Fried Chickpea Polenta Sandwich

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: Lunch (and dinner) sandwiches just got a lot more exciting. 

It’s no secret that sandwiches are cheap and filling, offering a quick bite when time and budgets are stretched thin. This sandwich, however, brings something different to the usual frugal fare: a hearty chickpea polenta pancake served between a split, warm roll slathered in savory olive butter. Served with a handful of crisp vegetable chips or greens, these sandwiches are the beefier cousins to a standard lunchbox pick (even without the beef).

Fried Chickpea Polenta Sandwich with Olive Butter 

1 cup chickpea flour (or “besan” in Indian markets)
1 1/3 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for pan
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pitted green olives
1 small garlic clove
6 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
4 rolls, such as ciabatta, split, toasted and warm
1 cup parsley leaves

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way. 

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright