THE BEST ITALIAN SUB (Panino)

When I was a child, I lived a block from Mangialardo's, the famous Italian restaurant on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.  

I believe this recipe will be equally, if not better than their subs.

Use whatever type of unflavored ham or mortadella, and salamis that you prefer.

Sub: The term used all over the USA, short for submarine 

Hoagie:  The term used in Philadelphia and surrounding area

Hero:  The term used in New York City and parts of New England

Grinder:  The term used in New England

Panino:  One sandwich,  Panini, Two or more sandwiches

Whether you call it a sub, hoagie, hero, or grinder, this is a quintessential Italian-American sandwich.  

Crusty Italian bread, cut into 8-inch pieces 

Mayonnaise
Capicola or Sopressata, thinly sliced

Genoa salami, thinly sliced

Pepperoni, thinly sliced

Ham off the bone, or mortadella (with pistachios) thinly sliced

Provolone cheese, sliced 
Shredded lettuce
Thinly sliced red onion 

Tomato slices

Casa Italian Olive Spread (recipe follows)

Slice each piece of bread lengthwise to make sandwich rolls.
Spread a little mayonnaise on each side of the bread.

Layer the bottom half with the sliced meats and top with cheese. 

Add the lettuce, onion slices, and tomato slices. 

Top with a layer of the Casa Italian Olive Spread. 

Place the top half of bread on and serve. 

Casa Italian Olive Salad

1 cup green olives with pimentos, drained

1 cup pitted black olives (Italian or Kalamata), drained

5 pepperoncini, stems and tops, removed

¼ cup roasted red bell pepper strips

¼ cup sundried tomato strips in oil

2 cloves garlic

1 T dried or freeze-dried oregano

2 t Italian crushed Calabrian chili pepper sauce or 1 t red pepper flakes

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

1 t finely ground black pepper

Finely chop the olive, pepperoncini, roasted red bell peppers, sundried tomatoes, and garlic.

Place in a medium bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

Stir to combine and spoon onto your sub rolls.

Olive spread is enough for 4 to 6 subs.

ITALIAN TOMATO TART

I got these beautiful tomatoes at various farm-to-table stores here in the Northern Neck of Virginia.  I used a mixture of Asiago, Fontina, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses.

I included my recipe for a savory pie crust.  

To save time, buy an already prepared pie crust.

Asiago and Fontina are good melting Italian cheeses made from cow's milk.

Use your favorite semi-hard cheese for this recipe.

Savory Single 9-Inch Crust

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I use White Lily)

½ t fine sea salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and placed in freezer 10 minutes

1 t lemon juice

¼ cup ice cold water

Pulse flour and salt in a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Remove butter from freezer and add to food processor.

Pulse until butter pieces are the size of peas.

Add lemon juice to water and slowly pour through shoot and process until mixture comes together.

Turn dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap.

Gather the dough up and press into a disc.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Press dough into a 9-inch tart or pie pan.

Use a fork to make holes in the bottom of the pie crust, known as docking.

Line crust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans.

Bake for 15 minutes.  

Remove foil with pie weights and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Let pie crust cool 30 minutes before filling.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Filling

4 to 5 medium to large assorted heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 t sea salt or Himalayan pink salt

1 T avocado oil or neutral oil of your choice

½ medium Vidalia or other sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

1 t fine ground black pepper

½ cup grated Asiago cheese

½ cup grated Fontina cheese

¼ cup grated Parmigino-Reggiano cheese

2 T Dukes mayonnaise, or your favorite

¼ cup finely chopped herbs, such as basil, thyme, chives, and Italian parsley, divided

Place sliced tomatoes on a large baking sheet lined with paper towels.

Sprinkle with salt and let sit 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, place paper towels on top of tomatoes and pat dry.

In a small skillet over medium-low heat, sauté onion in oil for 10 minutes.

Add garlic and sauté one more minute

Place grated cheeses in a bowl and mix together with mayonnaise.

Place a layer of cheese on bottom of pie crust.

Layer with the onion and garlic mixture.

Follow with half of the herbs. 

Arrange a layer of tomatoes on top.

Sprinkle tomatoes with black pepper.

Repeat again, reserving the last half of the herbs.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

Sprinkle with a little more herbs and serve warm or at room temperature.

TUSCAN PANZANELLA SALAD

Panzanella roughly translates to bread… pane.

Small basket… zanella. T

This salad is especially wonderful when tomatoes are in season. If you want the salad to be a complete meal, add a can of rinsed and drained cannellini bean for protein.

Croutons

2 cups roughly chopped Italian bread

Place bread croutons on a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree F oven. 

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Remove and set aside.

Salad

2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

½ English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

½ red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

¼ cup drained capers

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

1 T chopped oregano leaves

1 T chopped basil leaves

In a large salad bowl, add the above salad ingredients and the bread croutons. 

Toss to combine.

Vinaigrette

1 clove garlic, minced

½ t Dijon mustard

¼ cup white wine or champagne vinegar

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a canning jar, add the above vinaigrette ingredients, screw on the top, and shake vigorously.

Pour as much as you want over the salad and gently toss to combine. You will have enough salad dressing for another salad.

Serves 4