Bagel, Cream Cheese, Onion & Tomato

In past film shoots this cameraman /chef was quick to line up for a catered breakfast, going past the multitude of sugary pastry confections and heading straight for Bagels and Cream Cheese and plates with sliced Tomato and Onion, to build a Jewish deli classic sandwich.

I never had a Bagel when I lived in Louisiana and Texas as a youth, but now you can get them in coffee shops, fast food joints, and larger grocery stores. 

Bagels are boiled and baked to create a crunchy surface with a chewy interior. They originally go back to the 17 century in Jewish communities of Poland. Read about it here.

      Plain & Everything Bagel

My wife Linda grew up a half-hour from New York City the capital of Bagels. I got a crash course there when we visited her family. Check out our Christmas video below at Ess-a-Bagel restaurant in NYC where bagels are baked on the premises and serve a dozen varieties of amazing Bagel Spreads!

Ess-a-Bagel - Movie

This is an easy and tasty recipe to make. Allow cream cheese to soften while out of the refrigerator. Slice some tomato and onion. Toast the bagel and build a sandwich. 

Most deli versions use thin slices of tomato and onion. In my recipe video, I slice tomato and red onion thickly, I like it that way. 

Tomatoes and onions are still reasonable in price. I like to use red onion which is the most expensive onion, but I also use cheaper yellow onion, too.

Click on any photo to see larger.

I get my bagels from the discount bin at the local Ralphs supermarket grocers. Sometimes they are plain bagels and other times it is a mixed bag of Onion, Sesame Seed, Everything, and Blueberry.

Cream Cheese is more expensive these days, but still a decent deal. It comes in cardboard boxes at about 8 ounces. Smaller amounts of Cream Cheese also come in plastic tubs with many flavor additions, like Smoked Salmon and cheddar. I haven't found a good vegan version yet.

Cream cheese blends are cheaper and taste fine, but they may contain a good amount of palm oil.

Of course, I prefer the real thing, Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I have tried off-brands of real cream cheese when they are cheaper than Philly Cream Cheese.

Any way you spread it, my Bagel with Cream Cheese, Sliced Tomato, and Onion is a tasty 99 Cent Chef sandwich recipe you can't afford to miss out on.

Bagel with Cream Cheese, Sliced Tomato, Onion - VIDEO               Play it here, video runs 1 minute, 59 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Cream Cheese - I bought an 8-ounce package, okay to buy a smaller tub.
• Bagel - I like mine sliced in half and toasted. Serve on a half slice or make it into a sandwich. Okay to not toast the bagel.
• Red Onion - sliced. I used a red onion, but okay to use a white or yellow onion. I like a thick slice of onion, but slice it as thin or thick as you like.
• Tomato - sliced. I like a thick slice of tomato.

Directions

Toast a sliced bagel. Okay to make the recipe an untoasted bagel.

Allow cream cheese to soften for a few minutes, it's easier to spread that way.

Assemble sandwich. I like cream cheese smeared on a toasted bagel slice, then add sliced onion and tomato.

Finally, top with a toasted bagel slice to make a sandwich. Okay to serve on a half slice of Bagel

Rachel Sandwich - Video Recipe

Coleslaw between 2 slices of rye bread? But when you add melty Swiss Cheese, tender Corned Beef, and Russian Dressing, now that's a great sandwich. My Rachel Deli Sandwich is stacked with deliciousness.

I was unaware of such a wild sandwich until I first ordered a Rachel at Los Angeles's premier Jewish Deli, Canter's Restaurant. They are expensive, in the $20 range now, and I would get them just every once in a while. 

The Rachel is a riff on a Ruben Sandwich, which is made with Sauerkraut instead of Coleslaw. And the Ruben is an American creation from the early 1900s (click here to read all about it.)

What makes a Rachel Sandwich so tasty is the combination of cool Coleslaw with thick slices of Corned Beef and Swiss Cheese on toasty Rye Bread. It's a heady, hardy sandwich.

Now you would think it too difficult to make in your kitchen but I have a simple Corned Beef Recipe that uses a package of uncooked Corned Beef. 

And all you have to do is boil the Corned Beef until tender. Check out my  Easy Corned Beef recipe below.

I always have a few packages of uncooked Corned Beef in the freezer that I get for half price during St. Patrick's Day week sales. 

For my Coleslaw, I use a 14-ounce bag of sliced cabbage and carrot and a few dollops of mayonnaise that I get from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

Coleslaw made with a pre-shredded bag of cabbage is the way to go and I have an Easy Coleslaw recipe below to prove it!

A Russian Dressing is ketchup plus mayo. Mix it together for a sweet sandwich filling.

You're supposed to use Swiss Cheese, but I've made mine with any favorite cheese I have on hand - it's all good.

A Rachel Sandwich can go other meaty ways, one is using sliced cooked turkey and the other way is made with Pastrami. I've not tried turkey, but I know Pastrami makes a great Rachel. Of course, I have an Easy Homemade Pastrami recipe video for your viewing pleasure.

As for Rye Bread, I get mine from the "clearance shelves" at my local Ralph's Grocers for one to two bucks a loaf. 

Once you toast week-old slices of rye, they taste as good as new. I've also made a Rachael with regular bread. (I guess you can't really call it a Rachel, but it's delicious regardless.)

Do try out my version of a Rachel Sandwich -- so go for it, and make your own Corned Beef or Pastrami  -- that's the 99 Cent Chef cheap$kate way.

                                            Rachel Sandwich - Video                Play it here. The video runs for 2 minutes and 26 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• Sliced Corned Beef or Pastrami - My recipe for Easy Corned Beef is here. My Easy Pastrami recipe is here.
• Coleslaw - add as much as you like, usually a couple tablespoons per sandwich. My Easy Coleslaw recipe is here.
• Swiss Cheese - One slice is enough, but add as much as you like. 
• Russian Dressing - Mix one teaspoon of ketchup plus one tablespoon of mayonnaise.
• 2 Slices Rye Bread - I've made the sandwich with regular white and wheat bread.
• Butter - a thick slice for toasting the sandwich. 

Directions

For a simple Corned Beef Recipe just simmer a raw Corned Beef covered in water for about 3 to 4 hours until it is tender. 

Check the water level every hour or so and add more if needed. A package of Corned Beef will have directions as well.

Slice the cooked Corned Beef. You can make your sandwich with as much as you like.

What makes this sandwich is toasting the bread and melting the Swiss Cheese. Here's how I stack it.

Add a slice of butter to melt and spread it out enough to cover a slice of bread.

I add a slice of bread and then the Swiss Cheese, so the cheese is closest to the heat and will melt nicely. 

From here out you can stack it anyway. Pile on the Coleslaw and sliced Corned Beef.

Finally, smear on the Russian Dressing and top with a slice of Rye Bread.

When the cheese starts to melt it's ready to turn and brown the other side of the sandwich. Again it's good to peek under the sandwich to make sure you don't burn the bread.

You can add more butter when you flip the sandwich if you like a more buttery flavor. I find it's buttery enough even if one side has most of the butter flavor and browning.

It usually takes 2 or 3 minutes per side to brown the Rye Bread and melt the Swiss Cheese, depending on how hot the pan or grill surface is.

Hindsight

Stack the sandwich any way you like. Start with Swiss Cheese, Corned Beef, Russian Dressing, and top with Coleslaw. Mix it up the way you like it.

I've made the Rachel with Pastrami, too. I've never tried a California Rachel (made with sliced cooked Turkey) but it sounds delicious.