The Tailgate Sandwich

This is my go to sandwich for game day. I got this recipe from my mother after moving out and realizing something was missing on my Sundays. You can eat it right away, but it will taste better if you let it rest for an hour before eating, thus allowing the oil and vinegar to soak in. Ingredients include roasted red pepper, tomato, tart greens, mozzarella and thin slices of ham. Fill a French loaf to slice on the spot, or slit long rolls for individual sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large red bell pepper
  • 1 thin and crusty loaf of French bread
  • 1 TB extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 TB red-wine vinegar
  • 2 or 3 very thin slices mozzarella cheese
  • 4 to 6 large arugula leaves or 4 radicchio leaves
  • 4 thin slices ripe tomato
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 thin slices baked smoke ham (or turkey)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat broiler. Cut pepper in half lengthwise and remove the core and ribs. Flatten slightly and place on aluminum foil. Place under the broiler until skin is charred black. Remove to a plastic bag, seal and let steam for 10 minutes. Slip skin off. Reserve.
  2. Trim off ends of bread so an 8-inch center piece remains. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out most of the center. Brush insides with olive oil and vinegar.
  3. On bottom half, lay the mozzarella along the bread. Repeat with arugula, covering the whole length. Cover with tomato slices and season with black pepper. Cut each roasted pepper half lengthwise; lay over tomatoes. Top with ham. Place top half of bread over all.
  4. Press down on sandwich and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for at least one hour. To serve, unwrap sandwich and cut in half crosswise.

Queso Fundido (Melted Cheese)

On a work trip in Toluca, Mexico one of our locals took us to a hole in the wall restaurant the first night. I wanted to sample some real Mexican food. He recommended Pacifico beer and a dish he simply called “queso.” It was a pot of melted white cheese with chorizo sausage. It was super-hearty and majorly filling. For some reason I’ve been craving it lately. I grew up loving “Chili con queso” at Chile’s restaurant, but I’m not loving the ingredients for that dish these days, so here’s some research on the authentic cheese dip.

CHEESE. Asadero seems to be the correct one to use (if you only use one), but there are replacements. See table below. If you want to try two cheeses, you can go with, let’s say, 8 oz of asadero and 4 oz of panela…

CHEESE ALTERNATIVES:

Asadero – Chihuahua – Monterey Jack – Muenster – Manchego – Quesadilla – Supremo – Whole Milk Mozzarella – cheddars – colbys

Panela

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 medium (about 6 ounces total) fresh poblano chiles
  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup) Mexican chorizo sausage. store-bought (casing removed if there is one)
  • 1 medium white onion, sliced
  • Salt
  • 12 corn tortillas, the fresher the better (store-bought are okay, but homemade will really shine here)
  • 8 ounces Chihuahua or Other Mexican melting cheese, such as quesadilla or asadero (lacking Mexican cheese, queso fundido is delicious made with everything from Monterey Jack to mild cheddar), shredded (you’ll have about 2 cups)
  • About 1 teaspoon or so of crumbled dried oregano, preferably Mexican

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. ROASTING THE POBLANO CHILES. Roast the poblanos over an open flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, turning regularly untiL the skin is evenly blistered and blackened, about 5 minutes for an open flame, about 10 minutes for the broiler. Be careful not to char the flesh, only the skin. Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Rub off the blackened skin, then pull or cut out the stems and the seed pods. Tear the chiles open and quickly rinse to remove any stray seeds and bits of skin. Cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips about 2 inches long.
  2. THE CHORIZO-POBLANO MIXTURE. Heat the oven to 350 F. In a medium skillet (preferably nonstick), cook the chorizo over medium heat, stirring to break up any clumps, until half-cooked, about 5 minutes. (As the chorizo heats, it should render enough fat to cook the meat; if the mixture seems dry, add a little oil.) Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is richly golden and the chorizo cooked through, about 10 minutes. (If the mixture looks very oily, drain it.) Stir in the poblano strips, taste and season with salt if you think the mixture needs some. Transfer the mixture to a 9- or 10-inch shallow baking dish, Mexican cazuela or pie plate.
  3. FINISHING THE QUESO FUNDIDO. Very lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel. Check the tortillas to make sure none are stuck together. Wrap them in the towel, then in foil, sealing the edges tightly. Place in the oven and set the timer for 7 minutes. (Alternatively, follow the directions for heating tortillas in a microwave.) When the timer goes off, stir the cheese into the warm chorizo mixture. Set in the oven alongside the tortillas and bake until the cheese is just melted but has not begun to separate or look greasy, about 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with the crumbled oregano and serve without a moment’s hesitation, accompanied by the warm tortillas.
  4. WORKING AHEAD: The chorizo-poblano mixture can be a day ahead, covered and refrigerated; warm it in your baking vessel before stirring in the cheese and baking. Queso fundido doesn’t hold well, so don’t put it in the oven until everyone is ready to make tacos.

Pizza Dip

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 – 8oz package cream cheese (softened)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp red pepper
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce
  • 1/2 cup chopped pepperoni
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped green pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, oregano, garlic powder, and red pepper.
  2. Spread evenly in 9″ or 10 in quiche dish or pie plate.
  3. Spread pizza sauce over top.
  4. Sprinkle with pepperoni, green onion, and green pepper and bake at 350 F for 10 mnutes.
  5. Top with cheese and an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.