California Style sandwich

In the 1980’s my colleague, A. talked me into trying a goat cheese sandwich at St. Basil’s Restaurant in Syracuse, New York, back when the Armory Square area was a very new destination for dining. A. was right about the sandwich - and so many other things. The sandwich, a spread and veggies on pumpernickel bread, was a delicious one in the California style of the restaurant. I discovered why the sandwich tasted so good when one of the restaurant’s owners, Rosemary Furfaro, published a cookbook, ”Saint Basil’s: Celebration of California’s Cuisines.” The spread for 8 servings contains 1 pound of cream cheese, 1 pound of French feta goat cheese, and a quarter cup plus 2 tablespoons of heavy cream! With that much fat, I think anything might taste good.

Remembering the taste, I decided to try a lower fat substitute. Of course, you could use fat-free or dairy-free substitutes, but I try to keep chemicals in my food to a minimum. That led me to tofu and a suitably tasty spread reminiscent of St. Basil’s Goat Cheese Sandwich (with roasted sweet peppers).

The book, by the way, is still in the catalog of The Onondaga County Public Library and is listed at Amazon.com where it is no longer available.

St. Basil’s Sandwich

4 ounces firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1/4 cup fat-free yogurt
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
3 scallions, chopped
1 roasted red pepper (jarred is just fine), cut into strips
Alfalfa sprouts, washed and drained
Other toppings such as jalapeno slices, spinach leaves, lettuce
4 pumpernickel bagels or 8 slices of excellent pumpernickel bread


Mix the tofu and the yogurt together until well-blended and as smooth as you like it. Stir in the basil and the scallions.

Slice the bagels and toast lightly. (I prefer untoasted bread.) Cover one half of each sandwich with the spread and the pepper, sprouts and other toppings.

Serves 4