Italian subs of my dreams

There are few things I like more than sandwiches. In fact, that was one of the first things I told @vivien when we met. Taking my statement to heart, she bought me a meat slicer for my birthday in 2006 and 18 years later, it’s still going strong. My love for sandwiches runs deep. I think about them often, and my absolute favorite is the classic Italian sub.

Growing up, it was a special treat to get a sandwich from the local convenience store (the store was actually called “Convenient”), where they made a solid Italian sub using Boars Head meats and spicy pepper relish. They probably wouldn’t win any awards, but they were good enough that I remember them to this day. As a relatively provincial suburban Boston kid, they were the best I’d ever had.

Over the years, I had affairs with many different types of sandwiches. During college in Denver, I had a fling with shawarma at Jerusalems (which we simply called “Jerus”) and another with Chicago-style hot dogs at a place called Mustard’s Last Stand on University Blvd. I then fell head-over-heels for Chipotle at their original location on Evans Blvd. where I was actually their very first customer (true story). Later, living in London, I discovered Pret a Manger and the Coronation Chicken stole my heart for a few years. And the next year while living in Frankfurt, Germany, I would walk across the city every Saturday to a Lebanese joint called Amir Sandwich for a shawarma. Then, after moving to San Francisco, I spent time with sausage sandwiches at Cafe Aroma on Polk St. and would regularly walk to Molinari’s Deli in North Beach for a salami or prosciutto sandwich. I still think about all of these places with fondness.

Later, living in LA, I was introduced to the legendary Bay Cities Italian Deli in Santa Monica, home of the “Godmother”: Prosciutto, Ham, Capicola, Mortadella, Genoa Salami and Provolone Cheese along with the works: mild or hot peppers (I almost always got the hot). I can’t remember my first visit, but I remember coming to think of a trip to Bay Cities as a pilgrimage, a quasi-religious experience. Fellow sandwich lovers will understand the feeling. I would always order at the counter, and the long lines didn’t intimidate me. Later on, I became a fan of All About The Bread on Melrose, which had a similar sandwich called the “Godfather.” There were many that believed it was just a Bay Cities knock-off, but I thought it was at least an equal.

Though we’re adamant about making everything we can #fromscratch, @vivien and I keep a list of things that we think are better to go out for than to cook at home. Here’s a summary:

• Sushi
• Ramen
• Barbecue
• Ice Cream
• Pizza
• Burgers
• Sandwiches

Over time, and with a lot of practice, we’ve managed to remove 3 of these items (Pizza, Burgers & Sandwiches). With sandwiches in particular, we started by searching the stores for bread and high-quality cold-cuts, and then started baking our own bread, which made a huge difference.

We then started using homemade components like pesto and confit garden tomatoes to boost the flavors. But the main thing was the commitment. Once we got to a certain point of quality with the sandwiches we were making at home, we just decided to always make our own, and our efficiency increased the more we practiced. At this point, going out for sandwiches isn’t even a thought. The Italian subs we make at home are so epic, that they sometimes bring tears to my eyes.

Let’s start with the bread. That was always the most intimidating. I’m not going to argue that the bread we make at home is better than what you could get at a high-end bakery. But, it’s significantly better than what you can get at any grocery store, and it’s made with simple ingredients. Sure, it takes time, but if you plan ahead, you’ll always have homemade bread available. And it freezes well, so you can build up your inventory. Ciabatta is our favorite for Italian subs.

Then, the meats. Someday, we may start making our own cured meats, but that’s pretty far out there on the #fromscratch spectrum. I certainly dream of having a bunch of salamis and prosciutto hams hanging in my own curing cellar, but I don’t really think I’ll ever get there. For now, we just pick our meats up from Joe’s Parkway here in Bozeman. They have a great selection of high-quality deli meats. Here’s our go-to list for Italian subs:

1. Mortadella (lots of it)
2. Capicola (aka Coppa)
3. Salami (Genovese, Sopressata or Finocchiona)
4. Prosciutto

Then the cheese. I spent some time using supermarket provolone and was never satisfied. Then, after finding some Auricchio aged provolone at Joe’s Parkway, I realized that most supermarket provolone is so bland that it’s almost flavorless in comparison. Just a few small slices of aged provolone (cut with a vegetable peeler) are enough to give your sandwich a depth of flavor that you can’t get with typical supermarket cheeses. Depending on the sandwich, we might also use fresh mozzarella or burrata.

