Hot Corned Beef Sandwich with Sauteed Onion and Melty Cheese

I have new glasses and they make me dizzy. I still want to put a post up, but I'm sure as hell not spending a lot of time writing until I'm used to seeing clearly again. So in the interest of sharing something and also keeping it brief allow me to introduce you to this sandwich. It's wicked simple, just a nice soft sub roll, fried corned beef from the deli and onions sauteed in the fat leftover from the corned beef. Oh and the cheese. The cheese is a burnt cheese puddle, which is something I first saw at Confessions of a Serial Baker. It makes the sandwich extra awesome, you should go check out how to make it and then do so. Also I think there was mustard, there usually is when I eat corned beef. I even put lettuce on it to make it healthy, which means I could technically have had two. Tremendous.

Less Greasy Steak and Cheese Sub

Ok, first off, I'm not in or from or even been to Philadelphia. This isn't pretending to be a Philly cheese steak. All right? All right. So.

I love steak and cheese subs. They are the awesome. The biggest problem I have with them is if you get them delivered, by the time they get to you the bread is soggy with grease. As is the wrapper, the bag, the driver and the seat that it was sitting on. Even if you get take out, a similar problem is had only with you instead of a driver.

There are two ways to avoid this: eat in the shop (not my favorite) or make your own (clearly my choice). Also, if you make you own it doesn't have to be quite so greasy because you don't need to use that weird ass shaved steak that sub shops use. I use cube steak, cut into... er, cubes. I don't feel like writing a recipe, so I'm just going to show you what I do. It's not hard, there's only six ingredients and it takes but moments.

First, chop up a bunch of onion, your cube steak and anything else you want in there like peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni or what have you. I have no picture, just close your eyes and use your imagination. Done? Ok.

Then heat up a skillet nice and hot. Here's part of the trick to less greasy, I use anodized aluminum. If I used steel I'd need tons of oil, you can use non stick too but you don't get as good browning with it, although cast iron is best of course. But I love anodized aluminum. Now, toss the steak on there and let it sit for a minute. Some salt and pepper at this point would be a good idea.You want it to start to brown before you put the onions in because the onions (and whatever else) are going to put out juices that might stop it from browning more. And brown is beautiful folks. So once the onions are in there, toss that stuff around, let it sit and... well, that's pretty much it. Stir it a couple times, maybe, but it's going to cook real fast so you might not even need to. Once it's done form it into a sub shape, put some cheese on top (whatever kind you like, I'm from Boston so it's American all the way) and let it melt a bit. Then plop it on a roll. You have now completed a less greasy steak and cheese. I strongly suggest you eat it.

Mega Steak Mafioso Sandwich

This sandwich was inspired by the steak mafioso sub at Sabatino's, a pizza place that has several locations around Boston. It is awesome. But my version of the sub is, dare I say it, better. For one, cube steak is better than shaved steak. I mean, really. For another, if you're doing something this Italian provolone is a better choice than American cheese, I think.

Not that Sabatino's version isn't spectacular, it is. But, like I said, I think mine's better. Here is what you need for it. No recipe, no attempt at amounts. I'm feeling lazy today... er, I mean it's all a to taste thing. Right. So:

cube steak, sliced against the grain
sliced onion
sliced pepperoni
sliced salami
provolone
tomato sauce
oregano, basil, garlic powder (or fresh), salt and pepper to taste
sub or sandwich roll, toasted is delightful

First things first, fry up the pepperoni and salami a bit, just enough to get some browned edges and have them put out some fat. Mmmm, multiple sausage fats.... uh, hm. Excuse me. Next, onions. I like them nicely browned. Once they're about half done season the beef with the basil and all that, push the onions to the side of the pan and put the beef in a single layer on it.Once they're browned up on one side, flip 'em and let them almost finish up. Then, add everything back in, plus the tomato sauce.Mix it around a bit, let it sit for a minute so the flavors mingle and the beef finishes, cheese up a roll and then slap in on there. Now look at the sandwich and in your best cotton ball filled Marlon Brando voice make it an offer it can't refuse.

Cheap and Easy Steak Sandwich

Adapted from this recipe by Pioneer Woman

1 lb cube steak
1 small onion, sliced
1 tbl butter
1 tsp worchester, soy or some other brown umami bringing sauce
hot sauce and plenty of it
salt and pepper to taste
pinch each of:
cumin
chipotle powder
garlic powder
(all powders are optional and to taste)

Toast a couple rolls, if your into that. Then saute the onions in oil or bacon grease (not the butter, that's for later). While that's going, slice the cube steak against the grain and toss it with the seasonings. Once the onions are done remove them from the pan and wipe out the excess grease, if you want. Add the butter and let it start to brown then add the steak in one layer and leave it alone till it browns. Then flip it. Add the brown and hot sauces and the onions. Stir everything around a bit and let it sit for a minute. Put it all on buns and eat.

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Look, a recipe! Not that I can really claim it as my own since it's pretty much the same as the one PW made. But still, it's there, I posted it and it's frigging awesome. I did things a little different than PW, mostly because her kitchen is the size of my apartment so I can't do so many things at once. But you can do it any way you like and I'm sure it will kick ass, it's a great method for a great sandwich. Here is what I did.

