Food

As convenient as fast food but certainly tastier and more nutritious, a gourmet sandwich can really hit the spot.

The nice thing about a sandwich, of course, is that you can see and taste every ingredient — it's not like hot gooey dishes where a cup of something disappears into the cauldron and you have to take the cook's word that it's there.

Recently profiting from her skill with sandwiches is Anniston resident Frances Garland. By entering a hot hero sandwich in a contest, she received national recognition from the G.L. Mezzetta Co. of Napa Valley, Calif., which produces glass-packed peppers, olives, and specialty foods for the gourmet market.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis will benefit more directly, for by the terms of the contest Garland's prize, $1,000, went to the charity of her choice.

The contest's rules were simple: Make the best sandwich using the company's ingredients. Bread and meat are the creator's choice.

Garland made what she calls "the new Dagwood sandwich with a jalapeno twist," alluding to the pile-it-all-on sandwich the cartoon character creates. The contest allowed multiple individual entries in four categories of sandwich: hot, cold, hero and vegetarian. Although she says she has just an average kitchen in her home, Garland has commercial food preparation experience, so she was comfortable sending in a total of 26 individual recipes.

"The recipes that are going in now [to contests] are kind of upscale," she noted. "It's not that easy."

She learned earlier this month that she had won in the hero category.

The challenge, Garland said, was to turn casual ingredients into something that could be precisely constructed by anyone anywhere. She also had to create construction directions.

"You have to layer it right so none of the ingredients are slipping out all over," she said.

Balance of ingredients was also important, given that the sponsoring company's jalapeno peppers are part of the mix.

Grand prize winner — Spanish-Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Makes 4 sandwiches

8 (1/2-inch-thick) slices peasant bread or other artisan bread
3 cups shredded Manchego cheese
3 ounces thinly sliced Serrano ham or prosciutto

Smoky Paprika Roasted Pepper & Tomato Topping:

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 to 4 tablespoons Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil — divided
1 tablespoons Mezzetta Crushed Garlic
1 cup Mezzetta Roasted Red Pepper Strips
1 cup Mezzetta Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro

For Topping: Whisk together vinegar, paprika, 1 tablespoon Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and Mezzetta Crushed Garlic in bowl. Add Mezzetta Roasted Red Pepper Strips, Mezzetta Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and parsley (or cilantro); tossing to coat.

For Sandwiches: Sprinkle 4 slices of bread with half the cheese. Top with Smoky Paprika Roasted Pepper & Tomato Topping and ham. Apply the remaining cheese as another layer. Top with a second piece of bread and press together.

Brush sandwiches with remaining Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil and heat in a panini press or skillet until lightly browned on both sides and cheese has melted. Serve hot.

The New Dagwood with a Jalapeño Twist

Sandwich ingredients:

8 slices peppered turkey breast thinly sliced
8 slices deli salami thinly sliced
8 slices prosciutto ham thinly sliced
8 slices black forest deli ham thinly sliced
8 slices Swiss cheese thinly sliced
4 Mezzetta banana waxed peppers, drained, seeded, and sliced in strips
1 cup Mezzetta deli-sliced roasted sweet bell pepper strips drained
Salt and fresh round pepper to taste

Sandwich spread:

2 Mezzetta deli-sliced tamed Jalapeño peppers, drained, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 cup Jalapeño jelly
1 Tablespoon fresh chopped mint or 1 teaspoon dried mint
1 Italian or focaccia loaf of bread cut horizontally
2 Tablespoons butter at room temperature

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring Jalapeño jelly and Jalapeño pepper to a boil, reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir mint in until blended. Pour mixture in a small bowl, set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

Heat a sandwich grill or a heavy skillet.

Slice bread horizontally; cut the middle of the bread out, leaving 1/2 inch both top and bottom slices. On both flat sides of bread brush on the sandwich spread; layer sandwich as follows: turkey, salami, prosciutto, black forest ham, cheese, banana peppers, roasted bell peppers, salt, and ground pepper.

Close sandwich and cut into 4 equal pieces.

Brush top of the sandwich with butter, set sandwich, butter side down in the sandwich grill or skillet. Brush butter on top side of bread and place a large heavy skillet on top of sandwich (or a brick wrapped in foil) to evenly distribute weight and cook until nicely browned and the cheese is melted, turning once, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Repeat for the second sandwich.

