GIO'S TOP 10 SAMMICHES

Being off of work has given me time to reflect, rebuild and cook, yes cook and while cooking I thought "hmm, what are some of my favorite sammiches"? So here goes, a look at my Top 10 Favorite Sammiches!

Who says the Internet is filled with useless information...

PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SAMMICH

• The classic and the very first sandwich I ever learned to make by myself. Personally I prefer Jif’s Creamy or Crunchy PB and for Jelly I am a Raspberry man but the others taste good themselves. Bread wise, believe it or not, I prefer Squirrelly Bread over white just because I find the extra seeds & grains add some flavor. 

THE SLOPPY JOE

• The original “manwich”! A mix of beef, onions and tomato sauce piled onto a hamburger bun, there’s a reason it’s called “sloppy” because more of it ends up on your shirt and hands than in your mouth but the stuff that gets in there, man is it good. I like to add a little garlic & chili to my manwich just to give it some bite but original is just as good. 

MONTREAL SMOKED MEAT SAMMICH

• A little tough to find unless you are in Quebec but if you do get a chance, order it and you won’t be disappointed. This is a giant pile of meat on some bread complete with mustard and a pickle. Now you may think, “isn’t this just a corned-beef sammich?” It’s not, it’s better… those French Canadians sure do know how to smoke themselves some meat!

“THE RUBE” REUBEN SAMMICH

• As a kid I hated sauerkraut, but the older I got, the more I appreciated and learned to love my dad’s favorite sammich. The Reuben sammich is a grilled or toasted rye sammy made with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and either Russian dressing or Thousand Island dressing. Variants exist like for me, I prefer Dijon mustard over the other condiments but you don’t mess with the corned beef, it’s gotta be good. 

PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SAMMICH

• I grew up with this one as I had some friends who worked in a Cheesesteak kiosk and we ate there almost every weekend. Shaved meat, onions, peppers & cheese fried all together and shoved into a bun. Seriously think about it… meat + cheese + fried = good times. There are many many variations to this one and I’ve tried a few, they are all good but the classic is always the best place to start!

CLUB SAMMICH

• Ah tradition… nothing screams tradition like the Club. The original club ingredients are turkey, bacon, lettuce, and tomato but I like to add a little Avocado to mine, I find the creaminess just helps bring all the flavors together. Cheese is often added to the sandwich as well, usually Swiss, or Cheddar but this is totally your call, bottom line, toast it and the better the bread, the better the overall sammich as this one relies on the bread so much.

GRILLED CHEESE SAMMICH

• Everyone loves a grilled cheese, whether it’s Kraft Singles, aged cheddar or pear & blue cheese, the combinations are infinite but one rule still applies… it’s gotta be cheesy! Take some bread of your choice, butter the outside, cheese up the inside and fry that sammich till it’s golden brown & gooey. I do not know of anyone who would turn down a GCS is it was offered to them, it’s the ultimate in “comfort food”.

CROQUE MONSIEUR

• The ultimate hot breakfast sammich and one worth having time and time again. Eggs, ham, emmental cheese, béchamel sauce and toasted bread all constructed into a tower of tasty awesomeness. It originated in France as a fast-food snack served in cafés and bars but has found its way here and thank the maker for that! This is a rich & indulgent meal so be prepared to be full yet satisfied. A worthy note, a croque-monsieur served with a fried or poached egg on top is known as a croque-madame!

MEATBALL SUB

• Are you kidding me? Meatballs, marinara sauce and cheese? Does it get any better than this? I’ve made my own which was awesome but if you can find it in the “Italian District” of your hometown, indulge in this one as you won’t be disappointed. It’s like an Italian Sloppy Joe but with meatballs instead of ground meat and for me, even tastier!!!

PULLED PORK SAMMICH

• The ultimate in my books, whenever I see it on a menu anywhere I have a personal battle on whether I should order it or not. Slow cooked pork butt, marinated in homemade BBQ sauce, then little strips of these golden brown beauties are piled high on a bun, hoagie or between any two pieces of bread. To me, this is the ultimate savory sammich, a flavor so good, it’s worth having time and time again.
  

Now don't you want a sammich???