First, I toasted (fried?) the roll in a little bacon grease. Because it's the bomb. Then I sauteed the onions, although there isn't a pic of that, so feel free to use your imagination. But while I was doing that I dealt with this. Cube steak. I had never used it before and was shocked at how inexpensive it was, this was about a pound and it was about a buck. Not too shabby since I got two meals out of it. Now, slicey slicey, season, season. Although you could use any seasoning you want including just some salt and pepper. I've just been on a big chipotle kick lately. Then, of course, butter. Ms. W used about, oh, 10 pounds I think. She cooks like that, cooking for kids and cowboys and all. She was also making more than one sandwich. I just used a tablespoon, moderation is a virtue you know. Then it's browning beef. Mmmm, look at the buttery juices. Look at them! Once it was mostly done I added my hot sauce. This is actually part of a free sample from Cholula who didn't pay me but wanted a review. (disclaimed) Review: Cholula kicks ass. Course, I've covered that before. Heh. I added a lot, because I like a lot. You can add as much as you like. Then the onions go back in, mix it around, let it sit for a minute and that's it. Put it on a bun and eat it. It's wicked good. Now you could do this with things other than beef, I assume. I don't see why you couldn't do it with pork, chicken, fish or even (shudder) tofu. Try it, love it.

Camera Cleanup #9

I've got a lot going on right now, so I'm afraid my posting will be a bit sporadic. But I do have some cool stuff I'm planning on doing, so don't forget about me! And since I'm already posting something, here is a pic of egg salad with salami. Seriously, it's wicked good.

One Pan, Spicy, Black Bean, Chipotle Sloppy Joes. Or Maybe Chili.

1 lb ground beef
16 oz can black beans, drained
16 oz can of plain tomato sauce
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbls red wine vinegar
1 tsp chipotle powder
sharp cheddar cheese
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
oil for browning

Crumble and brown the beef over medium high heat until ~3/4 cooked, then push it to one side of the pan. Add the onions and peppers, saute until the onions are translucent, then add the garlic. Saute for ~30 seconds more then mix everything together. If the beef starts to over brown while you're dealing with the vegetables just give it a little stir. Add the vinegar and stir real quick to deglaze a bit. Turn the heat down to low, add the tomato sauce, beans, chipotle powder, brown sugar and let it simmer for ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it's as sloppy as you want. Add the hot sauce, some salt and pepper if it needs it and serve on a toasty roll with the cheddar. If you put the cheddar underneath it melts when you put the sloppy joe stuff on.

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If you put beans in sloppy joe does it make it chili? Not all chili has beans, but they share most of the same ingredients. I guess my chili recipe is more broth based than tomato based and it's more complex than sloppy joe. Plus I probably wouldn't use canned tomato sauce in chili... hm.

Anyway I think I'm going to call it sloppy joe, since I ate it on a roll. I didn't really get any prep shots, but I did get one that I think shows pretty much what it's like in my new kitchen. Peppers in the dish drainer, can of tomato sauce in the sink. Yeah, that's a paper plate for a cutting board, none of my real boards fit in a safe way and my knives need sharpening anyway. My spices are behind me on top of a big, round, plastic sugar container so I'm afraid you can't see them. Once I get a kitchen table set up (in the bedroom, with the fridge of course) I'll have a lot more prep space and that will be good.

I like doing it all in one pan like this. Not only because it's just one thing to wash, but as the beef sits to one side finishing cooking the fat drips down and kind of auto-greases the pan. At least it does if your stove is slanted like mine, otherwise you can just tip it a bit with the onions and peppers towards you every once in a while so some gets down there. I like 90/10 beef, personally, I find it just the right ratio so I don't need to add more fat or skim any off at the end.

And now here's a gratuitous pan shot to pad out the end of the post since that's really all I've got. Like how I slipped that in real subtle? Heh.

So, what do you guys think, sloppy joe or chili?

Unplanned Silence

Sorry I've been so distant lately. It's not you, it's me. It's not that I've found something new, it's just.... Well, it's the fact that the computer that has all my pictures on it is in another town and I can't find my frigging camera. Plus I haven't been doing much cooking lately, too busy trying to find an apartment and sort out all that big life change crap.

So, here is the only food picture I have on my brothers computer. It's a turkey, ham, coleslaw and potato chip sandwich on wheat. It was wicked good, really, although I should have toasted the bread. Actually, the coleslaw is the best, I'll have to do a post on it when I find my camera.

My Favorite Tuna Melt

So my brothers house is a mixed bag, lighting wise. Sometimes the lighting is awesome, sometimes it sucks. The problem is the lighting is best in the morning, when I'm not really doing much cooking. So that's why these pictures of this kick ass tuna melt are kind of crappy. But it was still wicked good, doesn't it look it? Instead of doing it grilled cheese style I took a roll and put the tuna on one half and the cheese on the other. Then I popped it into the toaster oven until browned and delightful.
When you do it this way the tuna gets some browning too and it's just lovely. Hm, I just realized I don't think I've shared my tuna salad recipe here. Well, that's a post for another day. I'm tired and need more coffee.

