Pastrami and Rye Panzanella

Panzanella is an Italian salad designed to use up stale bread by soaking it in tomato juices to soften it as part of the salad.  This particular recipe is a fun twist on a pastrami on rye sandwich using pastrami, Swiss cheese and rye bread in addition to traditional ingredients like Romaine, red onion, cucumber, and tomatoes.

The Lawyer was the inspiration for this salad when he recently made homemade turkey pastrami, if you can believe it.  It was a three day project starting with brining a turkey breast for a day, then smoking it on day 2, then curing it until the third day.  The results are excellent and I've been looking for a variety of ways to use the pastrami beyond the usual Reuben sandwich.  If you don't have your own pastrami-smoking Lawyer on hand, you can always buy a thick slice at the store.  It's faster but probably not quite as interesting.

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Pastrami and Rye Panzanella

Serves 4

Choose an airy light rye bread over the dark, dense sort; the latter is too chewy for this salad.

1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion

3 cups cubed light rye bread

1 garlic clove, grated

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine (or sherry) vinegar

1 pound tomatoes, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks (or cherry tomatoes)

1 medium English cucumber

2 Romaine hearts, chopped

3/4 cup basil leaves, large leaves torn

1/4 pound thick-sliced pastrami, coarsely chopped

¼ pound Swiss cheese, cubed

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preheat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle. Put the onion in a bowl and cover with ice water for ten minutes, then drain and pat dry. (Soaking raw onion in cold water mellows the harsh bite.)

Meanwhile, spread out the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are crispy and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Put the oil and vinegar into a bowl, add the grated garlic and whisk to combine.

In a large bowl, combine the cooled bread, tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine, gently pressing the tomatoes a bit to release some of the juices.

Chop the cucumber into bite-sized pieces. Add the onions, cucumber, Romaine, basil leaves, pastrami, Swiss cheese and parsley leaves to the salad. Whisk together the dressing, add it to the salad and gently toss to combine.

Cubanos

Last Year's Post:  Tomatillo Salsa Verde
Two Years Ago:    Farro and Kale Salad

This is another installment in my occasional and erratic series of famous sandwiches of the world.  Past posts have included pan bagnat, banh mi, Italian tuna, chicken schnitzel, and buffalo chicken sliders to name a few.  Cubanos originated in Florida and are made with Cuban rolls, roast pork, ham, pickles, Swiss cheese and mustard, all pressed together on a griddle or grill until warm and crisp.  Outside of Miami they also often include salami.  Although the most authentic version calls for yellow mustard, I used a combination of both whole grain and Dijon mustards for different textures and flavors.  And again although Cuban bread is authentic, you probably won't find it outside of a Mexican market in most cities.  Any soft oblong roll will work - just don't use a hard crusty French roll because it won't compress and crisp they way it should.

If you can find roast pork in the deli, that's great, otherwise plan to make Cubanos with the leftovers next time you make a pork roast or tenderloin.  Use the best quality Swiss cheese you can find, and slice everything as thinly as possible.  Placing cheese on both the top and bottom of each roll ensure the whole thing sticks together as the cheese melts.

Cubanos are like the best ham and cheese sandwich you've ever had, all crispy and warm and gooey.  There's a reason they're famous.

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Cubanos

Serves 2

2 (8 to 10”) Cuban rolls (or soft Bolillo or hoagie rolls)

4-5 ounces roast pork, leftover or purchased from the deli

4 thin slices of smoked ham

6 slices best-quality aged Swiss cheese

Yellow mustard or Dijon mustard

2 medium dill pickles, thinly sliced lengthwise

2 tablespoons softened butter or olive oil

Preheat a Panini press or large skillet over medium heat.

Split the rolls lengthwise.  Slice the leftover pork as thinly as possible.

Spread a thin layer of mustard on the top and bottom of each roll.  Tear each piece of Swiss cheese in half and place 1 ½ slices (3 rectangles) on the bottom and top of each roll.  Layer the pork, ham and pickles on the bottom of each roll.  Close the sandwiches, pressing gently together.