There are two other components that took our homemade subs from acceptable to legendary:

1. Spicy pepper relish
2. Homemade pesto

The spicy pepper relish we make at home is typically a combination of store-bought Mama Lil’s pickled peppers, home-pickled peppers and Calabrian hot peppers. The specific combination changes depending on what we have, and we sometimes adjust the spiciness if we’re making sandwiches for kids or soft people. It’s an easy process: just chop the peppers into a relish and be sure to keep the oil and juices.

We make a lot of pesto to preserve garden herbs for the winter (mostly basil, sometimes parsley). We have more than a dozen small jars of different types of pesto in the freezer, so we just defrost one when we’re making subs. It’s a critical component and adds a huge flavor boost. Making pesto from garden herbs is also a great habit to develop, and a key part of our #zerowaste mission.

It’s worth discussing a few other things: pickles, tomatoes, onions and greens. For pickles, we’re huge fans of Grillo’s based in my hometown Westwood, MA, just outside of Boston. You can now find them in Costco and they’re far and away the best we’ve had. For tomatoes, we use our own homegrown either fresh from the greenhouse or as preserved confit tomatoes during the winter. There’s really nothing better than homegrown tomatoes, so try to grow your own if you can. We’re not too particular about onions, other than making sure we slice them thin. We typically use white or red since they work best for fresh applications, but you can use yellow if that’s all you have. As for greens, we use homegrown in the summer, or spring salad mix plus arugula for extra flavor. Iceberg is common in delis, but I think that’s probably a cost thing since it’s less flavorful and colorful than other options.

I’ll provide a recipe below for a classic version, but I’ll encourage you to experiment. In my opinion, the best way to approach making sandwiches is to dream big. Make an event of it, and imagine yourself in your own personal deli. Make your own bread, find the best meats, get some good cheese and create a masterpiece. You’ll be a hero.

Epic Homemade Italian Subs

Recipe by byronCourse: In The Kitchen, RecipesCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

Variable

kcal

Ingredients

• Ciabatta or other sub roll (ideally homemade)

• Olive Oil

• Mayonnaise

• Mortadella

• Capicola (aka Copa)

• Salami (Genovese, Sopressata or Finocchiona)

• Prosciutto

• Yellow Mustard

• Provolone (Ideally aged)

• Tomatoes (Fresh sliced or Confit)

• Onions (Red or White, sliced thin)

• Dill Pickles (sliced on a bias into rounds)

• Greens (Lettuce Spring Mix or Arugula)

• Spicy Pepper Relish (Pickled peppers hand chopped into relish-sized bits with juices and some olive oil if you want)

• Basil Pesto

Directions

• Slice the bread lengthwise, brush with olive oil and toast in the oven under the broiler until lightly browned. Don’t overdo it.
• Remove bread from the oven, place both halves on a cutting board. Spread mayonnaise on both halves of the bread. How much is up to you.
• Layer the meats on the bottom half: Mortadella first (slices folded in half), then capicola, then salami, then prosciutto.
• Spread a very thin layer of yellow mustard on the prosciutto (apologize internally to the entire nation of Italy).
• Add the sliced provolone, then the sliced onions, then tomatoes, then pickles. Top with greens.
• Spread pesto and pepper relish into the mayonnaise on the top half of the bread. This helps prevent things dripping all over the place and makes assembly easier.
• Place the top half on the bottom half, press down slightly and slice crosswise with a serrated knife. I prefer three sections for eatability and shareability.

One additional note: Some people like to toast the sandwiches after adding meat and cheese. I’m not a fan of that method since I feel like it detracts from the fresh taste. I prefer just toasting the bread and keeping the ingredients cold. But it’s up to you. Try both and decide what you like best.

byron

Creator of TasteMatch