Hot Sandwiches

One of our favorite things to eat this time of year is hot sandwiches.  It's warm, so it's comforting, but it's a sandwich, so it's also light and summery.  Also, no matter what my kids like, I can customize the sandwich for them.  Hannah's not fond of provolone, so she has cheddar or Monteray Jack instead, for example.  Here's how I work it: I have the kids tell me how they are making their sandwich that evening.  While they are getting their bread ready, I cut the meat into strips and cook it in a skillet.  I can do two or three sandwiches at a time.  When I flip the meat over, I put on the cheese.  When the cheese is melty, I put the meat and cheese on the sandwich.  Another way would be to make the sandwiches and put them under the broiler to toast.  I've also wrapped them in tin foil and taken them with us for a picnic.  Here are three really good sandwiches.

Philly Cheesesteak

rolls or hoagie rolls
roast beef
provolone cheese (cheddar, if you're from that camp)
onion, sliced thin
red pepper, sliced thin
sandwich spread

For this sandwich, saute the onion and pepper first and set it aside.  Then when you're making the sandwiches, add it to the meat so it warms up.


Reuben Sandwich

rye bread
pastrami
swiss cheese
sauerkraut
sandwich spread or thousand island dressing

For this sandwich, squeeze the sauerkraut dry before you put it on the sandwich, or it will make the sandwich soggy.  I also like to make this sandwich and toast it like a grilled cheese sandwich.


Primanti Bros sandwich
(Who?  The Primanti Bros have a sandwich shop, I think in Philly.  I saw this on Lidia's Italy and had to try it.  The kids were skeptical at first--fries on a sandwich? But, after I tried it and told them how good it was, they tried it and liked it.)

Italian bread (white sandwich bread works too)
capricola (or if you want something cheaper and more familiar, ham)
provolone cheese
cole slaw
french fries
sandwich spread

Yes, you put all this on the sandwich.  It's really a meal in itself.  And also really yummy.

Sandwich Spread

mayo
mustard
pepper, fresh cracked if you can get it

Mix together equal parts mayo and mustard, add the pepper.  You can tweak this to have more mayo or more mustard flavor depending on what you like.  I usually make 1/3 to 1/2 c. for our sandwiches.

Cole Slaw
This is a variation of what Lidia did for the Primanti Bros. sandwich.

1/4 cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, grated
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tbsp. oil
1 tbsp. sugar
salt and pepper to taste--about 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seed

Whisk together the vinegar, oil and sugar.  Add the seasonings and mix together.  Toss with the cabbage and carrot.  One way to keep the cabbage from diluting your dressing is to mix it with 1/2 tsp. salt and let it sit in a colander for 1/2 hour or so.  Rinse it and wring it dry in a towel before you add it to the salad.

More Ham

I have Mom's ham soup recipe.  It's really good.  It just has an unwieldy name.

Cabbage-Apple-Ham-Dumpling Soup

1 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. sliced celery
2 Tbsp. oil
2 lbs. (8 cups) shredded cabbage
2 lrg. red apples, diced
3 c. julienne ham
4 c. chicken broth (I always want more.)
1 c. water
5 Tbsp. cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sage

In a large soup pot saute onion and celery in oil until tender.  Add cabbage, cook and stir 5 min.  Add remaining ingredients, except ham.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 45 min.  Add ham and dumplings (see below).  Cover and cook 15 min.

Dumplings
1 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. oil

Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together into a mixing bowl.  Combine milk and oil.  Add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Drop from tablespoon atop soup or stew.  Cover tightly; let mixture return to boiling.  Reduce heat (don't lift cover).  Simmer 12-15 minutes.  Makes 10 dumplings.

Ham

" Would you like something to drink? Perhaps some ham?" -FTT Cinderella

We had ham for Christmas dinner and it was delicious. I found this recipe on Food.com for a 

Brown Sugar Glaze. 

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1/8 tsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp water

Mix everything together. Score the outside of the ham and rub the glaze all over it. If you have a spiral cut ham, you can put it in between the layers a bit. Bake until heated through, according to times and temp on the label. I had a bunch of glaze left over so I was able to pour it over the finished ham and dip it a bit.

