Sandwiches

Pepperoni Bread
by

Pepperoni Bread

My sister in law makes the best spinach and pepperoni breads you would ever have. I was thinking about that but since she lives in Maine and currently has her hands full so I wasn’t going to ask and decided to do something I really don’t do, bake. Lyn’s the baker in the family to me it’s to specific and I’m a cook from the gut kind of guy.

Ingredient

  • 1 pizza dough, thawed if frozen, I bought Portland Pie beer dough at Big Y this morning.
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 ounces sliced pepperoni sausage
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Step 2

Roll frozen bread dough out into a rectangle about 15″ long . Brush dough with beaten egg. Arrange pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese over the dough. Sprinkle on the Italian seasoning. Roll up dough like a jelly roll and pinch seam to seal; place, seam side down, on prepared baking sheet. brush egg on the tope and sides outside and sprinkle with some more Italian seasoning

Step 3

Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden.

Serve with Lyn’s pasta sauce or a jar of store bought for dipping.

Advertisement
The Mighty Muffuletta
by

The Mighty Muffuletta

My sisters in-law sent me two Muffulettas from Central Grocery for my birthday yhe other day. we were in the middle of a low carb week but i said F that and dove in.

New Orleans is one of the greatest food destinations in the world, I lived there for almost 2 years while working with 20th Century Fox and the muffuletta sandwich is one of the most quintessential foods in New Orleans. Although many imitations exist, there’s nothing better in my book than the original Central Grocery muffuletta recipe. Although my friend Mike a native says he prefers Napoleon House on Chartres Street better.

According to the Times-Picayune, the muffuletta was created by Salvatore Lupo in 1906:

“It was at his store, Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, that Sicilian farmers coming from the French Market would order the main ingredients of the muffuletta and eat them separately. Lupo saw the men trying to balance the large trays of food on their laps and decided to mix all of the ingredients together in a sandwich.”

The muffuletta consists of three integral parts: the muffuletta bread, the Italian meats and cheese, and the venerable olive salad topping.

Tuna Fish made with Hummus Poppers
by

Tuna Fish made with Hummus Poppers

Its funny how over the years food shopping have turned us in a Pavlov dog experiment. It does not matter what time we go shopping when we come back, after the groceries are put away we as starving.  Must Eat!!

Yesterday I did my typical roaming from the pantry to the frig looking for inspiration. Lyn said why don’t you make some of Mikie’s (our son) hummus tuna fish.  He turned us onto replacing mayo with hummus. Anway…..

This is what I came up with

Make or buy your hummas how you like it. Lyn had made some the day before.

Cut the top off a mini pita round an set aside. Lyn also had picked some of those whole wheat mini pita rounds, although today we both admitted that the plain are better wheat seemd too dry – healthier but dry.

1 can of tuna – make how you normally like it except use hummus instead of mayo

Stuff the pita with the tuna and plate and start popping

100_2647

After the first one I decide that a sprinkle of paprika would be a good touch- I was right

100_2649

Reign On Carolina Barbecue Vinegar Barbecue Sauces – Week 11
by

Reign On Carolina Barbecue Vinegar Barbecue Sauces – Week 11

Thin, tart and full of great flavor – While watching the Pats why not try some local cuisine BBQ shredded Panthers with vinegar based sauces.

Vinegar is the secret ingredient of Carolina Barbecue, particularly apple cider vinegar. Straight cider vinegar is used as a marinade, before cooking, as a baste during cooking and as the primary ingredients of a finishing sauce served on barbecue at the table. The secret of using vinegar with barbecue is to give it time to work it’s way into the meat so that you won’t be left with a strong bitter flavor. You need to balance the sweet flavor of slow cooked meat with the flavor of the vinegar. The advantage to vinegar barbecue sauces is that you can add them in at anytime and the vinegar easily works into the meat. This allows you to add spices and have them sink into the meat giving it plenty of flavor.

apple cider
Of course there is more to a good vinegar barbecue sauce than vinegar. North Carolina is divided on the issue of sauce. On the eastern side, vinegar is kept pure, particularly of those nasty tomatoes. However on the west side barbecue sauces are put together with a hint of tomato and sugar. Now while the purists will keep to these formulas others have taken to the additions of cayenne, brown sugar, molasses, red pepper, red pepper flakes, etc.. These thin sauces can come in so many different variations that they could challenge the thick, sweet sauces in variety.

