Monday, March 3, 2008

Get Me a Sangwich or Somethin'

The title is, if memory serves, from that movie with De Niro and Billy Crystal where Crystal is the twitchy shrink and De Niro the mafioso. One of the guards says it just before both (?) get whacked. Scratch that. I’m assured it’s from Honeymoon in Vegas. "There's sections of Kaua'i!??!"

I'm a bit of a bread head. I really love bread - crusty, artisan loaves, with layers of flavor. Outside of my house I'm not much of a sandwich person (Potbelly is the exception. Mmmm, Potbelly.) for the simple reason that sandwich bread is usually yuck.

The sandwich recipes I'm including are all based on having access to a great, crusty baguette or ciabatta. If you don't have such access, I'm sorry. Very, very sorry. Actually, Chicago, for as good of a food city as it is, really lacks true talent in the bread department. I haven't yet found a ciabatta I adore. I pick up the city's best loaves at Pastoral (and they get them from a bakery in Evanston). The baguettes at Trader Joes are better priced and better in taste and texture than what's turned out in the local bread bakeries.

So here's five sandwiches I just love.

1. Roast Salmon Sandwich with Dill Aioli
Print recipe only here

YOU WILL NEED:
One good baguette, or comparable good crusty bread that would make a good sandwich, toasted (I think toasting is optional, my husband disagrees).

Salmon filets, trimmed to be no thicker than the baguette, rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted or grilled until just done.

Dill Aioli. I used to feel like such a cheater making an aioli with mayonnaise. I got over it. I really couldn't justify spending so much time preparing something we would consume, at best, a couple of tablespoons of.

Combine in a small bowl:
* Juice of one lemon (shoot for 2-3 T, using more lemons as necessary)
* 2 T mayonaise
* 2 T fresh dill, chopped very fine
* Salt and pepper to taste


PREPARATION:
* Roast or grill salmon.
* Prepare aioli.
* Trim the baguette on a diagonal and slice down the middle. Place cooked filet and a generous spoonful of aioli.

2. Flank Steak with Roast Roma Tomatoes and Arugula


Oh, this is good one. It just screams PERFECT SUMMER MEAL to me. Even now. Even in the middle of the longest winter, ever.

Flank Steak Sandwich
Print recipe only here

YOU WILL NEED:
* Again with the bread. Baguette or ciabatta.
* One flank steak. I've been picking up the Austrailian ones at Trader Joes. So good, no hormones, amazing price. Flank steak is quite lean, and the TJ variety has never disappointed. Rub it with salt and pepper and grill whole, about 6-8 min per side. Let sit 10-15 minutes before slicing, across the grain, as thin as you can get it without stressing yourself out.
* 4-6 Roma tomatoes, sliced about 3mm thick, doused in a light film of olive oil, salted and peppered, and slow roasted in a 250° oven for about 2 hours (Ok, ok! Regular roasting is fine here, especially when you don't have time to slow roast: 10-20 min at 375° is fine)
* Bunch of good arugula, tossed at the last minute in a spoonful each olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt.
* Panini oil: combine about ¼ cup olive oil (best you've got - this won't be cooked), 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped, 1-2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped, 1-2 T fresh basil, finely chopped, Salt and fresh ground pepper

PREPARATION:
* Realize you forgot to allow time to slow roast romas. Preheat oven to 375°, prepare romas and roast on a baking sheet.
* Preheat grill 10 minutes. Prep flank steak (trim excess fat). Rub a bit of grapeseed oil on grill rack (if possible - if not, no biggie). Set flank on grill.
* Make panini oil
* Prep arugula and baguette (slice ends on diagonal and crosswise down the middle, slather with panini oil).
* Wait patiently for flank to sit for 10 minutes on a cutting board before you bust into it. This is a good time to ruin your appetite snacking on baguette dipped in panini oil.
* Slice steak. Layer onto bottom half of baguette, top with romas and arugula. Serve.


3. Roast Vegetable Panini

YOU WILL NEED:
* Again with the bread. Baguette or ciabatta. No. Make that baguette.
* Veggies! 4-6 Roma tomatoes, an eggplant, portobella mushrooms, red bell peppers. All prepped about the same: sliced about 3mm thick (just roast the peppers whole,then break down into strips when roasted and cooled), doused in a light film of olive oil, salted and peppered, and roasted in a 350° oven until they're nicely browned.
* Bunch of good arugula, tossed at the last minute in a spoonful each olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of kosher salt. Alternately, substitute whole, fresh basil leaves - about 2-3 per individual sandwich. I might like the basil here more than the arugula.
* Panini oil: combine about ¼ cup olive oil (best you've got - this won't be cooked), 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped, 1-2 T fresh parsley, finely chopped, 1-2 T fresh basil, finely chopped, Salt and fresh ground pepper.
* Tapenade: combine in a mini-prep until nicely chopped up: 1 cup pitted kalamatas, 2 T fresh parsley, 1-2 cloves garlic, pinch salt. Then add, pulsing to combine:1-2 T olive oil.
* Fresh mozzarella, the balls that come soaking in brine.

ASSEMBLY:
* Trim down roasted red peppers (remove skin and slice into 1-inch strips).
* Prep baguette by slicing ends on diagonal and crosswise down the middle. Slather the bottom half generously with tapenade and the top half with with panini oil.
* Layer veggies on bottom half, top with mozzarella and basil leaves or arugula.
* Mangia!

4. Chicken with Pomeray-Rum sauce and Frisee - Coming Soon
5. Italian Beef with Pepperoncini and Giardinera - Coming Soon

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