My Little Gray Cells

6/28/09: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

• Meal details: Sandwiches were comprised of mozzarella cheese, ham, and St. Joseph's Day Bread.
  
• Recipe sources: My little gray cells were at work this week so this recipe will be labeled "original." Pretty neat, huh?
• Defining moments: Coming out with a recipe all on my own is one special moment for moi. Another one would be using the HUGE non-stick griddle. I have never really used it before. Every time I see it being pulled out for pancakes, french toast, or grilled cheese sandwiches, I think to myself, "I do have a large family, don't I?" :)
• What I learned: I made the St. Joseph's Day Bread the day before and I discovered that I have to make 1 and 1/2 loaves in order to make sixteen sandwiches/pieces. I'm glad I decided to bake it beforehand, I would have ended up spending hours in the kitchen on Sunday. I also learned a good technique in melting the cheese. Since the pieces of bread for the sandwiches were rather thick the heat from the griddle wasn't able to reach the cheese. The best way to do this is to layer the sandwich in the following sequence: slice of bread, cheese, then ham. Place this portion of the sandwich ham-down on the griddle and wait until the cheese melts. Then add the second piece of bread on top. A side note: I buttered both sides of the bread with melted butter.
  
• How it tasted? I really liked it, it was warm, buttery, and cheesy--all you would want in a sandwich. And I believe everyone enjoyed it, too.
• How about a 2nd time? Yes.

Muffuletta--say what?

3/22/09: Muffuletta, the sandwich of New Orleans, Louisana.

• Sources: I gathered various muffuletta recipes from the internet and sort of made my own choice of ingredients for the filling. One recipe that was used for inspiration is Emeril Lagasse's Muffuletta. The bread recipe came from www.nolacuisine.com. The source of the idea to make muffuletta is the Food Network show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Bobby Flay was competing against some New Orleans brothers for the title of best muffuletta and while the two teams competed against each other I thought to myself, "Gee, that sandwich looks good!" And so it took off from there.

• Defining moments: First time for muffuletta.

• What I learned: First and foremost I learned what a muffuletta is. That's always important. So here comes a history lesson: the word muffuletta comes from the Italian word muffa, which means mold, and the bread was first made by Sicilian women. The bread worked its way over to the U.S. and ended up being chosen as "the" bread for the muffuletta sandwich by the Central Grocery in New Orleans in 1910. The sandwich was a favorite lunch for Louisiana farmers on their trips into town. So there's the history, now just don't ask me which way to pronounce it. It is either "muff-uh-LET-ta", "muff-uh-LOT-uh", or "moo-foo-LET-ta." It's your choice, there's no wrong way in my book.

This is another new bread recipe for me, seems like I have to try out a new one every week, doesn't it? I don't mind! The bread is very easy to make and handle and doesn't require much baking time because it is somewhat flat.
The olive salad I made showed me the striking difference between olives (I used green and black) and I also tried out red wine vinegar. I don't remember using or tasting this type of vinegar before, so this recipe allowed me to be introduced to a new ingredient.
Since I didn't follow any one recipe for the salad and choices of meat and cheese, I will write here what I used for the muffuletta filling:

Rebekah's Olive Salad (enough for two 10" muffuletta sandwiches)
10 oz. black olives
3 oz. green olives stuffed with pimentos
1 small onion
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
pepper
oregano

And for the choice of meat and cheese. . .
I used thinly sliced ham and mozzarella cheese. I was planning on adding summer sausage to the filling but can you believe it? I forgot. That's me for you!

• How it tasted: It was accepted by all but there were a few complaints, one of which came from me. Number one: the bread crust was a bit too crunchy. This is the way the bread is suppose to be and it is probably caused by the egg wash that is brushed on before placing it in the oven. So the next time I make this bread I'll eliminate this step. Number two: I think the onion in the olive salad was too strong. I will add less next time or maybe none at all. Number three: according to my youngest sister, too many olives. She could be right. . . Maybe I do need to add bell peppers to the salad like my Papa suggested to me earlier.
  

• How about a 2nd time? I think this would be exceptional if the above changes were made to the recipe. I like muffulettas and since they can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple days (they say the longer the filling is on the bread the better the sandwich) I think this sandwich would be a good choice for the busy summer months. There is also a hot muffuletta sandwich that can be made and I think it sounds really good. Just think of it. . . hot ham, summer sausage, olive salad, and warm, melted mozzarella cheese. Mmmm.

Gosh, what would I do without that non-stick aluminum foil from Reynold's? (Look at above photos.)