BRATTLEBORO — Ever since the Earl of Sandwich demanded his food be brought to him between two slices of bread because he did not wish to interrupt his cribbage game or get grease on the playing cards, people have been creating and perfecting the sandwich.
And so, to kick off the 10th annual Strolling of the Heifers weekend, the organization has sent out the call to all sandwich aficionados to enter the Ultimate New England Sandwich Competition, a culinary competition that will have its finale at the River Garden in downtown Brattleboro on Friday evening, June 3.
This is a wide-open contest, open to professional and amateurs alike. Sandwiches may be cold or hot, on sliced bread, rolls or wraps, with or without lettuce, pickles, onions, mayo, mustard, tomatoes, relish, asparagus, artichokes, guacamole, and the rest. Bread can be homemade or store-bought.
In other words, there are no limits, except that to qualify, New England bread is required, and if cheese is used, it must be New England cheese. All other ingredients are up to the chef's imagination, but New England ingredients should be used whenever possible or available.
“So,” says contest coordinator Jeff Newton, “we strongly recommend New England cheese, butter, eggs, flour, bacon, lettuce, veggies and so on. If there's a place for maple syrup in a sandwich, well, it had better be New England maple syrup.”
Other than that, though, there really are no limits. “Let your sandwich-ination soar,” Newton exhorts. “Innovate to your stomach's content. Pull out all the stops and all the cold cuts!”
All entries must be submitted online via the Stroll's website (www.strollingoftheheifers.com), where the complete rules are posted as well. All entries must be received by Friday, May 13. There's a limit of three entries per contestant.
Each entry must contain the complete recipe, with exact ingredients, including brands or sources and cooking instructions in standard recipe format. Entries received without these elements will be disqualified. Up to 75 finalists will be notified by May 24.
Each finalist must bring four sandwiches of their entry to the River Garden by 5 p.m., Friday, June 3, for judging. For entries requiring grilling, professional grillers will do that for you at the River Garden. For non-grilled hot sandwiches, you'll need to heat them at home and bring them in an insulated container. Entries should be freshly assembled and ready to be grilled or tasted. Winners will be announced later that evening.
As part of the Stroll's sandwich theme, a number of restaurants will feature a Strolling of the Heifers sandwich during the month of May. They include: Top of the Hill Grill, Maplewood Café at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, Vermont Country Deli, Chelsea Royal Diner and The Works Bakery Café. Individual restaurant chefs may also participate as individuals in the contest.
First prize is $300 gift certificate to King Arthur Flour's Norwich bakery store. Second prize is a $200 King Arthur Flour gift certificate. Third prize is Grafton Village Cheese gift basket.
For complete rules and entry information, visit www.strollingoftheheifers.com.