Salmon & Arugula Tailgater

2 lemons
1 pound wild salmon steak(s)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers
4 hard-boiled eggs
1/2 cup Mezzetta Cream Style Horseradish
Fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup fresh dill, chopped
4 cups arugula
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
Sea salt (fine)
2 French baguettes (at least 20 inches in length)
Zest one lemon, and set aside. Juice the zested lemon and set aside.

Set salmon steaks on a large piece of aluminum foil. Pour half of the lemon juice onto the steaks; thinly slice the other lemon, and place the slices on the tops of the steaks. Wrap the foil around the steaks to seal in a packet, put the packet in a pie plate, and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven until just cooked through, approx. 20 minutes. Discard the lemon slices.

Set aside to bring to room temperature, and gently break into chunks.

Combine Mayonnaise, Mezzetta Non-Pareil Capers, chopped egg, lemon zest, and 1/4 cup of the Mezzetta Cream Style Horseradish in a bowl. Stir to combine. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Set aside.

Combine the Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, remaining lemon juice, and fresh dill in a bowl; whisk together to make a vinaigrette.

Start with pouring half of the vinaigrette over the arugula an red onion, and toss to combine and coat; taste, and add more of the vinaigrette as needed. Add salt and Pepper to taste. Set aside.

La Maison de Mezzetta Moroccan Melts

1/2 cup Mezzetta Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
1 large white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup black raisins, chopped
1 orange, zested and juiced (zest and juice kept separate)
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 oz. bag baby spinach, chopped
1/2 cup Napa Valley Bistro Almond Stuffed Olives, finely chopped
1/2 cup Mezzetta Gourmet Baby Carrots, diced
1 cup good quality mayonnaise
1/2 cup Mezzetta Roasted Red Bell Peppers
2-3 Habañeros (more or less depending upon your desired level of heat)
1/2 cup fresh mint, stemmed and chopped
2 loafs ciabatta bread, sliced in half crosswise into two layers
1 10-oz. log fresh goat cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

In a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 1/4 cup of olive oil (reserving the other 1/4 cup for use later in the recipe) over medium heat until shimmering. Add the thinly-sliced white onion to the oil, add a pinch of kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and saute until the onions are translucent. Once the onions have turned translucent, add the chopped black raisins and cook the mixture until the raisins have softened and the onions have caramelized, about 10 to 12 minutes. Carefully add the juice of the orange (reserving the zest for later), ground allspice and cinnamon to the onion-raisin mixture and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and fold in the chopped baby spinach, chopped almond-stuffed olives and chopped baby carrots. Take a taste of the mixture and season with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Set the mixture aside to rest while preparing the Minted Harissa Mayonnaise.

In a blender or food processor, puree the reserved orange zest, mayonnaise, roasted red bell peppers, Habañero peppers and fresh mint until well-blended. Taste and season with kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Transfer the Minted Harissa Mayonnaise to a small bowl and chill until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

Preheat an electric panini sandwich press, or preheat a grill pan or a large, heavy bottomed skillet on your stovetop over medium heat. To prepare your sandwiches to grill, lay out the 4 pieces of sliced ciabatta, cut-side up, and spread a thin layer of the Minted Harissa Mayonnaise on all four bread slices, evenly dividing amongst all the bread. Set aside the 2 top slices and spread half of your crumbled goat cheese atop the Minted Harissa Mayonnaise layer on the bottom slices, dividing half of the cheese between the two bottom slices of bread. Top the goat cheese layer with the vegetable mixture, evenly dividing between the two slices. Top the vegetable layer with the rest of your crumbled goat cheese and place the sandwich top slices, Minted Harissa Mayonnaise side down, atop your sandwiches. Gently press down on the sandwich tops with the palm of your hand. Retrieve the reserved 1/4 cup of olive oil and, using your hand, rub the outside of your sandwiches, making sure to get a thin layer of olive oil on both the top and bottom sides of your sandwiches. Place your sandwiches into the preheated press, grill pan or skillet. If using a press, cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the sandwiches are toasted golden brown. If using a grill pan or skillet, weigh the sandwiches down with a heavy duty aluminum-foil covered brick, a weighted pie plate or a skillet with a can of soup on top to weigh down the sandwiches, and grill for approximately 3 minutes on each side, or until both sides are toasted and golden brown.

Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut each sandwich into four equal pieces. Using a strainer or a sifter, lightly dust the sandwiches with the powdered sugar. To serve, choose four of your favorite plates or baskets lined with vibrant napkins and serve each person two sandwich pieces. Serve, and enjoy! Thanks!