The vinegar used is usually apple cider vinegar, but plain white vinegar works as well. The advantage of vinegar in sauces is that it has an additional tenderizing effect that helps make barbecue pull apart perfect. The gentle acid of vinegar tenderizes the meat during the process making it as tender as possible

Now, like any other barbecue sauce it is best made in advance. You want to give the flavors time to mix. The vinegar will literally dissolve most anything you add to it. If you add coarse ingredients like red pepper flakes you really need to give it a day or two to pull the flavors out into the vinegar.

Now these would be good with any of my recipes such as:

ribs

root-beer-sauce-gone

pulled pork

brisket sandwich

Here are some local Carolina recipes I found

Pulled Pork Finishing Sauce

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

This traditional finishing sauce is a wonderful accompaniment to Carolina Style Pulled Pork. It is served on the side and added by the person doing the eating.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes about 1 1/4 cup

Ingredients:

•1 cup cider vinegar
•2 tablespoons salt
•2 tablespoons brown sugar
•1 teaspoon cayenne
•1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together. Let stand as long as possible, at least 1/2 a day, but the longer the better.

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

Carolina Red

This recipe is a great table sauce for Pulled Pork. Blending both the vinegar and tomato traditions of North Carolina into one.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Big Red BBQ

Preparation:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Serve at room temperature or chilled. The sauce keeps indefinitely.

Hog Mop

Want to smoke a whole hog? This mop not only gives it a great flavor but makes enough to get you through.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 12 minutes
Yield: Makes 5 quarts (You can cut it down in amounts when BBQ or smoking a roast. I would mop more often)

Years ago my sister would hold an annual pig roast I remember the ride home with the pig in the passenger’s seat cigarette butt hanging out of its mouth. We would do either an oil, oregano and rosemary or vinegar based slop. The trick was to get someone to wander over and try out turning the pig on the hand rotated spigot, then you would walk away leaving them with this distraught look of abandonment while you grab and down another beer. It was not long until they figured out the game and there were always enough newbies around. Wish I could find some of those old pictures, ahh that crispy pig skin.

pig on spigget

Ingredients:

• 3 quarts cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup chili powder

mopping

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together and mop hog every other hour.

North Carolina Vinegar Sauce

Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 5 Minutes
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon Texas Pete’s
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt

How

1. Place all of the ingredients in a small, non-reactive sauce pan and bring to a boil. Whisk until the sugar and salt is completely dissolved, remove from heat, and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Pour the sauce into a jar or squeeze bottle and let rest in the refrigerator one day before using.

Carne-val

Reign on Brisket on Rye Halftime Sandwich – Week 8
by

Reign on Brisket on Rye Halftime Sandwich – Week 8

There was a chill in the air and a game on Sunday so I felt a Reign on Brisket sandwich was a good choice.  It was more thinking out loud since I did not have a brisket and the one at the store did not look that good. I conceded to next week but when Lyn came home from her errands with a flat cut brisket I had my game plan down.

I usually use a Dutch oven for brisket either on stove top or in the oven but I wanted to go out and not have it on my mind that I had to get back so I grabbed our crock pot figuring I can put on low and disappear all day coming home to a house filled with the smell of yummmm. This is a torture because I like to let it sit overnight before reheating and eating. Never mind the fact that I started around 2 PM which meant low on crock pot was at least 6-8 hours of cook time.

