Wordless Week, Episode Seven: Cuban Sandwich

Roast Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus

For most people, a homemade roast beef sandwich is an elusive delight.  However, with a little know-how, tender and delicious meaty goodness can be yours at home.

It all starts with time and a good cut of beef - arm roast, in this case.  A chuck roast would work, as well.  You want a thick, well-marbled piece of beef, and you want to season it gently and cook it slowly so that the lovely fat and connective tissue inside can work their magic.

A cast iron Dutch oven is a must for any cook, I've come to find.  When I received one as a Christmas gift years ago, I was doubtful about how often I'd actually use it.  Little did I know.  It's one of my favorite pots now, glossy and seasoned to perfection, and perfect for making delectable pot roast.

I started with about a 2 1/2 pound arm roast, purchased from a local family-owned farm- fabulous grass-fed, hormone free Oklahoma beef (no more grocery store crap for us, tyvm).  I slathered the roast with a paste of kosher salt, fresh black pepper, minced garlic, chopped rosemary, and extra virgin olive oil, plunked it down in the Dutch oven, slapped on the lid, and threw the whole thing into a 350º oven.  (My, that was some violent cooking!)

After about 3 1/2 hours, the meat was tender and tasty.  While it cooked, I prepared the rest of the goodies for the sandwiches: caramelized red onions and crusty rolls with Swiss cheese.  The onions are sliced fairly thick and sauteed in butter over medium-low heat until softened and slightly browned.  Crusty French rolls are split, buttered, toasted, and dressed with Swiss cheese that is then melted under the broiler.

When the meat was ready, I set the roast aside, strained the pan juices into a saucepan, added some beef broth (hot water and a bouillon cube), and brought the liquid to a simmer.  Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.  Slice the roast with a serrated knife across the grain into 1/4" slabs, layer onto the toasted and cheesed rolls, top with onions, and serve with cups of au jus gravy.

Oh hell yes!

Pepper, kosher salt, minced garlic, and minced rosemary.

Lovely bit of beef.

Making the tasty paste for the meat.

Slathered, smothered, and covered.

Yay for beef!!!  I made a semi-healthy avocado pico de gallo salad to balance the meaty overload.

Philly Sandwiches

OK, so I completely had brain farts during the photography section of this meal and missed out on several key shots, so you'll just have to imagine pics of the completed sandwich in all its beefy, cheesy glory.

Philly sandwiches are so often messed up in restaurants it's not even funny. I haven't had a "real" one since I've never been to PA, but I know from TV what goes into one and I know enough about food to take that stuff, cook it, and make a delicious Philly. So here goes.

The key to the Philly is the meat. You want a decent cut of steak that won't be tough when cooked quickly. I like to use flat iron steaks. They're inexpensive and taste really good.

Slice about a pound of cold flat iron steak into thin strips. Season the strips with garlic salt and fresh black pepper. Cover the meat with a paper towel and let it rest and warm up a little to room temperature.

Slice up some red onion and green bell pepper. I cut my onion into 1/4" half-circles and the bell pepper into 1/2" wide strips. I normally prefer red or orange bells, but for this sandwich, the tangy flavor of a green bell is better suited.

In the meantime, prepare the buns and preheat the oven to 350º. I like soft hoagie rolls with sesame seeds on top. Lay the bun halves out on a sheet pan, spread both halves with Cheez Whiz (my husband prefers sliced Swiss, but supposedly, good ole Whiz is more authentic, and I like it better), and place the pan in the oven to heat and soften the buns and melt the cheese.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, on medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the steak strips to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Add the onions and peppers. Keep the skillet contents moving and make sure the heat is adequately high- you want to sear this stuff, not boil it.

When the meat is cooked and the onions have started to caramelize, your sandwich guts are complete. Pile them onto your warm, cheese-coated hoagie roll and enjoy.

Slurp!

Day Twenty: Chicken Salad Sandwich

Day twenty of Operation: Expand Horizons was an original mash-up recipe using leftover green chile mayo from the burgers and fries posting a couple of days ago.

I poached a medium-sized chicken breast in water seasoned with some kosher salt, black pepper, dried parsley, and dried chives. Poaching, if you're unfamiliar, is gentle simmering in water and seasonings, usually herbs or other aromatics like onion and garlic. It infuses flavor without causing the tough texture usually imparted by boiling the meat.

I removed the chicken from the cooking water and let it cool briefly before chopping. I also chopped up 1/4 of a Gala apple and two green onions. I mixed the chicken, apple, onion, and a large pinch of slivered blanched almonds with the remaining green chile mayo, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and piled it onto some homemade multi-grain bread with a piece of romaine lettuce.

Delicious!