My California Veggie Sandwich

timeless, just like every one of Cher's outfits from the 1970s and 80s

Apr 25, 2025

Hello Comrades!

This recipe and video are from my archives—previously published in one form or another, here or there, but never before on Food Processing. I was reminded today that Carla’s Californication Dreamin’ Sandwich existed by a sweet Food Processor reader named Alek, who DM’d me looking for it. This resonated, and here we are. (Note to readers: you can ALWAYS use Substack’s Chat to reach out to me directly, and connect with other subscribers. I’ll never miss a message in our Chat thread. On IG, it could end up in the abyss.)

This sandwich has two muses. One of the them is something that California has really nailed: The California Veggie Sandwich. Also known as a Hippie Sandwich, this is usually a stack of raw and pickled vegetables with a slab of cheddar and sliced avocado, topped by alfalfa sprouts, aka the dental floss of nascent vegetables, on a multigrain bread. (Would love to know if the people who love angel hair pasta also love alfalfa sprouts, which could explain a lot.)

This post is public so feel free to share it with your friends in California, your friends who wish they were in California, and also the friends who would never in a million years live in California, but think it’s a nice place to visit.

The other muse is The Scuttlebutt, created by Caroline Fidanza, chef and owner of Williamsburg’s legendary sandwich shop, Saltie (RIP). I used to go there when Leo was still in a stroller (he’s 21 now), and I only ever ordered the Scuttlebutt, even though every Saltie sandwich was outstanding. But the Scuttlebutt was the girl for me, a proudly messy, boldly maximalist take on a CV. It had feta, hard boiled eggs, pickled beets, and a parsley salad that has shaped who I am as a person.

I think about the Scuttlebutt a lot, and it is surely part of the creative ether that went into Salad Sandwich. When I was with my sister this past weekend, she asked me why there was no such thing as a Greek Salad Sandwich—an inspiring question, really. That got me thinking. And then the other day my sweet love, Molly Baz, posted HER take on the Scuttlebutt using the excellent Ayoh mayo she created. A mere few days later, Alek popped up to remind me that my own Cali Veggie was alive and well in this video and recipe. It was a California dream if there ever was one.

Hope there’s lots of springy energy in your weekend,

xoxoCLM

The written recipe (PDF plus plain text) is posted below. If you like what’s happening here, please sign up and never miss another update. Your support goes right back into my work developing recipes, shooting video, and writing about everything I do.

California Veggie Sandwich Formatted

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Carla’s California Veggie Sandwich

I have enjoyed many Cali Veggie Sandwiches over the years, and because I was born in California but identify as a New Yorker, I was loathe to develop my own. But I’m a Leo, so I did it anyway. Mess with an iconic, world-famous recipe, and people are going to have thoughts. No hair-like alfalfa sprouts? No avocado? It’s my hippie sandwich and I wanted it juicy, puckery, tangy, and super crunchy. The bread is floofy. The cheese is not a slab of aged cheddar (in fact, it's wayyyyyy different than that). I love it. If my interpretation offends you, I'm sorry. But if you put tempeh in yours, apologize back.

Makes 4 Sandwiches

For the Quickles

1 cup cider vinegar

1 cup water

⅓ cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

1 teaspoon caraway seeds, optional

1 teaspoon mustard seeds, optional

1 chile d’arbol, crumbled, optional

2 medium beets, any color

2 large carrots

1 shallot

For Assembly

8 ounces fresh chevre, room temperature

Handful chives, thinly sliced (about 1 ounce or 2 tablespoons sliced)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 garlic clove

1 lemon

2 heads little gem lettuce, leaves separated and washed

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup basil leaves, lightly packed (torn if large)

Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper

4 pieces focaccia, approximately 4 inches wide

Mayonnaise, as desired

Few pinches cayenne pepper

Make the Quickles

At least 1 hour before you want to be eating, prep the pickled vegetables. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, the coriander and mustard seeds, and the chile in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 or 2 minutes, then remove from heat.

Meanwhile, peel and cut the beets crosswise into very thin slices. Place in a heatproof jar or other container with a lid. Zoodle the carrots, or cut into thin matchsticks. Place in a separate jar or container. Thinly slice the shallot and divide the slices between the beets and carrots.

Pour the brine over the vegetables and let it cool to room temperature.

Get ahead: Quickles can be made up to 5 days in advance. Cover and chill.

Assemble the Sandwiches

In a small bowl, combine the chevre, chives, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Finely grate the garlic and zest of 1 lemon into the bowl; use a fork or small spatula to thoroughly combine the mixture. (If using store-bought garlic-herb chevre, you can omit the chives and garlic.) Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set chevre mixture aside.

Combine the lettuce leaves and sprouts in a medium bowl. Cut the zested lemon in half and squeeze the juice over. Add the basil and toss gently to combine. Drizzle sparingly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat.

Cut the focaccia in half crosswise to create a top and a bottom piece. Spread both sides of each with as much or as little mayonnaise as you desire. Sprinkle cayenne over the mayo. Dividing evenly, spread chevre mixture over top and bottom halves, using all of it (it will come out to about 4 tablespoons per sandwich). Layer on the lettuces and basil, doing so in a way that encourages the sprouts to stay behind, then top with beet and carrot pickles (shake the spices off as you remove from the brine). Pile the sprouts on the pickles and close up the sandwiches. Cut each in half on a diagonal unless you’re a monster, in which case you can cut them into rectangles, but it won’t taste as good.