I love this sandwich! It was also Ernest Hemingway’s favorite, and that’s probably how I first learned of it, but I eat it because it’s good. Frankly, I think eating something you don’t like just because someone famous also ate that same thing is just plain silly.
The “recipe” couldn’t be any more simple: Peanut butter and onions on white bread. Various sources claim that the peanut butter should be spread on only one of the slices of bread; I say such specificity is also silly. Those same sources claim the onion should be thickly sliced; I’m inclined to agree, but a lot of thinly-sliced onion tastes just as good to me.
To further depart from “tradition,” I prefer to make this sandwich on a toasted bagel, pumpernickel if possible. Maybe this variation is significant enough that it should have a different name; if you feel strongly about this, and have a suggested name, send it to me and I’ll consider it.
A. E. Hotchner notes that Hemingway used to drink red wine with this sandwich; maybe it’s because I don't like red wine, or maybe I just don't like to drink wine with breakfast (which is usually when I eat this sandwich), but I prefer sweet tea (that is, tea brewed using simple syrup instead of water, as found throughout the south) or even Coke. Milk would also be good but I can’t drink it.
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