Submarine Sandwiches

Now, Good Readers, who've come to depend on my semi-annual musings of the culinary variety, I don't want you to fret (I'm talking to you Mom) I will keep on posting, hopefully more often. And I will figure out what it is that other bloggers do that get them followings and sponsorships and tv show offers, and, well, at least one reader.

But in the meantime let's talk about sandwiches. Now, I know that you all out there are just screaming at your screens right now (insert cricket mp3). But Andrea! Who needs recipes and advice on sandwich making!? Well, I'm here to tell you that really everyone does.

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I consider myself quite the sandwich maven and have dreams of retiring to a seaside village to open a sandwicherie some time in the mid 2030's. But I learned a lot about the humble grilled cheese from Martha Stewart's Everyday food last year. SO surely my imaginary ghost reader (who is also my imaginary friend in traffic) can learn from me.

Yesterday was the birthday celebration for my darling Phinneas, and, as per his wishes, we had a picnic in the park. When we realized that our chosen spot had no grill we switched gears and decided to make 25 Italian submarines. They were spectacular and here is how it goes:

• Rolls. We are lucky enough to live near Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica. ("near" meaning 25 min. from) They bake all manner of crusty chewy soft on the inside Italian breads with the most gorgeous bubbling crispy crusts. (and they cost $.35 each baby!)
• Meats. Naturally these came from Bay Cities too, Capicolla Ham and Genoa Salami.
• Cheese. Provalone.
• Fixings-here is where we get off...

If you have good bread, good meat and good cheese, well, you've already got a pretty good thing but here is where we elevate from craft to art.

To prepare your sandwich for eating you come up and grab a paper plate and a few napkins (you'll need them). You open you sandwich wide and cover both sides with this salad:

Frisee cut or torn to managable pieces*
Romaine Lettuce cut into fine ribbons
Another green or red lettuce, we used Green Oak
Fennel shaved as thin as possible*
red onion also shaved thin
mache or radicchio cut to ribbons
pepperoncini peppers julienned*
small sweet tomatoes like cherry or grape

Dressing
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2-3 tsp. dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic (grated)
1/2 small red onion (grated)
salt
pepper
oregano

Taste and adjust the dressing, it's heavy on the vinegar, but that is a great counterpunch to the meats and cheeses, but then no bread ever complained of too much olive oil, so if you want it, add another tablespoon. The grated garlic and onion make this dressing utterly delicious and there ain't much I couldn't eat with a drizzle of this on top. Made the night before, the flavors meld just right.

*The ingredients marked with an * represent the most important elements to this sandwich's personality. Obviously, you should use lettuce, tomato, and onion, unless you have a personal dislike of one of those ingredients. But, the sweet surprise of the fennel, the perfect bite of the pepperoncini and the architectural quality of the frissee (seriously, it hold's the dressing so perfectly) make this sandwich worth it's weight in gold.