THIS SANDWICH IS A MEAL ON A BUN

 

Campero sandwich--the homemade version of a fast-food favorite, with chicken, ham, cheese, tomatoes and lettuce.

I've hardly noticed the proliferation of fast-food restaurants in Spain. Then, in a single week, I had several encounters with the Campero malagueño, Málaga’s version of a hero or sub sandwich. The placard outside one establishment listed 50 different versions of the Campero!

Before McDonald´s arrived in Spain (March, 1981, Madrid), hamburgueserías and sandwicherías—fast-food sandwich joints—began popping up in urban areas. They became a popular hangout for teens and a quick lunch option for unfortunate folks working the new intensivo hours, instead of the two-hour midday closure of businesses and schools that allowed for a proper comida (main meal).  The Campero is, in effect, a whole meal on a bun.

The classic Campero is assembled on a round roll, usually a mollete. It is spread with mayonnaise and includes lettuce, tomato, chicken, cooked ham and cheese. The sandwich is always grilled. While it’s meant to be eaten with the hands, it’s fairly messy and needs napkins. 

Here's what you need to know to make the Campero at home.

Mollete has a firm crumb and crust.

The bread. A round bread roll with a firm, but not hard crust. A crusty roll doesn’t work on a grill. Hamburger buns are too sweet and too soft; they aren't sturdy enough to hold up with the contents of the Campero. If you substitute a long roll, such as a bollo or baguette, it’s not a Campero. It has to be round. I used 5 ½ -inch molletes for the Campero. Round ciabatta rolls might make an acceptable substitute. 

The sandwich spread. Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup. You can take it from there: tahini, tartare sauce, curry, picante (hot) sauce. I saw a version called “campero gringo” with barbecue sauce. The sandwich spread was my only “innovative” touch to the classic Campero—I made a mayonnaise-mango chutney sauce.

Summer's best tomatoes for this sandwich.

The tomatoes. Use the best beefsteak tomatoes. The slices should completely cover the round of bread, so use two or three big slices.

The lettuce. Crisp iceberg lettuce holds up best to grilling. But any salad green works just fine. Try rucula for extra flavor. 

Onions. Optional, but usual, either fried crisp or griddled. I made some lightly pickled red onions.

The chicken, etc. Grilled chicken cutlets are classic for the Campero. But, breaded and fried cutlets or sliced roast chicken will work too. The etc. includes pork, beef, tuna, duck breast. A vegetarian version might include grilled slices of eggplant and portobello mushrooms.

Additions. To the classic Campero, add an over-easy egg. Beyond that, your imagination can take over: bacon, roasted red peppers, fried green peppers, caramelized apples, olives, fresh herbs.

Add a layer of cooked ham or lacón.

Ham. This is cooked ham, in Spain known as jamón york. I used hand-sliced smoked lacón, a cooked shoulder ham.  Variations: serrano or ibérico ham, smoked salmon.

The cheese. Any melting cheese. Semi-cured Manchego or smoky Idiazábel are terrific, but good old “American” will work too. Blue cheese, goat cheese, mozzarella. I used a soft, mixed-milk (cow, goat, sheep) cheese, pre-sliced for convenience. 

Give the buns a quarter turn to get cross-hatch grill marks. Or use a sandwich press.

The grill. A sandwich press is perfect. Otherwise use a ridged grill pan to make the toasty grill marks on the bread. If you haven’t got a grill pan, use any flat griddle or heavy skillet.

Grilled Chicken and Cheese Sandwich

Campero Malagueño

Here’s what you need to make four big sandwiches. The recipes for grilling the chicken, making the sandwich spread and pickling the onions are below.

 Tomatoes, molletes, mayo, cheese, ham, onions, lettuce, chicken.

For the Campero sandwiches

Molletes (round buns)

4 grilled chicken breast cutlets 

4 (5 ½-inch) molletes (buns) or ciabatta rolls

Mayonnaise-chutney sandwich spread

Sliced tomatoes

Lettuce leaves

Pickled red onions

Sliced cooked ham

Sliced cheese

Olive oil

For the grilled chicken

4 chicken breast cutlets, about 4 ounces each, ¼ inch thick (from 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cumin

1/8 teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

Olive oil

Spice blend for chicken.

Spread the cutlets out on a plate. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin and pimentón in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over both sides of the chicken. Allow the chicken to come to room temperature.

Brush a grill pan or heavy skillet with oil and place on moderately high heat. Grill the chicken cutlets until they are just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Remove.

Chutney, mustard, mayonnaise.

For the mayonnaise-mango sandwich spread:

¼ cup mango chutney

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

If the chutney is chunky, mash it with a fork. Combine chutney, mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to spread.

For the Vinegared Red Onions:

1 red onion

1 cup water

½ cup white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

Cut the onion in half from stem to root, then slice crosswise. Combine the water, vinegar and salt in a bowl. Add the onions. Allow them to macerate 2 hours. 

Drain the onions to serve. To store them, place in a non-reactive container and add enough of the vinegar water to cover them. Store refrigerated up to 5 days.

To assemble the Campero Sandwiches:

Split the molletes. Spread both halves with the mango-mayonnaise sandwich spread. On the bottom half, arrange a layer of sliced tomatoes. Top with lettuce. Place the whole chicken cutlet on top. Add a layer of sliced ham. Top with sliced cheese. Place the top half of the mollete on the stack. Press the sandwich gently.

Sandwich assembled, ready to grill.

Brush a ridged grill pan or sandwich press with oil and heat it. Brush the tops of the molletes with oil. Place a sandwich on the grill for 1 minute. Give it a quarter turn and grill 30 seconds more. If using a grill pan, carefully turn the sandwich over. Repeat, grilling the sandwich 1 minute, then turning it 90º. When the bread is marked by the grill and the cheese is beginning to melt, remove the sandwich to a cutting board. 

Cut the sandwich in half and serve immediately.  

Cut sandwich in half to serve.

Fast food joints serve fries alongside the Campero. I've got spicy radishes.

Grilling melts the cheese and makes appetizing grill marks on the bun.

More sandwich recipes:

Serrano Ham and Pork Loin Sandwiche (Serranito)

Tuna and Roasted Pepper Sandwich.

Steak Sandwich with Mushroom Ketchup (Pepito).

Mini-Roll with Spicy Sardines.

Fried Squid Sandwich with Alioli.