 2010


They don't do them any more, but when they did, Tesco's Chili Lasagne was quite the best lasange product I've ever eaten. Chili beef between the layers, bechamel and cheese sauce over the top with a crunchy nacho topping.

I dream about that Chili Lasange.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:02 AM on July 12, 2010


Isn't this kind of a double of your own post?
posted by vacapinta at 8:04 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I used to have a good recipe from a magazine for lasagne - simply meatballs, some chopped tomatoes, garlic, gruyere cheese. But it got lost when I moved house, and I can only find the other recipe I had that calls for about £5's worth of cheese and a lot of time.
posted by mippy at 8:04 AM on July 12, 2010


vacapinta, that post lacked sufficient LASAGNA. But feel free to add a 'previously' tag in there if you like.
posted by mippy at 8:05 AM on July 12, 2010


Chicken Tikka Lasagne...hmmm...that actually doesn't sound too bad...seconding Faint of Butt: "I'd eat it, but then again, I'm an American."
posted by bitter-girl.com at 8:07 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Mmm. But I live in Bolton, the only place I've ever seen where every single pie shop sells pies on barm cakes as standard.

Customer: meat pie please
Pie shop staff: YOU WANNIT ONNA BARM, COCK
Customer: YEAH I WANNIT ONNA BARM

Also butter pies, which may not be unique to here.
posted by shinybaum at 8:12 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Needs more Sandwich in a Can.
posted by zarq at 8:13 AM on July 12, 2010


When preparing profound amounts of lasagne for large family gatherings, I sometimes make more filling than I can squeeze into the pans, and need to finish off the leftovers. Thus was born the sandwich that my sister has dubbed the Woppy Joe:

Take your ragu, and simmer it down down to a much thicker consistency, and the sauce becomes very dark red. (I usually use stewed beef rather than ground beef, but both work quite well).

Take two slices of good Italian bread. On one, spread mayonnaise, then grind black pepper, then a large spoonful of the ragu.

On the other slice, leftover cheese (for us that means mozzarella, fontina, asiago, and parmesan), and a little minced garlic.

Put both slices face up and side-by-side in the broiler, until the cheese melts and the garlic starts to get a little bit brown.

top with fresh basil.

enjoy.
posted by Jon_Evil at 8:19 AM on July 12, 2010 [9 favorites]


I want a shooter's sandwich. Perhaps with tofu substituted for the mushroom.
posted by adipocere at 8:19 AM on July 12, 2010


Also butter pies, which may not be unique to here.

Available in Blackburn too. MrMippy tried one - a man from the place where they put potato cakes in sandwiches for Chrissakes - and didn't understand it.

For the unitiated, a butter pie is buttery mash with onions in a pie. They were designed for Catholic Lancastrians, so they had something to eat for their tea on a Friday.
posted by mippy at 8:22 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I lived in England for a time and was hooked on the ubiquitous chicken tikka sandwich. How disappointing I can't find them in the States.
posted by sswiller at 8:22 AM on July 12, 2010


Sandwich in a can? I just found cheeseburger in a can. Before I clicked, I thought it was merely a tinned burger.
posted by mippy at 8:25 AM on July 12, 2010


Needs more spam musubi.
posted by escabeche at 8:35 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'm not sure I'll show this to my Italian flatmates - it was hard enough trying to explain the concept of a chip butty.
posted by creeky at 8:42 AM on July 12, 2010


As an Itailian-American, I am offended by the words "lasagne" and "mayonnaise" being in such close proximity to eachother.
posted by jonmc at 8:45 AM on July 12, 2010 [5 favorites]


I was with you Jon_Evil until the mayo.


That stuff is the vile unctuous ooze from the unspeakable orifices of a massive white worm made of the discarded dreams of children.
posted by The Whelk at 8:53 AM on July 12, 2010 [5 favorites]


(Now an OLIVE spread.....)
posted by The Whelk at 8:53 AM on July 12, 2010


Which, when you discover that the selfsame chain are also marketing singing sandwiches which chant like a football crowd when opened

What? How has America fallen so behind? Can we not shine in one field? I was sure we had the crass-annoying-useless products category in the bag.
posted by fontophilic at 9:04 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Replace the cheddar cheese in the chicken tikka Lasagna with paneer, and I'm all over it.

Somewhat coincidentally, it recently occurred to me that chicken tikka masala pizza (chicken tikka, masala gravy, paneer on a naan crust) would be awesome.
posted by usonian at 9:07 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I'll suggest that perhaps The Whelk has never had homemade Mayo.
posted by fontophilic at 9:09 AM on July 12, 2010


Butter pie?

My version of hot hot starch-on-starch action was something that I never named; basically, I liked eating macaroni and cheese (with or without the addition of tuna and/or peas) on buttered bread, folded in half like a hot-dog bun. Mmmmmmmm.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:09 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I LIKE mayo. Just not on my fucking lasagna.
posted by jonmc at 9:10 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


I don't trust any food you can't make during a thunderstorm.
posted by The Whelk at 9:13 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Somewhat coincidentally, it recently occurred to me that chicken tikka masala pizza (chicken tikka, masala gravy, paneer on a naan crust) would be awesome.

There was a place on the LES that used to do a "Pita Pizza" (it wasn;t actually pita, it was more like supercrisp naan buuut), that was basically this, except it also had sharp olives and some tangy cheese.

It was amazing. Totally made up for the wild boar that was 80% fat and 20% shoe leather.
posted by The Whelk at 9:15 AM on July 12, 2010


Mippy - total fail on the Macaroni Pie there. Never seen one baked. Battered and deep-fried, hell yes.
posted by scruss at 9:25 AM on July 12, 2010


Marks and Spencers used to do a USA themed range of ready meals, most of which would be unrecognisable as being USA-like to Americans. The most bizarre of the meals was a "Cajun chicken fettucine", which I found pretty tasty despite the sure knowlege that it was a food abomination.
posted by Artw at 9:39 AM on July 12, 2010


I don't think unagi in maple syrup would have been as tasty, though.
I dunno. Our local sushi bar serves their unagi brushed with a relatively sweet sauce. I could see someone digging unagi and maple. Now, if you meant uni and maple...I'll pass on that.

The tomago and maple makes a lot of sense, actually. Eggs and maple syrup? Sounds like breakfast to me.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:49 AM on July 12, 2010


Tesco Vee?
posted by DieHipsterDie at 10:07 AM on July 12, 2010


I remember enjoying Chicken Tikka Pizza once...
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 10:27 AM on July 12, 2010


Brits tend to get a little weirded out about the whole maple syrup being in the vicinity of maple syrup thing, myself included until I discovered it was a recipe for tasty.
posted by Artw at 10:29 AM on July 12, 2010


Artw: I've found Cajun chicken fettucine in Texas: fettucine in a spicy, Cajun alfredo sauce with grilled, Cajun-spiced chicken. It can also be found with shrimp.
posted by asphericalcow at 10:46 AM on July 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


!!!

It is a real thing!
posted by Artw at 10:47 AM on July 12, 2010


The most bizarre of the meals was a "Cajun chicken fettucine"

My mom makes this, even though we don't exactly refer to it as such. It's basically just grilled chicken breast with (The Frugal Gourmet's) cajun seasoning served on top of Fettucine Alfredo. The spiciness of the chicken goes so well with the creamy noodles - it's amazing.
posted by MsVader at 10:47 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Pie shop staff: YOU WANNIT ONNA BARM, COCK

Brought me back post-traumatic stylee to my participation in "CULTURALLY AWASH AMERICAN IN A COUNTRY PERPORTING TO SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE" at a snack shop in Oxford. Bap? Salad on my sandwich? ITS SOME BREAD AND STUFF THAT GOES INSIDE IT FER CRISSAKES -- HOW HARD CAN IT BE TO ORDER?
posted by Ogre Lawless at 10:48 AM on July 12, 2010 [2 favorites]


Man, and here was me thinking that a marketer and some annoymous research chef had been hiding out in a basement devising things that sounded "American" and accidentally hit on something tasty.
posted by Artw at 10:49 AM on July 12, 2010


Chicken Tikka Pizza: presently manufactured and sold by Pizza Hut. In India.

No, not kidding. Had one last week.

Also: good.
posted by aramaic at 10:52 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


"I'd eat it, but then again, I'm an American."

This implies that Americans tend to eat stuff that is more completely fucked up than what Britons will eat.

Such an implication is false.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:53 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


We get excellent Indian pizza here in San Francisco.
posted by rtha at 11:33 AM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


If you're in downtown DC there's a place called "Naan & Beyond" that serves Indian food as well as pizzas, typically the extent of their "fusion" is sticking lamb on a pie but they will make a Chicken Tikka pizza upon request.

(if you follow through on this, have them go light on the tomato sauce and cheese; I had them go light on the sauce but you can see from the pic that it was overcheesed).
posted by Challahtronix at 11:48 AM on July 12, 2010


My mother is now denying she fed us left-over spaghetti sandwiches when we were kids.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:22 PM on July 12, 2010


Can I say that none of this sounds bad to me (okay - the lasagne sandwhich is pushing it), this kind of cross pollination happens all over the world. Have you had Chinese food in India? Take out standards knocked out of the park with Indian spiciness and heat. Is it bad that I like this kind of stuff? Have I failed some sort of "good taste" test?
posted by helmutdog at 1:17 PM on July 12, 2010


For all your daily calories in one snack, there's the grilled cheese sandwich burger. I just heard about this on the radio this morning. A burger nestled between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Open wide.
posted by binturong at 2:27 PM on July 12, 2010


Photographic proof of the grilled cheese sandwich burger.
posted by binturong at 2:30 PM on July 12, 2010


That macaroni pie belongs in my stomach.
posted by cazoo at 3:44 PM on July 12, 2010


That "shooters sandwich" monstrosity would be so much better with roast beef or pastrami instead of two entire frakking steaks.

