Egg Sandwiches

A four-line filling that assumes you know what "seasonings" means and how much oil a chopped egg will absorb. The proportions are entirely at the cook's discretion, so a little guidance helps.

• QuantitiesTwo hard-cooked eggs, finely chopped, take roughly 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil before they hold together as a spread. Add it a teaspoon at a time; the yolks absorb it and the mixture goes from crumbly to cohesive quite suddenly.
• "Seasonings"Most likely salt and pepper, and possibly a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice, or a little mustard; period books vary, and this one does not say. Some acid keeps an oil-bound egg filling from tasting flat.
• Hard-cooked eggsCover with cold water, bring to a boil, cover and take off the heat for about 10 minutes, then cool in cold water. The greenish-grey ring and sulphurous smell of an overcooked egg will carry straight through into the sandwich.
• Graham breadNamed for Sylvester Graham's coarse unsifted wheat flour, this is a soft whole-wheat loaf, often lightly sweetened with molasses. A modern whole-wheat sandwich bread is the closest substitute; graham crackers take their name from the same flour but are a sweet crisp biscuit and no guide to the loaf.
• Olive oil, not mayonnaiseThe oil-bound version is looser and tastes distinctly of the oil, so use one you like straight. A grassy, bitter oil will dominate; a milder one lets the egg through.
• Yield and keepingTwo eggs fill about three sandwiches cut in halves. Make it the day you eat it and keep it refrigerated until then; chopped egg dressed with oil sours quickly at room temperature.