Erics Super Duper Stuffed Hero Sandwich Recipes

JOANNE'S SUPER HERO SANDWICH

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and garlic. Season with parsley, oregano and pepper. stir in olives and mushrooms. Set aside.
• Cut the off top half of the bread. Scoop out the inside, and leave a 1/2 inch outside wall. Spoon 2/3 of the olive mixture into the bottom. Layer with turkey, ham, salami, mozzarella, lettuce and tomato. Pour remaining olive mixture on top, and replace the top half of bread. Wrap securely in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

ITALIAN HERO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Rinse the red onion under cold water, then transfer to a large bowl. Add the red wine vinegar, dried oregano and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
• Arrange the rolls cut side up so they lie flat. Spread with a thin layer of mustard and/or mayonnaise, if using. Shingle the entire surface with the cheese, then the cured meats. Scatter an even layer of pickled peppers.
• Add the iceberg lettuce and olive oil to the onion-oregano mixture and toss until well coated. Season to taste with salt. Pile the lettuce on one side of the sandwich, then close the sandwich and press down lightly. If packing, wrap the sandwich tightly in parchment paper or foil, then cut in half crosswise. Sandwiches will keep for up to 4 hours refrigerated.

HUNTER'S HERO

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute onions, bell peppers and garlic. After 2 minutes, add salt and cook until tender. Remove from pan and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, pour milk over bread crumbs and let soak for 5 minutes. Remove from milk and squeeze out excess milk, until bread is moist but not soggy. In a large bowl, mix together beef, pork sausage, soaked bread, cooled vegetables, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper, chili flakes, grated Parmesan and egg. Gently roll into 2-inch balls.
• In same large saute pan used for vegetables, heat over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook meatballs, browning completely until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, using an instant-read thermometer.
• Meanwhile, remove inside dough from hoagie rolls. To assemble heroes, fill hoagies with 4 meatballs each. Drizzle with 1/4 cup Marinara Sauce and top with 3 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place heroes on a sheet pan under the broiler until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Top each sandwich with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan.
• In medium saucepan, heat olive oil, add onions and cook over medium to low heat until onions are transparent. Add garlic and cook until almost brown and then add tomatoes. Cook for 1/2 hour over low to medium heat, then add basil and oregano and continue to cook for 30 minutes longer. In a food mill or a blender, puree into a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

SIX-FOOT MEATLESS ITALIAN HERO

Steps:

• Wash and dry bell peppers, iceberg, tomatoes, celery hearts and parsley.
• Grind artichokes in a food processor with the peeled garlic and a pinch or 2 of salt, until largely puréed but still textural, like tapenade. If a little loosening is needed, blend in a glug of olive oil.
• Using a sharp knife, shave celery crosswise. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add the artichoke purée. Season assertively with salt and pepper, plus a nice long drizzle of olive oil; toss well and then set aside.
• Slice everything else that was washed and dried into the thinnest slices you can manage. Thinly slice the red onions into rings, then cut the rings in half to create half-moons. (Full rings of thinly sliced red onion have a tendency to become stringy as they wilt inside a sandwich, creating a bit of a choking hazard.)
• When ready to assemble the sandwich (at least 1 hour before eating, though the assembled sandwich can sit up to 12 hours in a cool place), chop the parsley, and stir it into the artichoke-and-celery mixture. Taste that the mixture is highly seasoned to your liking.
• Set up an efficient workstation with enough counter space for the bread, and have all your mise en place in neat containers in front of you. If possible, put the vinegar, oil and mayonnaise into squeeze bottles, just as they do at delis and salad bars. Wear gloves to make separating slices of cheese and onion and tomatoes while assembling more "grippy."
• Hinge the bread horizontally without slicing all the way through. Be assertive in butterflying the loaf open - like breaking the spine on an open book - in order for it to lie flat enough to receive all the fillings without your having to hold it open along the way.
• Build by overlapping the ingredients, or "shingling" them, along the central channel of the hinged loaf in the following order: cheese, lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, artichoke-and-celery mixture, red onions, black olives, hard-boiled eggs, jalapeños and cubanelle peppers.
• Generously salt and pepper the whole thing, then zigzag squiggles of mayonnaise, squirts of vinegar and olive oil. Finish with a light dusting of oregano.
• Squeeze the sandwich closed, and insert 8-inch wooden skewers, driving them in diagonally to prevent the sandwich from springing back open. Trim a couple of inches off each end, then serve and slice to order.

HERO SANDWICH

Steps:

• Combine mayonnaise, vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and Tabasco.
• Butter baguette- this acts as a seal to prevent the sandwich from getting soggy, and it tastes good too.
• Spread with mustard.
• Layer deli meats, cheese, lettuce, pickles, olives and tomatoes.
• Season tomatoes lightly with salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Spread mayonnaise over.
• Cut baguette into 6 sandwiches, on the diagonal.