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.)

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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.

Recipe: Egg Salad Sandwiches

It's Masters week! It's Masters week! My father is an avid golfer, so I grew up watching the tournament each and every year. When I was young, it was an excuse to sit in my dad's lap; when I was older, it was an excuse to ogle cute golfers (Camilo Villegas who?!). I've never attended the exclusive event, but I'm just itching to try their famous $1.50 pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches. Um, is it bad that I'm just in it for the food?

In the meantime, I'll just have to enjoy this classic version, washed down with a cold beer. Happy putting!

EGG SALAD SANDWICHES
Yields: 4 sandwiches

8 large eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I prefer Duke's)
2 tablespoons snipped chives
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Bring the eggs to a boil, then remove from heat and allow to cook for 12 minutes. Rinse with cold water (or place in an ice bath) to stop the cooking. Peel and chop.

Combine chopped eggs, mayonnaise, chives, cider vinegar, mustard, salt, and bacon crumbles. Adjust seasoning to taste. Serve on cheap white sandwich bread (don't even think about getting fancy here!).

Man Food Part II (Steak Sandwiches)

Dixie Caviar's kitchen is a strange kind of kitchen. It's a messy, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-tastebuds kind of place. I've mentioned it before, that Walt and I have tendency to march by the beat of our own drum. (Hey, what's wrong with breakfast for dinner? Or dessert for breakfast? Or both?!) But in an effort to make our life one of balance, I'm trying to incorporate more guy-friendly recipes into my cooking repertoire. And what better "man food" is there than Steak Sandwiches? Served with a pile of french fries? Well, it's pretty much Walt's meal to end all meals. So when I found a leftover rib-eye steak and some extra sliced veggies (from my black-eyed pea salad) in the fridge, I had an aha! moment. All I needed was some hoagie buns and provolone cheese and I had myself dinner. Of course, Walt sulked a bit at the sight of peppers. I just can't seem to slip anything healthy by him! But there were no complaints in the end.

We've had these hearty sandwiches twice this week, and I could definitely go for more. I served them up with mac and cheese (yes, the mac and cheese was Velveeta. I can't always whip everything up from scratch, you know. But it was shells! So that totally makes it okay).

Need more "man food"? Check out my zesty Sloppy Joes (part I of the series). Now it's your turn. What are your best recipes for the men in your life?

STEAK AND CHEESE SANDWICHES
Serves 2

This is really more of a guideline than a recipe. Use your own judgment for taste, but I really don't think you can mess this meal up. This recipe could easily be doubled for a family (or a hungry boyfriend)

Dale's Steak Seasoning (I prefer reduced sodium blend)
1 and 1/4 pounds steak (I used rib-eye)
Unsalted butter (oh, yeah)
Mixed vegetables, cut into thin slices (I used red onions, red and green bell peppers)
4 slices provolone cheese
2 hoagie buns, sliced in half

Using a serrated knife, cut the steak into 1/4-inch thick slices, making sure to cut against the grain. Marinate the steak in a few heaping tablespoons of Dale's and a generous seasoning of black pepper (about 15 - 30 minutes will do).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet or braiser, melt 2 - 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat (I used 4 tablepoons, i.e. 1/2 a stick. It may have been a little excessive, but it sure was delicious!) Add vegetables to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and tender, about 7 - 10 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pan and set aside.

Add a couple of tablespoons of canola or safflower oil to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Once oil is hot, add steak and saute, stirring occasionally, until meat is completely cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Place the bottom half of the hoagie buns on a large baking sheet. Add a generous portion of steak, followed by vegetables, and top with the slices of provolone cheese. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted, about 3 - 5 minutes. Add the top half of the hoagie bun and enjoy. OR place all of the ingredients on the bun, including top half of sandwich, wrap tightly in aluminum foil, and cook until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes (this steams the bread a little bit but is a bit messier because the cheese sticks to everything). We tried both ways, and enjoyed them both immensely.

Recipe: Perfect Meatloaf

Most girls spend their hard-earned cash on clothes, purses, and shoes. I'm not most girls. Give me a paycheck and I head straight to Sur la Table. Or the farmers' market. Or both. And you should see my cookbook collection. Oh Lordie, I may personally keep Amazon in business. 

But currently Walt and I are on a budget. Turns out, moving across the country is expensive. So is rent. And bills. And gas. So until I'm gainfully employed, I've got to keep it all in check.  Mainly so Walt doesn't break up with me. This however, means no stinky cheese, no Italian reds, and especially no impulse Ferrero Rocher in the checkout aisle. It also means Kroger discount cards, strictly adhering to grocery lists, and actually eating our leftovers instead of watching them grow (both literally and figuratively).

So you may be wondering how my negative bank account correlates to a meatloaf sandwich. Well, this meal came about from a pantry/freezer raid. Back when I had some cash in my pocket, I stocked up on extra meat and threw it in the freezer. Brilliant! So I had some beef and pork. And I actually am the type to keep bread, onions, potatoes, and eggs on hand at all times. 

Normally I concoct a pretty fancy meatloaf that involves specialty sausages, a variety of sauteed veggies, and a multitude of steps. This is not that recipe. This, my friend, is a dump-in-the-pot type of meatloaf, and a most delicious one at that. To sum it up, the first thing that came to mind after a few bites was, "Man, this is soooo good. I can't wait until lunch tomorrow, 'cause this is going to make the best meatloaf sandwich ever." Yep, that's me. Always thinking about the next meal. 

If only leftovers were  always this good...

Perfect Meatloaf
Source: Adapted from My Mother's Southern Kitchen by James Villas
Yields: 8 Servings.

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 small onion, grated
4 - 6 slices white bread, moistened with milk and squeezed dry
1/4 cup ketchup, or more to taste
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Additional ketchup for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well with your hands. Scoop mixture into a metal loaf pan, and flatten top. Pour ketchup on top and smooth with a spatula. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve with a side of mashed potatoes.

For the ultimate meatloaf sandwich, toast white bread slices. Add mashed potatoes and top with meatloaf.