I’ve just come back from a week at home in the US, and it was great. For once, I didn’t plan every minute of the trip, and it was a revelation. We even got to drive to DC for an overnight!

Going home is always a mix of experiences – eating home comfort foods, seeing old, great friends, and trying not to get too caught up in nostalgia to the point where I refuse to try anything unfamiliar.

It’s easy to feel like you’re still a part of somewhere when you live far away from it, but turning up and realizing that everything you’re used to has changed can be a downer. Instead of focusing on the romance of the old, I’m trying to focus on the joys of the new.

On that note, here is one old favorite, and two new, from my time back on the US east coast.

The view from my old home, Jersey City, towards Manhattan. The skyline changes but the feeling stays the same.

Tasting flights are the best way to try beer, and this was from Forgotten Brewery in Cherry Hill, NJ. New fave!

A blueberry cheesecake “tart” from Ted’s Bulletin in DC, stuffed with preserves and cream cheese filling.

After a week of eating things like that amazing not-a-pop-tart, though, you can probably imagine where this is going.

Today’s recipe is pretty light, really easy to make and … delicious. (What did you expect me to say?) Versatile maybe? It’s that too, don’t worry.

Special guest: roasted red pepper

Recipe note: You can replace the steak with chicken, pork, halloumi or sea bass, but I think steak works especially well.

Serves 4

On the Counter

Sandwich
1 roasted red pepper, sliced*
250 g (1/2 lb) sirloin steak(s) or boneless skinless chicken
1 tbsp neutral, high smoke point oil like rapeseed or corn oil

50g feta
4 small tomatoes
1 cucumber, about 100 g (4 oz)
2 big handfuls of mixed salad leaves

4 whole grain pitas

Dressing
2 tbsp extra Virgin olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
Remaining pepper juice

What to Do

Chop your tomato into cubes, peel, seed and slice the cucumber and combine it with the salad leaves and roasted pepper slices. Cube the feta (if it isn’t already), and set it aside.

In a cast iron grill pan (or just a plain cast iron pan), heat your neutral, high smoke point oil on high until it’s shimmering and smoking hot.

Dry your steak or chicken with paper towel, then it salt on both sides. Put it into the pan, and let it sit for a short time.

If it’s a steak, flip it over soon after, and you can flip it a few more times. There is no need to let it sit for long periods of time. A steak that’s 1.25 cm (1/2 inch) thick will take about 10 minutes to cook to medium, with an internal temperature of 60 C (140 F) in mind.

Chicken will take about 15 minutes to cook, and it has to be at least an internal temperature of 75 C (165 F).

As soon as the meat is done, turn off the heat. Slice your pita so you can stuff them, and put them onto the still-hot pan to toast and warm up. (Don’t forget to flip them!)

Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk them together until emulsified (thick and cloudy looking). Toss it with the salad.

Slice up the steak or chicken, and stuff your pita!

* How to roast a pepper

Place your pepper on a metal baking tray. In the broiler (US), or on the grill setting (UK), roast the pepper until it’s black and blistered. It usually takes at least 5 minutes per side, but could take longer.

Once you’ve roasted the pepper, transfer it to a bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. This will help loosen the skin by steaming it off, making it much easier to peel. Leave it for at least 5 minutes, until it’s cool enough to touch and peel.

Peel it, slice it and get rid of the seeds and stem.

Full disclosure: I haven’t been to Vietnam, so I can’t promise this is going to make you think of late nights and food stalls in Hanoi, but I can tell you that it tastes pretty good.

There is just one thing though … to make this, you need to plan ahead. This is not a sandwich you can slap together in 10 minutes, but it’s portable, you can eat it with your hands, and it will impress your friends.

If you’ve never had the chance to try a bánh mì sandwich, well, you should really do something about that. The real-deal is a mix of Vietnamese and French influences, from back when Vietnam was a colony of the bleu, blanc et rouge. A toasted baguette, some pickled vegetables, pork paté, and a bit of spice come together for something truly delicious. The words bánh mì technically just means bread, but outside of Vietnam, it is really all about this sandwich. Typically they’re filled with something porky, but I really like this version. It’s a little lighter in taste and you can feed it to pescetarians.

adapted from: Five and Spice
Serves: 4

Make Ahead

Pickled Vegetables (make between 30 minutes and 2 days in advance)
1/2 daikon radish or 10 regular radishes
1 large carrot
1 cucumber
240 mL (1 cup) cider vinegar
120 mL (1/2 cup) water
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. salt

Slice all the vegetables into matchstick sized pieces. Combine all the pickling ingredients with the vegetables. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days, covered.

On the Counter

Equipment
1 baking tray
1 small bowl
aluminum foil

Marinade (make between 30 minutes and 1 hour in advance)
4 filets of sea bass, (about 100 g or 3 oz each)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 spring onion/scallion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 inch (1.25 cm) piece of ginger, peeled and minced or grated

Sandwich
4 demi-baugettes or 2 full-sized baguettes, halved
a handful of fresh coriander/cilantro
3 tablespoons sriracha hot sauce
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
1 japaleño or green chili, sliced thinly

What to Do

Mix all marinade ingredients together and pour over filets. They don’t need to be skinless, as you can easily take the skin off once they’re cooked. Marinade for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour ahead. Any more than that and the fish will start falling apart.

Line your baking tray with foil. In a 180C (350F) oven, bake the marinated filets in one layer for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Cut or flake the fish into generous chunks.

Meanwhile, mix the sriracha and yogurt/mayonnaise and set aside.

When the fish is cooked, set the oven to broil/grill and place the baguette halves in for 2 minutes, until lightly toasted.

Slather one side of the bread with sriracha cream, add the fish, pickled vegetables, sliced chili and coriander. Close your sandwich and eat!