Receta A Vegetarian Sandwich that's impossible to dislike
That is precisely what Bon Appetit called this
submarine sandwich. Or more properly, it’s what Assistant Food Editor Amelia
Rampe called her invention. That was likely preferable to her later reference
when she called it a “Broccoli Sandwich”.
That was, unfortunately, what I called the thing when I told Andrew what
I was making one for Sunday lunch. He
was less than excited but vowed to keep an open mind. You can guess the rest. He really liked it in all its cheesy, roasted
broccoli goodness. The accompanying peppadew
peppers, hot and sweet, add another layer of surprise. And since we like things spicy around our
house, I used a simple Chipotle Pepper-spiked Mayonnaise for even more
taste. The result truly was a Vegetarian
Sandwich we loved. Is it a hoagie? A
Wedge? A Hero? Or a Grinder? And what, you may ask, is the difference?
Since Andrew and I both went to college in Rhode
Island, we would call it a Grinder. But
the root of the Grinder and every other one of its namesakes is undoubtedly the
Italian Sandwich. Waves of Italian immigrants in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries all conjured up some version of the sandwich
from Maine to Delaware and everywhere in between. Portland, Maine, lays claim to be its
birthplace and it is to this day considered Maine’s signature sandwich. But they’d be hard-pressed to take the title
away from one Dominic Conti of Patterson, New Jersey.
The Submarine Fenian Ram and its inventor John Holland
Mr. Conti arrived in this country around 1895. He
brought with him a recipe for a long-crusted roll which he filled with cold cuts,
topped with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian herbs and
spices, salt, and pepper. The sandwich started with a layer of cheese and ended
with a layer of cheese. According to his
granddaughter, this was so that the bread wouldn't get soggy. He made the sandwiches in a grocery store he
opened in 1910 called “Dominic Conti’s Grocery Store”. It wasn’t until 1928, that Conti named his
sandwich a “Submarine” after a visit to the Patterson Museum where he saw a
recovered submarine called Fenian Ram. The resemblance to a submarine is
obvious. It led to many a story claiming
the ‘sub’ got its name in New London, Connecticut during World War II when the
Primary Submarine base was located there.
But there were printed Advertisements that appeared in Delaware calling
the sandwich a submarine before the US even entered the War. The Shipyard at Hog Island during World War I
In and around Philadelphia, the submarine
sandwich was given the name “Hoagie” by Italians working at the shipyard in
Philadelphia known as Hog Island. Starting as the Hog Island sandwich, it was
shortened to Hoggie and finally became a ‘hoagie’. Not so fast, claims The Philadelphia Almanac and Citizen’s Manual. The hoagie was created by street vendors who
for reasons unknown were called ‘hokey-pokey’ men. Yet more controversy ensues as the term ‘on
the hoke’ came into being in Italian neighborhoods where it was slang for a
destitute person. Deli owners would give away scraps of meat and cheese stuffed
into a roll called a Hokie, the Italian pronunciation for which was Hoagie. A meatball Hero in New York City
And then we arrive in New York where the
locals called a hoagie a hero in 1937
and still do to this very day. Sandwiches
made on an oblong roll with a generally Italian flavor all qualify as
heros. Another characteristic of the
hero is that whether its eggplant parmigiana, or chicken parm or meatballs,
each is served with sauce chicken parmigiana, and meatball heros, each served
with sauce.
Finally
we get to New England’s Grinder. The
origin of its name comes down to two theories.
One is that the name comes from the Italian American slang for a dock
worker. And it is true that the sandwich
was popular among that particular audience.
But another plausible explanation is more prosaic. It was called a
Grinder because it took a lot of chewing the eat the hard crust of the bread
used to make the sandwich. Here is the
recipe for our…
Vegetarian
Sandwich that’s impossible to dislike from Bon Appetit’s Amelia Rampe
Makes
2 sandwiches. Takes 30 minutes to make.
1
head of Broccoli, broken down into florets
Extra
Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher
Salt
Freshly
Ground Pepper
½
tsp. Chili Flakes
Sweet
Peppadew Peppers, roughly chopped
Provolone
Cheese slices
2
Oblong Sandwich rolls (I used Martin’s Hoagie Rolls)
For
the Chipotle Mayonnaise:
½
cup Hellman’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise
2
tsp. Chipotle Peppers in Adobo, liquid only.
1. Preheat
oven to 425 degrees
2. Toss
the broccoli florets with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili flakes.
Place
the broccoli on a rimmed baking sheet and put it into the hot oven for about 25
minutes. Leave the oven on when you
remove the broccoli.
3. While
the broccoli is roasting, roughly chop the hot, sweet Peppadew peppers and set
aside. 4. In
a small bowl, make the Chipotle mayo by whisking chipotle’s liquid into the
Mayonaisse
Slice
the roll in half. Spread the Chipotle mayo over each side of the bread. Toast
the roll halves in the toaster oven for 3 minutes. Remove from toaster oven. 5. Pile
the broccoli on the bottom half of the bread, drizzle pepper brine on the
broccoli and top with Provolone cheese slices.
I used two layers of cheese but you can choose less or more per personal
preference. Pop the sandwiches back in the oven just long enough to melt the
cheese.
6. Finish the sandwich by topping the cheese with the chopped Peppadews
and your sandwich is served.