Italian Sub

Call it a Hoagie, Hero, Grinder, Po’ Boy, Torpedo, Submarine or whatever, it is a classic Italian treat and here is my version. Again first, please buy high quality cold cuts and bread otherwise the end product will be second rate.

Slice the Italian bread (poppy- or sesame-seeded is good) lengthwise … the crustier the better. Now drizzle some good red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil on the top and bottom cut sides of the bread and then sprinkle with Italian or Greek oregano. Now layer in the following (order can be reversed … see picture):

- thinly sliced real Italian mortadella (a must in my opinion)
- deli-thin Genoa salami slices
- deli-thin Provolone cheese slices
- chopped olive medley (optional)
- deli-thin capicola slices (hot or sweet according to your taste)
- paper thin imported prosciutto ham slices (go ahead splurge)
- deli-thin Swiss cheese (very optional … as this is not traditional)
- shredded Iceberg lettuce
- chopped or sliced ripe tomato
- chopped sweet onion (or scallions)
- chopped or sliced roasted Italian peppers (hot or sweet according to your taste)

Give the whole thing an extra sprinkle of oregano and drizzle of olive oil and red-wine vinegar. Do not, I repeat, do not heat this sandwich or use any mayonnaise. Serve it as described. Use a bib or tuck a dish towel around your neck as eating this treat will be messy.

Enjoy!

Salad Days

Need I re-iterate? If you want a good chef’s salad, you must buy good ingredients. Two-bit substitutions will produce two-bit results. So take time to find a good deli with superior cold-cuts and select carefully. Here is the shopping list for this summer-time favorite (generously serves six):

- 1/3 pound deli-thin sliced Genoa salami (NOT prepackaged)

- 1/3 pound deli-thin sliced Swiss cheese (the nuttier the better)

- 1/3 pound deli-thin sliced Italian roast beef (w/ that hint of garlic)

- 1/3 pound deli-thin sliced baked ham (the real deal)

- 1/3 pound deli-thin sliced roast turkey (not that plastic-looking imitation)
- One large cucumber
- Two ripe tomatoes
- One bunch scallions
- Two packages Summer Salad mix or make your own with torn-to-bite-size frisee, Bibb lettuce, arugula, radicchio, etc, (no baby spinach).
- Your favorite salad dressings (I prefer home-made Thousand Island made with equal parts mayo, ketchup and relish), but Italian or Ranch or Parmesan/peppercorn will do.

Then:
- Wash and spin-dry the salad greens (even if prepackaged).
- Peel the tomatoes (take the time, it is important) and cut into bit-sized pieces.
- Peel, seed and cut the cucumber into bite-sized pieces.
- Clean three or four scallions and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cross-cut the cold-cuts and Swiss cheese into 1/8 inch slivers.

Next:
- Place the salad greens in a large salad bowl.
- Arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, cold cuts, and Swiss cheese in pie shaped segments on top of the greens (taking time to contrast the colors).
- Place the chopped scallions in the center.

Present the salad in all its glory to your guests and then toss it vigorously until it is well mixed. Serve to your salivating guest and let them pick their own dressing. If you choose Thousand Island dressing, top with some fresh cracked or ground black pepper.

Serve with a good white wine and crusty bread. Enjoy!

The Blodget Sandwich

With thanks to Peter DeVries (for the appellation only).

Please heed the following somewhat obvious advice in making this mouth-watering midnight feast -- the fresher and higher-quality the ingredients the finer the end product:

• Take 2 slices of reasonably firm, fresh rustic white or whole-wheat bread.
• Cover the bottom slice with a swath of good brown mustard like Kosciusko ... not yellow mustard.
• Now add the following cool or cold ingredients (except where indicated), in the approximate order stated:
- Two slices of baked Virginia ham (preferably fresh-cut with edge-fat included),
- One or two slices of room-temperature Swiss cheese (Emmental, if possible),
- Some fresh sweet pickle relish (to taste ... at least one heaping teaspoonful),
- Two or three thin slices of Bermuda onion (halved scallions may be substituted),
- Three or four thin slices of a lean and tasty Genoa salami,
- A full spreading of sharp Jewish horseradish (neglect this, and it’s no Blodget),
- Two crisp leaves of Boston or Bibb lettuce (Iceberg only as a last resort),
- Two or three rounds of a fresh, red, ripe tomato (skin peeled off), and
- A slathering of Hellmann’s real mayonnaise (on the tomato, NOT on the top bread).
• Cover with the other slice of bread, slice the finished sandwich on the diagonal, and hold each half together with a long toothpick, topped with a Colossal green pimento olive or a sweet gherkin (or both).
• Place a dish towel into your pajama-top neck, as a bib.
• Pour yourself a tall, cold glass of milk and find a good old movie on TV.
• Enjoy!  (And don't call it a Dagwood!)