Ham and Swiss Stromboli

1 package pre-made pizza dough (I use Trader Joe's).  If you have time, this is the recipe I use for pizza dough
3/4 lb deli ham, diced
1 1/2C shredded Swiss cheese (please shred your own!)
10-15 green olives, chopped fine
1T finely chopped garlic (I use the pre-chopped garlic in the jar from TJ's)
1T fine ground Dijon mustard
1tsp Italian herb seasoning
olive oil -or- 1 egg white

Chop and saute the ham for a few minutes.  Place on a paper towel and press with another paper towel.  You need to get all of the moisture out of it otherwise you're Stromboli will be wet and mushy and that would be gross.

Flour your work surface and roll out the pizza dough until thin.

Combine the garlic, mustard and Italian seasoning in a bowl, stir and spread evenly over the dough (it will look sparse).

Spread the ham, olives and Swiss over the dough, keeping the toppings about an inch from the edges.

Starting farthest away from you, roll the dough in on itself forming a log.  When you get to the end, pull the edges up and around nice and thin and pinch to seal.  Roll the Stromboli over so it is seam side down.  Tuck the ends under, making sure there is no ham or cheese sticking out (it will burn).

Place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Brush the entire Stromboli with olive oil or an egg white.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 min (mine was 30) or until crust is golden brown.  Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing.

And enjoy.  Its pretty freaking amazing.  

The Frenchy Burger

This is my rendition of the fabulous burger from the Blue Door Pub.

Makes 4 large burgers

1.25lbs ground hamburger
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
6 slices provolone cheese
5-6 basil leaves, minced
1 sprig oregano, leaves removed and minced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, sauteed in butter and garlic
3/4tsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
1tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 white wine
2T olive oil
1 jar Au Jus (I use Jimmy's)
4 good buns - See recipe for pretzel rolls

1. Saute onion, garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and white wine over medium heat for 30 minutes, until onions are translucent.

2. In the meantime, combine hamburger, basil, oregano, Worcestershire, seasoned salt and pepper in bowl.

3. Form hamburger mixture into large, flat patties - I am talking cake plate sized.

4. Place sauteed onion mixture in center of patty and top with 1/2 slice provolone. Wrap the sides of the burger up on top of the mixture and pinch all seams closed well, or they will open when cooking.

5. Place on grill, seamed side down first. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side, to ensure meat is fully cooked on inside. 2 minutes prior to removing burgers from grill, place full slice of provolone on top to melt.

6. Place on bun and serve with a side of Au Jus.

Sides at the Blue Door Pub include sea salt french fries, beer battered green beans and tater tots. I opted to serve our burgers with tater tots and seasoned sour cream.

Muffuletta

Adapted from Skip To My Lou


1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives
1/2 cup drained kalamata olives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup roughly chopped pickled cauliflower
florets
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped carrot
1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained
1/4 cup marinated cocktail onions
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil (I omitted)
2 (1 pound) loaves Italian bread
8 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham
8 ounces sliced mortadella
8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese


To Make Olive Salad: In food processor, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight.

To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer ‘bottom half’ of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace ‘top half’ on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters.

Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.

For the bread, try my recipe for No Knead Bread

Sugar Beet and Goat Cheese Sandwich with Balsamic Aiolo

1 focaccia loaf
5-6 roasted sugar beets
1/2 pkg arugula
2-3 oz goat cheese, in thin slices*
2 large white onions, caramelized**

AIOLI
1/4C mayo
1tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar, more to taste.

Slice focaccia in half, the long way. Toast in oven. While bread is toasting, mix mayo, garlic, salt and balsamic vinegar together. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Remove and lay goat cheese slices down first. Follow with sugar beets, onions and arugula. Spread the aioli on the top half of the sandwich, put together, cut and serve cold.
If you want to add a protein, honey turkey or rotisserie chicken are great on this sandwich.

*To make it easier to slice goat cheese, place it in the freezer for about 1/2 hour before you plan to use it. Then, fill a glass with hot water, placing your knife in it between cuts (make sure to dry it off before cutting).

**Caramelize onions: Slice onions, leaving them in rounds. Toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Either pan saute on low or bake at 325 degrees for 1/2-1 hour. Onions will become caramel in color and be semi-translucent.