Ingredients

  • One  4 Lbs. flat cut brisket
  • Large onion – cut in chunks
  • About 6-8 carrots – cut in chucks
  • About 10 celery stocks – cut in chucks
  • 1 clove garlic –  slightly crushed
  • 1 cup red wine I had some Merlot
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 loaf of Rye bread
  • Red onion relish

100_2361

How

Add a small amount – olive oil over medium high heat – we bought one of those crockpots that you can brown on the stove top in the pot – love it. If you don’t have one then you can brown in a pot just remember to scrap up the brown bits when you deglaze in the vegetables

100_2365 100_2366

Salt and pepper the fattier side of brisket to taste and put that side down in pan listen to that sizzle.

Salt and pepper the top and after 2-3 minutes when bottom is browned nicely flip over and sear for another 2-4 minutes

Remove brisket to platter add all the vegetables and sauté for about 2-4 minutes add Merlot and cook down for about another 2-4 minutes

100_2368 100_2370

Place brisket on top of vegetable and place in crockpot.

Pour the 2 cups of beef broth in cover and cook to low 7-8 hours.

100_2371

If you were using another pot to do searing and vegetables transfer veggies then the brisket

I cooked about 7-8 hours transferred to container, let cool and then cover and place in frig overnight.

The next day I sliced in about ¼” while reheating the gravy, added the meat and let sit.

 

There are two schools of thought on this some like to slice the night before and store in the gravy I go either way, this time I waited.

When ready I prepared the sandwich

100_2376

Layered the brisket, drizzled with some of the gravy making sure some got into the bread, top with red onion relish served with home mad dill pickles and garden tomatoes.

Brisket Sandwich

Sat down for the second half and watched the Pats fall apart just like the slices of brisket except that melted in my mouth.

Similar dishes from Stevesacooking

Smoked Wilfork Tender Brisket

My Favorite Brisket recipe

Beef Brisket with Caramelized Onions and Merlot Sauce

Meyer Lemon Brisket with Pomegranate Gremolata

Flat, Single or First cut Brisket Jewish style

Cubano
by

Cubano

OK Every time I go to Tampa office there is this little restaurant in a strip mall that I insist on going to, I always get the Cuban sandwich. So as I watched the Pats defeat Tampa Bay last week I munched on this sandwich. I pretty much followed theirs but made a mistake in the rub and used whole grain mustard instead of ground. I was off just a little bit all weekend. Hey that’s a good excuse to try the pork again right?

Cubano Epicurious | August 2013

by Jose Garces
The Latin Road Home

Yield: Makes 4 sandwiches

ingredients

Roast Pork

  • 2 Tbsp kosher salt + 1 Tbsp
  • 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp ground mustard
  • 2 lb boneless pork shoulder, tied in an even roll
  • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground mace
  • 2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Spanish smoked sweet paprika

100_2306
Sandwich

  • 4 (6-inch) light crisp-crusted bakery rolls
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 lb best-quality domestic ham (unglazed), thinly sliced
  • 1/4 lb Swiss or Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced
  • 1 large dill pickle, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

100_2304

preparation

To cure the pork, combine 2 tablespoons of the salt with the sugar and ground mustard. Rub the mixture all over the meat, cover, and set it in the refrigerator to cure for 6 hours.

Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 325°F.

To roast the pork, rinse it under cold running water to remove the seasoning. Pat dry with paper towels. Combine the Dijon mustard, mace, black pepper, paprika, and the remaining 1 tablespoon salt. Rub the mixture all over the meat. Set the pork in a roasting pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 175°F, about 45 minutes. (Mine took much longer) Allow the meat to cool completely before slicing.

To make the sandwiches, heat a sandwich press or griddle to medium-high. Split the bread lengthwise and pull it open. Spread the mustard on 1 side of each roll and layer on the roast pork, ham, cheese, and pickles. Spread the butter all over the outside of the sandwiches and griddle until the cheese is melted and the meats are warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. (Alternatively, wrap the sandwich in foil and toast in a 350°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes.) Slice each in half on the diagonal and serve.

