First of all, it's been pointed out to me by my RSF (real scrapbooking friend) that it's been 3 WHOLE DAYS without a new blog post so I am procrastinating procrastination (I meant that...) and am now ready to blog on...so here we go!
Step aside Jared, this is not your usual Subway fare.
I am not a huge fan of cold cuts but for this sandwich I am willing to make an exception to that statement. There's a little Italian deli , near my parents house, that I can find those special pastas, sausages, sauces and oils that I have a craving for. This is where I usually pick up a couple of boxes of my favorite pasta, mafalda or mafaldine.
Pronunciation: ma-FALL-duh Notes: These are flat, rectangular noodles with ruffles along both edges.
I usually reserve this pasta for 'special' dinners and will often pick up 'epi bread' (an artisinal bread shaped into a wheat stalk) to go along with it. I have made this bread before from a focaccia recipe in my Baking with Julia cookbook and it is definitely a work of art. This book details how to shape the bread as well as how to make other shapes with the same dough, well worth trying once!
I digress...back to the sandwich...
I often hear people looking for ideas for lunches, something different from a ham and cheese. It was in this deli that I stumbled across a sandwich that I knew would become a lunch staple in our house. A simple sandwich, this may even replace your turkey club as a lunch time favorite.
The star of this sandwich is soppressata, a hot(or sweet- depending on your choice so be prepared to specify) cured pork salami that has peppercorns. This cut is slightly more expensive than your average cold cut, but the beauty of this meat is that the flavor is strong enough that very little is necessary.
For this sandwich, I generally use 7-8 slices(approx 1/8 lb) very thin slices of soppressata for an entire baguette. I pair this meat with equal amounts of thinly sliced provolone cheese. I use a baguette, as previously stated, because I don't like the bread to overpower the sandwich. If you use a french loaf you will find it too 'bready'. One local grocery store carries the Nancy Silverton's La Brea bread line, although this is a good baguette, especially for slicing thinly and toasting with a little olive oil and sea salt, resist using this loaf for this sandwich. I think the crust is too hard and takes away from the final presentation of this sandwich. I go to another local grocery for their baguette which is baked fresh daily and the crust is crisp and airy. Have at hand some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and romaine lettuce for the remaining ingredients necessary for this culinary masterpiece. :o) Okay, maybe not a masterpiece but I have yet to receive any complaints about it.
To assemble this sandwich, slice the baguette and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar sparingly down the length of it. Lay some romaine leaves, followed by the soppressata and provolone along the length of it and fold the top over. You're done! I cut this baguette into 6-8 pieces, depending on the length and wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and store until ready to eat. I prefer to let them sit(this is the hardest party by the way) for about an hour until the flavors meld.
You can use other Italian meats in this sandwich such as pancetta, prosciutto and mortadella. All of these are also delicious but I have found through various taste testings with unsuspecting guineas that soppressata is king!
You can find soppressata at most local deli's. I prefer the Dietz & Watson brand over other brands found at your local grocery store. I hope you try this sandwich, remember...a little bit of soppressata goes a long way in this one! Hope you enjoy one of my favorite sandwiches and my solution to having the same tired old sandwich.
Step aside Jared, this is not your usual Subway fare.
I am not a huge fan of cold cuts but for this sandwich I am willing to make an exception to that statement. There's a little Italian deli , near my parents house, that I can find those special pastas, sausages, sauces and oils that I have a craving for. This is where I usually pick up a couple of boxes of my favorite pasta, mafalda or mafaldine.
Pronunciation: ma-FALL-duh Notes: These are flat, rectangular noodles with ruffles along both edges.
I usually reserve this pasta for 'special' dinners and will often pick up 'epi bread' (an artisinal bread shaped into a wheat stalk) to go along with it. I have made this bread before from a focaccia recipe in my Baking with Julia cookbook and it is definitely a work of art. This book details how to shape the bread as well as how to make other shapes with the same dough, well worth trying once!
I digress...back to the sandwich...
I often hear people looking for ideas for lunches, something different from a ham and cheese. It was in this deli that I stumbled across a sandwich that I knew would become a lunch staple in our house. A simple sandwich, this may even replace your turkey club as a lunch time favorite.
The star of this sandwich is soppressata, a hot(or sweet- depending on your choice so be prepared to specify) cured pork salami that has peppercorns. This cut is slightly more expensive than your average cold cut, but the beauty of this meat is that the flavor is strong enough that very little is necessary.
For this sandwich, I generally use 7-8 slices(approx 1/8 lb) very thin slices of soppressata for an entire baguette. I pair this meat with equal amounts of thinly sliced provolone cheese. I use a baguette, as previously stated, because I don't like the bread to overpower the sandwich. If you use a french loaf you will find it too 'bready'. One local grocery store carries the Nancy Silverton's La Brea bread line, although this is a good baguette, especially for slicing thinly and toasting with a little olive oil and sea salt, resist using this loaf for this sandwich. I think the crust is too hard and takes away from the final presentation of this sandwich. I go to another local grocery for their baguette which is baked fresh daily and the crust is crisp and airy. Have at hand some olive oil, balsamic vinegar and romaine lettuce for the remaining ingredients necessary for this culinary masterpiece. :o) Okay, maybe not a masterpiece but I have yet to receive any complaints about it.
To assemble this sandwich, slice the baguette and drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar sparingly down the length of it. Lay some romaine leaves, followed by the soppressata and provolone along the length of it and fold the top over. You're done! I cut this baguette into 6-8 pieces, depending on the length and wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and store until ready to eat. I prefer to let them sit(this is the hardest party by the way) for about an hour until the flavors meld.
You can use other Italian meats in this sandwich such as pancetta, prosciutto and mortadella. All of these are also delicious but I have found through various taste testings with unsuspecting guineas that soppressata is king!
You can find soppressata at most local deli's. I prefer the Dietz & Watson brand over other brands found at your local grocery store. I hope you try this sandwich, remember...a little bit of soppressata goes a long way in this one! Hope you enjoy one of my favorite sandwiches and my solution to having the same tired old sandwich.
P.S. LUCKY ME!!! I found peppadew peppers today on the olive bar! You gotta try these babies! They are sweet with the smallest kick! Don't they look good?!?!?
