L ifestyle /C ulture
Hot Sandwiches on Cold Nights
F OO D
LINDA MOREL | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
BY THE TIME mid-December
rolls around, you’ve already
prepared Thanksgiving dinner,
followed immediately by eight
nights of latkes and donuts
during Chanukah.

Because you’ve made some
extraordinary, but labor-inten-
sive meals lately, it’s time to
lighten the dinner prep load.

Dinner doesn’t have to be a
five-star production. Instead,
serve hot sandwiches once
in a while, which are fun to
assemble and exciting to eat.

Layer them up with a substan-
tial protein, such as meat or
cheese, and an array of vegeta-
bles, which can be leftovers.

Use quality bread.

If you’ve got a panini press,
you’re in business. But if not,
sandwiches can be heated on
a nonstick skillet or ridged
griddle. The easiest hot
sandwich to make is melted
cheese on toast. The second
easiest is a fried egg nestled
between two pieces of lightly
toasted bread.

If the idea of a sandwich
dinner seems meager, add a
salad or tureen of soup to the
menu. No one will leave the
table hungry. I guarantee it.

My family enjoys building
their own sandwiches, which
is much easier for me. In our
house, hot sandwich night is
the most popular dinner of
the week.

If you prepare sandwiches
in a nonstick panini maker,
ridged griddle or skillet, you
will not need to coat the pan
with oil.

REUBEN SANDWICH
REVISITED | MEAT
Serves 4
¼ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup ketchup
1 teaspoon capers drained
A sprinkling of garlic powder
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 8-ounce can of sauerkraut
8 slices of rye bread
12 slices of deli corned beef
at room temperature
Thin slices of red onion,
broken into rings
Russian dressing: Place the
mayonnaise, ketchup, capers
and garlic powder in a small
bowl. Whisk the ingredients
together with a fork until
completely combined. Reserve.

Place the sauerkraut in a
fine sieve and squeeze out the
liquid, pressing down with
the back of a spoon. Move the
sauerkraut to a double layer of
paper towels and drain further.

Reserve. Spread one side of each
piece of bread with the Russian
dressing. Layer three slices of
corned beef, a generous amount
of sauerkraut and red onion
onto four pieces of bread. Top
them with the remaining bread
slices, placing the Russian
dressing sides down, covering
the onion.

Follow the finishing direc-
tions below.

CUBANO SANDWICH
KOSHER STYLE | MEAT
Serves 4
2 (8-10 inch) Cuban
sandwich loaves or
baguette-like Italian bread
Dijon mustard for spreading
Mayonnaise for spreading
1½ pounds roasted chicken
breast. It can be from
leftovers, or buy a
rotisserie chicken.

4 large dill pickles, drained
and sliced thin
Dried oregano for sprinkling
Kosher salt for sprinkling
Black pepper for sprinkling
Split the loaves in half
lengthwise. Spread mustard on
the inside of the bottom side of
each loaf. Spread mayonnaise
on the inside of the top side
rebeccafondren / iStock / Getty Images Plus
of each loaf.

Slice the chicken as thin
as possible. Place the chicken
slices over the mustard.

Sprinkle on oregano, salt and
pepper. Arrange the pickles on
top. Cover with the top side
of each loaf, mayonnaise side
down. Cut the loaves in half.

Follow the finishing direc-
tions below.

SWISS AND SAUTÉED
MUSHROOM SANDWICH |
DAIRY Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil, or
more if needed
1 pound sliced mushrooms
Kosher salt to taste
8 slices sourdough bread
12 slices of Swiss cheese
Heat the olive oil over a
medium-low flame in a large
skillet. Place the mushrooms
in the skillet and sprinkle with
salt. Sauté until caramelized.

Remove them from the flame
and cool them briefly.

Place two slices of Swiss
cheese each onto four pieces
of bread, using 8 slices of
JEWISH EXPONENT
Swiss. Spoon mushrooms over
the cheese. (If there are more
mushrooms than needed, serve
them beside the sandwiches.)
Top with the remaining 4 slices
of Swiss and then a piece of
bread. Follow the finishing direc-
tions below.

TOASTED TURKEY CLUB
SANDWICH | MEAT
Serves 4
1 large tomato, sliced thin
8 slices turkey bacon
8 slices of multigrain bread
Dijon mustard for spreading
8-12 slices of leftover turkey
or deli turkey at room
temperature 4 lettuce leaves
Honey for drizzling
Place the tomato slices on a
paper towel. Cover them with
another paper towel and gently
press to remove moisture.

Reserve. Fry the turkey bacon on a
medium flame until crisp in a
large skillet or griddle. Drain
it on paper towels and reserve.

Spread mustard on one side
of each piece of bread. Over
the mustard, layer the turkey,
a drizzle of honey, lettuce,
tomato slices and turkey bacon.

Drizzle on a little more honey.

Top with the bread, mustard
side down.

Follow the finishing direc-
tions below.

Finishing directions:
Preheat the panini maker,
ridged griddle or skillet.

Flatten the sandwiches a bit
with your palm.

If you’re using a panini
maker, place the sandwiches
inside and lower the lid.

Heat them until the bread is
toasted and the sandwiches are
warmed through. The Swiss
cheese in that sandwich should
be melted.

Or move the sandwiches
to a preheated griddle or
skillet. Take turns pressing the
sandwiches down with a wide,
firm spatula. When the bottom
piece of bread toasts, flip the
sandwiches to the other side
and continue pressing with
a spatula until the other side
is crisp and the contents are
warmed through.

Serve immediately. l
DECEMBER 9, 2021
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