You can press this as I did, eat it un-pressed or if you don’t have a press take two bricks wrap in tin foil heart in 500 degree oven for about 1/2 hour and use those to press.

100_2304

100_2308

100_2309

100_2311
Source Information
Reprinted with permission from The Latin Road Home by Jose Garces, © 2012 Lake Isle Press

Epicurious.com © Condé Nast Digital, Inc. All rights reserved.

by

Tuna Roll with a Twist

I bought these little tiny cans of tuna at BJs that come in a 12 pack and whether in a salad or sandwich found them just the right size for one. Lyn does not like the way I make tuna, too much mayo so now I can make it the way I like it lots of mayo. When I was a kid I used to make mayo sandwiches for a quick snack but now a days I just pile on a little extra. Tunas sandwich is a quick and easy solution to that what’s for lunch question.

Make the tuna the way you like it then make a roll up, salad or my particular favorite in an organic hotdog roll.

Usually I like to sprinkle some paprika on it I like the color but most of all the little kick it adds,  but today I drizzled a little hoisin sauce.

100_2015

 

Related articles
Pork Carnitas in a Pita Pocket
by

Pork Carnitas in a Pita Pocket

With the warm weather sneaking in everyone started to talk about ribs, pulled pork and the likes. I love pulled pork, saw this recipe and pinned it for another time. Well today my last day of vacation was that another time. I am so glad I did, I did to have any taco or tortillas but we did have some pita pockets worked just fine. I will warn you this is a slow cooking meal and the smell is like a brisket on a cold winter day it fills the air and it is hard to keep your stomach quiet.  I made the double mistake of doing some outside choirs then walking into the house.

 Ingredients

  • 4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 onion, peeled and halved
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 2 Tb fresh lime juice
  • 2 C water
  • 1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

ingredients

How

1.  Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees.  Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice.  Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered.  Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven.  Cook until the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.

cut into 2 inch chunks add all ingredients to dutch oven

2.  Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid.  Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.  You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.

simmer for about 2 hours break into 3 eaqual parts

3.  While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces.

reduce to about 1 cup break into 3 eaqual parts

Once the liquid has become a syrup, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot.  Try not to break up the pork any further.

fold meat back into sauce

Taste and add additional salt and pepper.

4.  Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat.  Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes.

remove from pot to cookie sheetUsing a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes.  Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.

Serve2

I intially thought it would be too dry but that was not an issue this was moist and tender no topping required.

Note: I squeezed some extra lime juice on it just before serving.

by

Continuing with my avocado celebration how about a turkey rollup

Sorry this post was supposed to go up Monday but with the excitement  of the new season you know….

Ingredients

  • Avocado sliced
  • Store roasted turkey sliced thin
  • Romaine lettuce shredded
  • Cranberries
  • Thinly sliced tomato
  • Whole wheat wrap

 

How

Layer lettuce, cranberries, turkey, tomato and avocado roll tightly

Cut the wrap in half, or don’t bother–it’s ready to eat

2013-04-13_12-54-26_524

sorry forgot to take picture took this with my camera

How To Roll Up A Wrap

Picture borrowed from Entre Fogones con Mimi!

how-to-roll

 

You can make an open-ended wrap or a closed one.  And everyone seems to have their own best way to wrap a wrap.  This is how I wrap a wrap.

Smear sandwich cranberry within an inch of the perimeter of the tortilla.

Layer makings in a wide swath down the center of the tortilla and to within a couple inches of the left and right edges—kind of a rough rectangle.

 

To make a closed end wrap, fold both the right and the left edges over the goodies and roll from the bottom.  To make an open-ended wrap, fold only one edge.

 

If I make a closed end wrap, we cut the wrap in two at an angle and eat half at a time, or share with my honey.

 

If the tortilla is a little stiff and hard to wrap and keep closed, try microwaving the tortilla under a paper towel for 15 to 20 seconds.  It will be more pliable

Related articles