After a big ham dinner, inevitably there is a lot of ham left over. One thing my mom would make with ham is:

Ham and Noodle Casserole

Brown cubed ham in butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Add a can of cream of chicken soup, a soup can of milk, 1 tsp. curry powder or to taste and parsley until it looks right. Mix it all together and heat until warm. Add a small carton of cottage cheese being sure to temper it. Warm through and serve over noodles. We would use egg noodles but you could also use shells or some such. 

Easter Dinner with a Twist

This year for Easter dinner, we had a pretty traditional meal. I made a couple of little changes that spruced it up a bit.

I didn't do anything to the ham. I know there are all kinds of yummy glazes and the such but we went with a plain ham this year. As a note to people cooking for a small group, this year I decided to just get a ham steak. Usually, I get all into the big hams and we end up eating ham for weeks with it getting pretty old. So this year, I thought ahead (go me) and realized we don't need 10 pounds of ham, we just need about 2 (and still had leftovers). I cooked it in the broiler and it was yummy and quick (the thick cut was done in less than 15 minutes).

For the vegetable, I went with asparagus (I cuss, you cuss we all cuss for asparagus). I wanted to try my hand at a hollondaise sauce but had already boiled all of our eggs for dying. Oops. Instead, I made a little mustard sauce that was simply dijon mustard thinned out with milk. I thought it might have needed something else and tried adding some lemon juice but the mustard was so strong that I couldn't taste the lemon. Once it was the right consistency, I microwaved it a bit to warm it up. The sauce also went well with the ham.

Finally, the potatoes. This is just the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook but rather than cheddar, I used gruyere cheese.
Au Gratin Potatoes
1/2 cup chopped onion - I used two good sized green onions
clove garlic, minced
2 T butter
2 T flour
salt
pepper
1 1/4 cup milk
3 medium potatoes, sliced

Melt butter and saute onion and garlic. Add flour, slat and pepper and let it soak up the butter. Add milk all at once. Cook until thick and bubbly. Stir in cheese and cook until melted. Place potatoes in a greased 7x11 baking dish and pour sauce on top. Bake, covered, in a 350 oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 - 20 minutes.

Corned beef -- tastes like ham

I know this is a bit delayed, but I wanted to mention the lovely corned beef we had for St. Patrick's Day. I may have had it once before, but I've certainly never made it. It got mixed reviews at our house. I absolutely loved it; Uchenna tried to pretend it didn't exist and only ate colcannon (the mashed potatoes-cabbage side dish).

Here's how you make it:

• Buy the ready-to-boil beef brisket that has already been brined.
• Rinse it, put it in a pot and barely cover it with water.
• Dump in the little spice-peppercorn packet that comes with it (is it called corned beef because of the peppercorns? I never could figure out what corn had to do with anything).
• Boil it for about two hours (just make sure the water doesn't completely boil away), and voila!

It's very greasy-fatty, just so you know. And red. I was a bit surprised that it was fully cooked but red. Actually it looked, smelled, and tasked somewhat like ham, but with a beefy texture. Yummy. Hmm, maybe that ham resemblance is what put Uchenna off.

When only one person eats the corned beef, you have to figure out what to do with the leftovers. I snuck them into a (also lovely) pasta dish and hoped he wouldn't notice. I think he noticed. He ate some, but not much, and went rummaging for snacks an hour later.

But for people who do like corned beef and/or ham, here is the pasta recipe:

• Cook and drain pasta (I used penne. Bowties or egg noodles would probably be just as good).
• Dice the left-over corned beef. Sauté with diced onions and sliced mushrooms (since the beef is fatty all on its own, don't add any extra oil) until the onions are soft, the mushrooms are browned, and the beef is warmed through and somewhat browned (this may take some tasting to make sure the beef really is hot all through--a cook's gotta do what a cook's gotta do).
• Add a little garlic and green beans and cook another minute or two (asparagus might work in place of the green beans, if you're into that sort of thing).
• Sprinkle the sautéed mixture with a tablespoon or so of flour and stir until everything is evenly coated.
• Add enough milk to make it all saucy (two cups or so, depending on how much you're making). Stir and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce cooks down and thickens up a little.
• Add the cooked and drained pasta to the sauce. Add green peas.
• Mix until the sauce and pasta are well combined. Turn off the heat (quick, before the peas start to lose their green, and get that awful cooked-peas color!). Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.
• Serve immediately with a crisp salad.