Receta Meatless Monday: Virgin Patty Melts
My Meaty Patty Melt, the recipe is linked here.
From
my very first taste of a Patty Melt, I was hooked. Cheese-y, Onion-y, Buttery and of course
Meaty, the earthy odor of Rye bread rises from the crisp package of ingredients
that seem meant for each other. I was smitten at a Friendly’s Restaurant in
Rhode Island when I went there for College.
And for years I’ve made pilgrimages to Friendly’s for just that one
dish. A couple of years ago, Friendly’s
collapsed and closed all but a few of its restaurants. I almost collapsed with
it. Fortunately, I was able to find a
local substitute at a restaurant called Little Estia (1615 Sag Harbor Turnpike, Sag Harbor NY
11963 Tel:(631) 725-1045. It’s called a
Freddy Melt and while it’s light on the caramelized onions essential to a Patty
Melt, it will do in pinch. And there’s
always the option of making one at home…see http://www.chewingthefat.us.com/2013/04/the-perfect-patty-melt-and-its-most.html. My fierce devotion to the Patty Melt drew me
to Sam Sifton’s recent Sunday Times Magazine article called “Patty Party”. There, next to the left of my pride and joy
sat a second sandwich, described by Sifton as ‘its modern vegetarian
cousin’. I couldn’t wait to get into the
kitchen to try it.
The Times Version slid out of the sandwich
I
wish I could tell you I was thrilled with the results. But I wasn’t. All the elements are there…the Gruyere cheese
oozing out of the sides of the rye bread, the onions dark golden brown. But
then there was the matter of the Portobello Mushrooms, which are responsible
for making this dish Vegetarian. They
slid out of the sandwich uncontrollably, making picking the thing up in your
hands a dry cleaning bill in the making.
And while the beef patty in the original is actually shaped to fit the
bread, the use of the entire mushroom cap made gaps in the sandwich
inevitable.
Now I am a stickler for
recipes. I don’t change about ten things in a recipe and them pronounce it no
good. But I craved this version of a
Patty melt because for all its faults it was full of flavor and, I tried to
convince myself, healthier. Andrew wasn’t buying into that one
bit. Alright, maybe healthier for the
planet. I had a couple of ideas to redo
the recipe. But Andrew had a suggestion for changing the recipe that made it
the huge success I am sharing with you today. And I’m reminded of a recent
quote from Jacques Pepin “So what is the use of a recipe? A
recipe is a teaching tool, a guide, a point of departure. Follow it exactly the
first time you make the dish. As you make it again
and again, you will change it, massage it to fit your own taste and aesthetic.
Eventually, it will become your own personal recipe.” That’s all I needed to
hear. I can look Mr. Sifton in the eye
after that one. And here’s how I made my Meatless Monday Patty Melt, which I
call my Virgin Patty Melt. The most important instruction for this recipe is
low and slow….low temperatures for everything from the slowly caramelized
onions, to the finished sandwich itself.
Here is the recipe. Recipe for Virgin Patty Melts 60
Minutes. Makes 4. Takes about 45 minutes. Recipe is easily halved (although you
should keep the proportions of cooking liquid for the Portobellos as is.) Reheated in the Microwave with Extra Cheese
2 to 4 tablespoons
unsalted butter 2 large onions,
peeled and thinly sliced Kosher salt and
freshly ground black pepper to taste 8 slices seeded rye
bread 8 oz. Gruyere, shredded
1 tablespoon olive
oil 2 tablespoons soy
sauce 2 tablespoons
balsamic vinegar 1 minced garlic clove
8 clean, stemmed
large portobello caps.
Equipment:
You will need a very
large skillet to accommodate all four sandwiches or make them in two batches,
keeping the first batch warm while you make the second. 1. First, caramelize
onions. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet set over low heat. When
it foams, add the onions and sprinkle with salt. Do not stir immediately. Wait
1 minute, then begin to stir frequently for 5 minutes or so, or until the
onions have released some liquid and started to become translucent. Note: The onions pictured here are at this
stage and not the finished onions which should be darker and more caramelized. Reduce the heat to
medium, and cook, stirring often, for what will seem like a very long time,
until the onions are fully melted and dark golden brown, approximately 30 to 40
minutes. Remove onions, and set them and the skillet aside. Do not wipe the
skillet clean. (You can caramelize the onions a day ahead of time and reheat
slowly when you’re ready to cook.) 2. Take a small baking
dish, and put into it soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and minced clove
of garlic. Brush each portobello caps with olive oil, put them in the baking dish, then cover and roast in a 400-degree oven for
30 minutes, turning once.
3. Remove from the oven and cut the portobellos into
quarters. Put the portobellos into a
food processor and pulse until they are roughly chopped into pieces about ¼
inch. Set aside and keep warm.
4. Set the skillet to low
heat, and put four pieces of rye bread into the butter that remains from
cooking the onions. Top each piece with a layer of grated cheese, then ¼ of the
chopped portobellos, then some of the caramelized onions, and finally another layer
of cheese and another slice of rye.
5. Use the spatula to press down on the sandwiches,
and after about a minute or so, carefully turn over each patty to begin to
brown the other side. (You may need to add the additional butter.) Cook until
the cheese is fully melted and the bread is golden brown and crisp on both sides.
Slice in half before serving.
Note: If your appetite doesn't match the size of your sandwich, I was pleased to find that the sandwich re-heats well after a 20 second blitz in the microwave as pictured above.