Brush the top and bottom of each sandwich with softened butter or olive oil.  Place the sandwiches in the press, using moderate pressure, for about 8 minutes until crisp on both sides.  If using a skillet, use a second pan to press on the top of the sandwiches for about 4 minutes, then flip to crisp the second side.  Sandwiches should be somewhat compressed but not completely flat.

Slice sandwiches in half and serve.

Hoisin Burgers with Wasabi Slaw

Tired of making the same burgers time after time?  This burger features hoisin sauce mixed in with the meat as well as in a glaze.  If you're not familiar with hoisin sauce, it's basically an Asian barbecue sauce that you can find in the Asian aisle of your grocery store.  The glaze also has soy sauce and vinegar for extra tang.  The burgers are grilled with swiss cheese and served with fresh cucumbers as a topping. 

To complement the burgers I found a recipe for wasabi coleslaw that I thought would be great.  Wasabi is the Japanese equivalent of a hot mustard or horseradish.  The coleslaw does go very well with the burgers, but then I had the inspiration to put the coleslaw on the burger and that made it perfect.

Where I grew up we definitely did not put coleslaw on sandwiches of any type whatsoever.  But one time I was riding from an airport to a sales meeting with two business associates - Steve (from Virginia) and Dave (from Texas).  They're both big barbecue fans and spent the entire one hour trip in serious discussions regarding pork versus beef, pulled versus chopped, and sauces - tomato, vinegar, or mustard-based.  The one thing both of them agreed on was that the coleslaw goes on the barbecue sandwich, not on the side.  I thought that was odd, not having grown up in a state where barbecue is close to a religion.  When we stopped for lunch they convinced me to try a pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top, and I was hooked.  The creamy, crunchy coleslaw contrasted perfectly with the rich meat and smoky sauce to make a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

So, that's my inspiration for putting the wasabi slaw on the hoisin burger.  The punch of the wasabi along with the creamy, crunchy slaw is a great offset to the rich meat and smoky-sweet hoisin.  Try it yourself and see - this is definitely not your same old burger!

A note on the meat - you can  make these either with ground beef or ground turkey (or even chicken).  I like to make burgers that are about a quarter pound or slightly larger but you can make yours any size you want, just adjust the other ingredients accordingly if you use more meat.

* * click here for a printable recipe * *


Hoisin Burgers with Wasabi Slaw
Serves 3-4 depending on burger size

For the burgers:
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
5 T hoisin sauce, divided
4 green onions, chopped
Salt and pepper
1T soy sauce
1T rice wine vinegar
4 slices swiss cheese
12 slices of cucumber
Wasabi mayonnaise (see below)
4 sesame hamburger buns

For the wasabi slaw:
1 T wasabi powder
2 T water
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups coleslaw mix
Salt and pepper


To make the burgers:
Mix 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce and the green onions into the ground beef or turkey. Season with salt and pepper and form into 3-4 patties, depending on the size you like. In a small bowl, mix together 3 tablespoons of hoisin with the soy sauce and vinegar.

Prepare a grill for medium direct heat.

Grill the burgers approximately 3-4 minutes per side, brushing liberally with the glaze on both sides. Top with swiss cheese slices and let melt, then remove from the grill.

Serve on sesame buns and top with three cucumber slices each. Finish each sandwich with a little wasabi mayonnaise or the wasabi coleslaw and the top of the bun.

To make wasabi slaw:
In a small bowl, mix together wasabi powder and water to form a paste. Add mayonnaise, ginger and garlic and stir until well combined.

Place coleslaw mix in a medium bowl and add enough wasabi mayonnaise to lightly coat. Toss well, season with salt and pepper, then serve on the side or on top of the hoisin burgers.

Note: extra wasabi mayonnaise can be used on the burger buns if desired.