Giada's Venetian Panino

I saw this recipe on Giada De Laurentis' show and just had to try it. It's as good as it looked on TV. It's perfect with soup, which is what I served it with last night. We had Aztec Chicken Soup which I froze the last time I made it. If you have looked at the recipe for this soup, it calls for 1 chipotle chili in adobo placed at the bottom of the bowl. The last time I made it, I didn't put the whole chili in Puppy Daddy's bowl because I was afraid it would be to spicy for him. I just put in a bit of the adobo sauce. He told me that it wasn't very spicy at all and next time I should give him a whole chili. So last night I put a whole chili in his soup, but warned him that I did not actually eat the chili. It gives enough heat just sitting in the soup. Well, he decided that he really needed to eat the chili. After his first bite he said, "That's not very hot at all." Then came the second bite. "Ohhh, that had the seeds in it!" And that was the end of the chili eating for the night!

That story has nothing to do with the sandwich, but I just had to share! The spread for this sandwich is made by combining Gruyere cheese, garlic, mustard and butter. It is the glue that holds the sandwich together. Place some turkey between the bread and toast it up in a skillet with some olive oil. The recipe says to cut the crust off of the bread. I have done that in the past, but I honestly don't think it's necessary unless you are serving them at a fancy, schmancy party. I hope you'll try this soon.

Ingredients

8 ounces Gruyere, shredded

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 garlic clove, chopped

12 ounces sliced turkey

12 slices wheat or sourdough bread, crusts removed

6 tablespoons olive oil

 

Directions

Into a food processor, add the cheese, butter, mustard, and garlic. Blend until the mixture is thick, smooth and spreadable.

Spread the cheese mixture over 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange the turkey slices over the cheese mixture on 6 of the bread slices. Top sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, cheese mixture side down, pressing gently to adhere. Cut the sandwiches in half.
Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Cook half of the sandwiches until golden brown and heated through, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a serving platter and tent with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and sandwiches. Serve immediately.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

Sister Ruth arrived yesterday. Yippee! I knew I wanted to serve something easy for dinner so that we could spend the entire afternoon chatting and giggling. This recipe was perfect. It takes less than 5 minutes to get into the slow cooker and less than 10 minutes to get on the plate when you're ready to eat. Besides that it is delicious!

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 lb pot roast

3 - 4 cups beef broth or beef stock

1 package onion soup mix

1 medium onion sliced

slice provolone cheese

hoagie rolls

 

 

 

Directions

 

Put pot roast in slow cooker. Add enough beef broth to just cover the roast. Sprinkle onion soup mix over roast. Cover with sliced onion. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove roast from slow cooker and shred. (It will be falling apart.) Fill sliced hoagie rolls with meat and onions. Drizzle with a bit of the broth. Cover with provolone cheese and heat sandwiches until cheese melts. Serve with broth for dipping.

Pressed Cuban Sandwich

While I'm on the Cuban food theme, I certainly couldn't leave out the Cuban Sandwich. Lately Tampa and Miami have been feuding over where the first one was made and what the mandatory ingredients are. I don't really care as long as it tastes good and this one is delicious. Puppy daddy swears these are the best!

I believe the secret to a great Cuban Sandwich is the pork and the bread. For my sandwiches I always use my Slow Cooker Mojo Pork and the best Cuban bread I can find. My local grocery store (Publix) makes a pretty good one, but if I could get to the La Segunda Bakery in Tampa for bread, I would definitely have the ultimate sandwich. In fact, I think my next trip to IKEA will require a stop at the bakery!. I know the purists swear by regular yellow mustard and no mayo, but I love the combination of Dijon and mayo, so that's what I use. I also prefer provolone over Swiss, but I've used both. I have also sometimes added salami, which is on a Tampa Cuban. Of, course you must have dill pickle slices.





Start by slicing your bread, adding mustard, mayo and pickles.

I put cheese on both sides of the bread so the sandwich sticks together when it melts. Then add your ham and pork.

Finally, its time to grill the Cubans. I use a flat stove top griddle. Put some softened butter on both sides of the bread. Place them on the griddle and smash them down (press) them with anything you have that's nice and heavy. I use bricks covered with aluminum foil, but you could use a heavy pot, or another griddle if you have one.

Time to eat!

 

 

Ingredients

 

 

Good Cuban Bread

Mayonnaise

Mustard

Sliced dill pickles

Sliced deli ham

Slow Cooker Mojo Pork

Provolone or Swiss cheese

Softened butter

 

Directions

 

Slice bread in half. Slather one inside piece with mayo and mustard. Add pickle slices. Top that half and the other half with cheese. Add ham and pork. Close sandwich. Spread softened butter on the outside of the sandwich. Place it on a medium-high griddle. Press down with a brick until one side is lightly browned. Flip sandwich over and repeat.

 

Try this recipe and let me know what you think!