Recipe: Spicy Italian Sandwiches

Happy football kickoff weekend! T minus two days! Walt and I are celebrating the season with a very ambitious schedule: first we will head to Athens to watch Georgia play Buffalo, and then we'll jet back to Atlanta to watch the Auburn versus Clemson Tigers. (Do you think we're the first couple in the history of football to watch both our teams' season openers live in one day? I surely hope so.) I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Oh the things we do for love.

For the special occasion, I've made some delicious spicy Italian sandwiches to take to the main event(s). These are guaranteed to satiate the appetites of even the "biggest" fans, and are just as good at the end of the game as they are fresh from the oven. The only thing that could make these tailgating sandwiches even better is an iced cold beer—I can't think of a more enjoyable way to put out the heat.

I'll have lots more tailgate recipes coming all season long, starting tomorrow with a round up of some of Dixie Caviar's greatest hits. Stay tuned, and go SEC!!!!

(UPDATE: I do not ever recommend attending two football games in one day. Let's just say I spent the Marta train home in tears of exhaustion, much to the annoyance of my fellow passengers. I stayed in pajamas and lived of Papa John's for the rest of the week.)

Spicy Italian Sandwich-2

SPICY ITALIAN SANDWICHES
Yields: 6-8 sandwiches

Spicy Italian sandwiches are my go-to at any sub shop: my current favorite is from Newk's Cafe, a Southern chain in my neighborhood, which inspired this recipe. The Wickles Hoagie & Sub Relish is what really takes this sandwich from ordinary to extraordinary; it is available at most Southern grocers and online.

For the sandwiches
1 loaf ciabatta bread
6 ounces thinly sliced pepperoni
6 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
6 ounces thinly sliced sopressata (or other cold cut like mortadella or coppa)
12 slices provolone cheese
Hot hoagie relish, to taste (I use Wickles)
Good quality Italian dressing, to taste
Spicy mayonnaise (recipe below)

For the spicy mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon horseradish sauce (add more for additional heat)

Split the ciabatta loaf in half using a serrated knife. Spread the spicy mayonnaise over the bottom half of bread. *Layer half of the pepperoni, followed by half the salami, sopressata, and provolone (I use stacks of two slices when layering the meats). Continue with the remaining pepperoni, salami, and sopressata, finishing with another layer of provolone. Slather the cheese with pepper relish. Spread a generous amount of Italian dressing over the top layer of bread and place bread on sandwich.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Wrap the loaf tightly in foil and place in a large roasting pan. Place a heavy oven proof item over the sandwich to weigh it down (I used my Le Creuset dutch oven inside of a cast iron skillet) and set aside for 30 minutes to two hours. Put the wrapped loaf (in the pan) into the oven, along with the weighted object, and cook until loaf is warmed through and cheese is melted, about 15-25 minutes. Slice crosswise into individual sandwiches, then in half again. Serve warm or at room temperature. (If taking to a tailgate, reform a loaf with the individual slices and wrap in foil until ready to serve.)

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*Optional: if you've got the time, heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and warm the meats briefly to pull some of the flavors out, just a couple for seconds per side.

From the Archives: Creole-style Jambalaya

This recipe is from the Dixie Caviar archives. I threw a dinner party this past weekend for some family and friends and needed a dish that could be made in advance as well as feed a crowd. I set out pickled Gulf Coast shrimp as an appetizer, paired the jambalaya with a beautiful romaine salad, and served chocolate chess pie for dessert. Perfection!

We have a new roommate at the Oxford suites, and with him came lots of new things. Too many new things, actually. His furniture was spilling into the garage, the yard and then some. What to do, we ask? But a yard sale of course. The most fun yard sale in the history of yard sales! An all-day beer-pounding, hot dog-slamming, people-watching kind of yard sale. In honor of the occasion, we created the loveliest of posters to advertise the affair (ha!). My boyfriend Walt even strapped on some roller blades and a whoopie cushion costume to help lure in unsuspecting customers. No joke.

As luck would have it, all of our friends wanted to come "help out", a.k.a. drink Pina Coladas and scream at passerby's. The day brought lots of interesting characters -- the kind you can only find in famed Venice Beach. One such example was a she-male Einsteen look-alike on a hot pink BMW motorcycle, and another was a strange man who inquired if we had a straw and some salt for sale (??!!). And you know it's a party when two fire engines pull over, buy all of the PlayStation games and let us crawl all over their trucks. I've got the photos to prove it!

To feed the masses after a day of binge-drinking and hard-bargaining, I decided to whip up a batch of authentic Creole-style Jambalaya. Okay, I didn't really whip it up. More like spent a few hours in the kitchen. But the result was well worth it. Extraordinary, actually. There are thousands of versions of this traditional Louisiana recipe to choose from, but I prefer this because it has ham, chicken, AND andouille sausage. I also love the tomatoes, which is what makes it "Creole-style" (Cajun-style does not include them). This recipe is perfect for adapting to your own taste, or whatever you have in the pantry for that matter,  and don't be afraid of the red pepper flakes. Just be sure to hide some away if you want any leftovers; this stuff is gone in the blink of an eye!

P.S. The yard sale was a grand success, so much so that we are thinking about doing it again next week. Feel free to stop on by ... I'm sure we'll have something else on the stove abrewin'!

CREOLE-STYLE JAMBALAYA WITH CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE
Source: adapted from The Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook
Yields 6 - 8 servings

My first word of advice is to taste the andouille sausage before you do any seasoning. Spiciness varies from brand to brand, so you want to know what you are working with. Don't say I didn't warn ya.

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 pound andouille sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
8 ounces (1 cup) cooked ham, cut into cubes
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks (about 1/2 cup) celery, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 - 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
3 cups hot, cooked white rice

In a large dutch oven, heat 2 - 3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with cayenne and black pepper (if desired) and cook until lightly browned, about 6 - 8 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside. Add the sausage and ham to the pot and cook until lightly browned and heated through, about 4 - 5 minutes. Remove and set aside with the chicken.

Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the pot and saute until tender, about 5 - 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute longer. Stir in chicken, sausage, ham, tomatoes, chicken stock, cajun seasoning, and thyme. Season with red pepper flakes and salt, to taste. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for a minimum of thirty minutes to allow flavors to marry, or longer if desired.

Traditionally the rice is mixed in with the meat mixture, but we like to serve it over the rice. Do whatever suits your fancy.

Recipe: Spicy Maple Pecans

Pecans are a true staple in every Southern kitchen. My grandparents had pecan trees in their backyard, and my Poppy and I used to forage for fallen nuts whenever I came to visit. Afterwards we would sit out on the front stoop with our overflowing buckets and crack them open one by one. Nanna would often bring us cold chocolate milk to enjoy while we shelled. Oh, the good ol' days.

I can't remember if I actually liked to eat them back then, but I sure do now. I don't come across fresh, buttery pecans as often as I would like, so you can bet that when I do I find some sort of delicious use for them. This is one of my favorites ways to prepare them.

These Spicy Maple Pecans are a great accompaniment to salads, or just in a big bowl sitting on the counter to nosh on every time you walk by.  I also happen to think jars of these make perfect hostess gifts, dressed up with a cute label and tied with twine.

Make these soon, and make a lot (they go quickly)!

SPICY MAPLE PECANS

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart
Yields: 4 cups

4 cups pecan halves
1/2 cup pure maple syrup, preferably Grade B
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Cayenne, to taste (I use it liberally!)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Spread nut mixture in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake, stirring occasionally, until browned, 15 to 20 minutes; let cool. Pecans can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up one week.