The flavor of the avocado perfectly complemented the citrus of the blood orange and the tang of the swiss cheese. The violets have their on distinctive tang, too. The flowers themselves don't taste so strong, but the stems or leaves have a nice, unique flavor. I've sort of forgotten how much I like how they taste but nibbling on them as I prepared the sandwich brought back memories.
I started eating violets after reading about them in a Euell Gibbons book my dad had given me. I spent quite a bit of my childhood wandering through the woods looking for critters and plants, and as I would walk along I picked leaves off the violets and would chew them absentmindedly. The violets growing in the forest would have long stems and big leaves. I ate the leaves, but I really liked biting through the stems. In the center of the stem is an almost rubbery elastic string. If you pull the leaf until it breaks instead of snipping it free, this stringy bit stretches and usually breaks at a different place that the rest of the stem. This leaves a little extra hanging either from the nub on the plant or from the stem in your hand. Sometimes I would pull this out and chew it separately; sometimes I tried to bite so it and the rest of the stem were cut precisely. Crazy, I know, but such is the mind of an obsessive compulsive adolescent. And the slightly tangy flavor brings back these wandering meditations and memories of days exploring streams with a dip-net and a gallon bucket.
Today's sandwich was an enthusiastic success. The look, the taste. I was wondering if I should put some meat on it, but sitting here typing this I completely full and thankful I hadn't added anything substantial. I did forget to add the pine nuts that I originally had planned on adding; I wish I hadn't.
The question as always is would you eat this sandwich? Answer in the comments.