Back to the Starch On Starch theme:

I remember in India getting vada pav, which is basically a fried potato sandwich. Actually, one of my favorite things about India was that potatoes seemed to be classified in the vegetable category more than the starchy-things-to-mop-up-vegetables-with category. Omnomnom...

Ooh, want moar starchy sandwich love? I just remembered that my second favorite sandwich of all time is... The French Fry And Gravy Po Boy.
posted by Sara C. at 4:36 PM on July 12, 2010


I keep threatening to make my British BF the shooter's sandwich.

"Just you wait, one day you'll come home it will BE THERE. ..immense, powerful, redolently British, and you have no choice. No choice save destruction. You will have to encounter it. Meet it. Destroy it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday, and it will alter the rest of your life."
posted by The Whelk at 4:50 PM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


The problem with us Italians, is we're too accommodating when it comes to our cuisine. Try that with the French, for once, and they'll bludgeon you to death.

With un baguette.
posted by _dario at 5:22 PM on July 12, 2010


Have you had Chinese food in India?

No, but I will now make it my mission in life to do so, without regard for how many innocents will have to be slaughtered to make it happen.
posted by contessa at 6:41 PM on July 12, 2010


Ditto. Each time I hear of it my interest grows.

Also of interest: French influenced Vietnamise foods.
posted by Artw at 6:44 PM on July 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Contessa, I don't know where you live, and Artw, I see you're in Seattle. There is an Indian-Chinese restaurant in New York, which to me implies that they must be elsewhere in the US and probably other parts of the world with a significant Indian diaspora (Canada, the UK, and the like). Artw, I don't know if there's a big Indian community in Seattle, but maybe try Vancouver?

If anyone interested in Indian-Chinese happens to be in the US northeast, Chinese Mirch has 2 locations in Manhattan as well as Stamford, CT, Framingham, MA, and are apparently opening another in somewhere in NJ soon. They also claim on their site that they're planning on expanding to PA in the near future. I have not eaten at said restaurant (yet!), but have had Indian Chinese and it is everything you think and more.

Also, aside from Banh Mi, what are some other French-inspired Vietnamese foods?
posted by Sara C. at 6:54 PM on July 12, 2010


Sara C., where I live we have lots of chinese (mostly take-out), and a single Indian restaurant. Never the twain shall meet. Shit, we don't even have Chipotle. This is what happens when the core demographic is retirees from the Midwest.
posted by contessa at 7:00 PM on July 12, 2010


Alls I'm saying is that you probably don't have to go to Calcutta to get this stuff. Maybe just to Chicago, or Toronto, or the Bay Area.
posted by Sara C. at 7:08 PM on July 12, 2010


I'd eat it, but then again, I'm an American.

YES
posted by Evilspork at 8:08 PM on July 12, 2010


Also, aside from Banh Mi, what are some other French-inspired Vietnamese foods?

Bahn Mi are of course the best sandwiches in the world. A Pho place near my work (known as "Scary Pho", mainly due to the decor, does this neat beef stew served with French bread. But that's just scratching the surface... Back in Camden Town, before I left, there was this French/Vietnamese place that did all sorts of awesome stuff, like this thing with potatoes that I wish I could remember the name of. Potatoes! In Asian food! I'll really have to remember the name of the place and find out if they are still going.

Talking of French bread... Parisian hotdogs, best in the world or what?
posted by Artw at 8:52 PM on July 12, 2010


Bahn Mi are of course the best sandwiches in the world.

Yes. Yes they are. Mr. Numberwang and I have a long-term goal to buy and eat a banh mi any time we come across a new-to-us Vietnamese deli place. So, so yummy!

I just made myself hungry. Dammit.
posted by That's Numberwang! at 9:18 PM on July 12, 2010


Usually super cheap, too, which is a bonus.
posted by Artw at 9:25 PM on July 12, 2010


Have you had Chinese food in India?

In the DC area there's a local chain of Indian restaurants called Minerva that has a section of Chinese-Indian items on the menu. I highly recommend the Drums of Heaven/Lollipop Chicken, but there's a big difference in quality depending on who's in the kitchen that day.
posted by Challahtronix at 8:54 AM on July 13, 2010


I once had Lasagna-stuffed pizza. If you can picture it, it's a chunk of lasagna sandwiched between two pizza crusts with sauce and cheese on top. It was awesome.
posted by zorrine at 1:41 PM on July 13, 2010


Three words my friends. Three words that combine American Taste with Scottish Ingenuity.

Deep. Fried. Pizza.

I'm drooling just typing it.
posted by The Whelk at 1:51 PM on July 13, 2010


This is just pure wrong... cornflakes on a pizza
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:01 AM on July 14, 2010 [1 favorite]


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