I am surprised how often I go to restaurants, order a sandwich, and end up with drab meat in between two stale pieces of bread. How can anyone call that a sandwich? Sandwiches, in my opinion, should be made with the same love and attention one would use while making Thanksgiving dinner for the family. So, here is my tribute to an Italian Sub….
Serves: 4*
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients (Available at The Market at Pavilions)
1 French or Sourdough baguette
1/3 pound of Genoa salami, sliced thin
1/3 pound of mortadella, sliced thin
1/3 pound of capicola, sliced thin
1/3 pound of Pepper Jack or Provolone cheese
2 medium tomatoes
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 red onion
2 cups of sliced pepperoncinis
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Skewers
I always like to prep all my ingredients before I assemble so; here is what you need to prep:
Take the iceberg lettuce and cut out the core. Next, place the head of lettuce upright and slice as thin as possible so that it looks “spun.” Place the spun lettuce in a bowl and toss with about 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Try to eyeball the amount as you want just enough to coat the lettuce but not make it soupy. I do this so that the lettuce has flavor and doesn’t fall out of the sandwich.
Next, slice the red onions as thinly as possible, so that they keep their ring shape.
Next, take the tomato and turn it on its side so that the stem is facing left. Cut the tomato into slices.
To prepare the baguette: If the baguette is nice and crunchy all you have to do it cut it lengthwise. If it’s soft, mist it with water (do not cut yet) and put it into a preheated 400 degree oven for 5-7 minutes. Take it out, let cool, and cut. Once the baguette is cut lengthwise, pull out some of the inner soft bread on either side of the baguette. You want to create a cavity for the yummy filling to sit in.
To assemble: Make sure that you are using the bottom half of the baguette to build the sandwich. Sprinkle both halves of the baguette with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Take the salami and fold each piece in half to make a half circle. Line the baguette with pieces of salami, making sure that they overlap slightly. Now, fold the mortadella pieces in half and place them on the baguette but switch directions so these pieces are going in the opposite direction as the salami. Repeat with the capicola and cheese.
On top of the cheese place tomato slices making sure they overlap a little as well. Top them with some red onions. Next, top the onions with sliced pepperoncinis and a healthy portion of the lettuce. (Use a lot of lettuce. It gives the sandwich height and a nice crunch). Sprinkle Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top of the lettuce. Put the top half of the baguette on top and insert four skewers into the sandwich, evenly. Slice the sandwiches at an angle in between the skewers. Turn the sandwich on its side and top with some more Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
*These are large Italian portions. You could easily get 6 sandwiches out of one baguette.
Now if I could just find somewhere to buy one…
Bob E Sherman says
You’re almost there. Red wine vinegar and some oregano
dan says
red wine vinegar or balsamic it depends on your taste the overall recipe is good
joey says
omg I love your admiration for a good sandwich! I 100% agree with you a sandwich needs to be made with love and respect I wish there were more people out there who think along the same lines as us! god bless and Good Eats.