WTF, Ham Salad.

No, that's not what it's called, it's more my reaction to said salad. See, I had never had ham salad before I made this and I have to say for something that is loaded with stuff I like I really wasn't impressed. Although it might have been my fault, which is why I'm asking you, my readers, for help. Perhaps I should start from the beginning.

I had a chunk of ham and I wanted to make salad out of it. So I did. I looked up several recipes, realized it was just like any other mayo based salad and just kind of whipped it up. It had mayo, mustard, pickles, some chunks of cheese, you know, good stuff like that. And it was way, way too rich.

I don't know if I added too much mayo, if I should have put the ham in a food processor to make the chunks smaller (I cubed it originally) or what but it was just too rich. I do think part of it is that I used too much mayonnaise. When I make chicken salad I expect the chicken to absorb a certain amount of it, but ham doesn't seem to do that so I miscalculated how much I needed a bit. I think. I also might have wanted to use a less smokey ham, the one I used was pretty strong. So, does anyone have a good recipe for ham salad? I want to not let one bad experience with it ruin it for me, but damn, it just wasn't very good.

Steak House Doggy Bag Sandwich

I love old school steak houses. They don't screw around too much, you can always get a big ass steak, a potato and teeny tiny salad. What more could you want? My girlfriend and I live near one and go there every couple of months, it's a good time. But she never finishes everything, since her eyes are significantly bigger than her stomach. Which is fine by me because I usually get the leftovers. Heh. After our most recent visit there I decided to make a sandwich with what she couldn't eat and since it came out really well I thought I'd share.

What I did was I cut up the steak and sliced some peppers and onions (I should have sliced them more thinly, they would have cooked more. Live and learn). I wrapped it all up in foil and tossed it in a hot oven to heat up. At the same time I cut a couple leftover zucchini sticks (the real reason my girlfriend always wants to go to this one particular place) and tossed them in the oven to crisp up too. Rocket science, this is not. I toasted up a roll, piled everything on top and thought to myself:
"Self, this needs something more."

So I opened up the fridge and saw a jar of Alfredo sauce. Perfect.
Yeah.

So here's the hint for today: Mayo not enough? Would you rather saw off your own hand than use boring old mustard again? Try a cheese and cream based sauce on your sandwich! You'll be glad you did.

Blogger Burger Club: Grilled Cheese Burger

This months burger for the Blogger Burger Club gets four stars kids! Seriously. Course, I'm biased since I've been making something a lot like this since I was a teenager, but hey. A good burgers a good burger, know what I'm saying?

I guess there was a bit of controversy when the original recipe won a contest, with people saying this isn't an actual hamburger (it won a contest, so there has to be controversy, right?), but I'm not sure where the detractors get off. I mean if you really want to you can argue almost anything, but it's a ground beef patty in between two pieces of bread. That's a burger. I figure if you can call an open faced burger a burger then this is totally a burger. Shall I say it once more? Ok, burger.

Anyway, it's exactly what the name implies and it's awesome. I might just go make one for lunch today. Do you like burgers? Then head on over to Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice and get in on the Burger Club. It's a good time.

Deviled Egg Salad

6 eggs, hard boiled and shelled
2 1/2 tbls mayo
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Put everything in a bowl and mix it with a fork until it's the consistency you like. Let it chill for at least 2-3 hours, overnight is best.

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We seem to have skipped the best part of spring here in Boston. We went straight from cold and rainy to hot and muggy. Now I actually like cold and rainy (call me nuts, you won't be the first), but hot and humid is something I just don't need, especially so early in the year.

See, once the temperature reaches a certain point then I start getting... irritable. It's not pretty. Local villagers hide in their closets, root cellars and whatnot once it hits about 80, terrified that I'll come to town looking for a sandwich so I don't have to turn on the stove, or worse, an ingredient for what I've finally decided to cook, which they surely don't have.

That's when I pop and go off on a rampage. I spend the afternoon stomping on cars, throwing trains into buildings, breathing atomic fire and separating plucky children from their loving (and most likely single parent) families, sending them off on madcap adventures which end with a minor tragedy, two people finding love and everyone learning a valuable lesson. Then they are all reunited in an excessively sentimental scene, possibly involving a giant lizard, where they all vow not to take each for granted and be good, good people. At least until the sequel.
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Sooo, that doesn't really happen. But it is true that when it's hot I don't want to cook, which is why I decided to make some egg salad the other day. I mentioned deviled egg salad back in the beginning of last year in a post about egg salad in general, but didn't really elaborate on it. And that recipe up top is the reason. There's not really much to it, although it is greater than the sum of it's parts. It's just my basic egg salad (which I finally took down measurements for) with paprika in it. As I mentioned before, I like my egg salad nice and simple (not to mention a bit light on the mayo). The only thing I would add to this is a little diced shallot, but alas I had none.

Oh and yes, those are potato chips on it. Potato chips are a good time on sandwiches, even if they don't subtract calories like lettuce does.