Hot Sandwich for a Cold Day (Italian Inspired Beef Dip Sandwich)

 Hot Sandwich for a Cold Day ( Italian Inspired Beef Dip Sandwich) 

Ok say this post is about a marvelous sandwich that I had the pleasure of consuming on a cold Saturday Afternoon.  It pretty cold today by Louisiana’s standards at least so I’m creating a mental list of things I can eat that would warm me up so of course this sandwich is on the menu. The recipe is my take on a video that I watched on the Food Wishes channel on YouTube. Don’t you just love the title “Food Wishes” I don’t know about you but I frequently have food wishes. The recipe is for a hot beef sandwich that is made up of beef stew meat pieces that have been simmered until it falls apart, and then placed on hot crusty ciabatta bread, which I topped with aged Swiss cheese, and slathered in peppers and onions. Well I’m sure you didn’t click the link to hear me go on and on about being cold and eating sandwiches so I’ll get to what you came here for… the Food.

Ingredients

1 ½ Pounds of beef stew meat cut into chunks

1 Yellow onion (diced)

1 Green bell pepper (diced)

6 Cloves of garlic (diced

1 Tablespoon of each dried spice: Oregano, Thyme, Basil, and Rosemary

2 Bay leaves

2 Tablespoons of white vinegar (surprise, surprise)

2- 2/12 Cups of chicken broth ( Or use hot water and a bouillon cube, whichever you have on hand, you need enough liquid to cover the meat by an inch)

Crushed red pepper flakes (I put this on just about everything, love this stuff)

Black Pepper (to taste)

Salt (to taste)

4 crusty ciabatta rolls

Directions  

1)    Season your stew meat; I usually go with a basic blend of salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire sauce. I sit this aside on the counter to marinate for about 30 minutes. ( while this is marinating I chop my veggies)

2)    Preheat a large pot over medium-high heat; add to this pot your two table spoons of vegetable oil. When the pot is heated, add in your stew meat.

3)    Brown your stew meat until you get a nice bit of color on it, then toss in your vegetables, cook until your onions become clear.

4)    Once your meat is browned, you add all of your dry herbs, spices, white wine vinegar, and your broth.  Bring this mixture to a boil then turn down the heat and allow the post to simmer for about 1 -  1 ½ hours  or until fork tender.

5)    Once the meat is ready it’s time to build your sandwich. Warm your ciabatta rolls in the oven until warm and crunchy. (I put my Swiss cheese on my rolls before I put them into the oven that way my cheese was melted before I built my sandwich.

6)    When the bread is warmed, add your beef, top with some of the onions and peppers from the broth. Slice diagonally. Serve immediately with a cup or ramekin of the broth.  

The only picture I have for this post. This is the final plated dish. Nothing fancy I served  the sandwich with some Ore-ida fries, but boy this was delicious. 

     I mentioned before that this post was my take on a video that I watched on Youtube, I'll add the link to this post so that you can go and watch it. Chef John is awesome I love his sense of humor, and he always gives really simple useful tips in his videos. This meal was simple yet satisfying what more can you ask from a sandwich.  Are you a fan of Youtube? Who are some of your favorite Youtube personalities? Do you ever try out the things you see in the videos? Comment Below.

xx- Toya

Virtually Home Made Apple Galette ( Crazy Easy)

Virtually Homemade Apple Galette

I call this a "virtually" homemade Apple Galette because I think that it’s important to have complete transparency. I don't want anyone reading this blog to look at my pictures and think "wow, I wish I could make that." Nope, the recipes I make here are for the most part simple, I use everyday ingredients and I make food that I actually enjoy eating. I call this recipe “virtually" homemade because I used store brought dough for the crust. I was going to say semi homemade but I wasn't sure if that term was copy righted if you watch the Food Network then you know what I’m referring to. I call it a "galette" because I like the way it sounds, doesn't the word being to mind French pastries? Let’s be honest we could all use more thoughts about French pastries. I'll stop waxing poetic about pastries and get to what you came for... food

Virtually Home Made Galette

The very best picture I could get before I dived in head first I  sliced a piece and ate it in a dignified manner.

Ingredients

3 Medium- Large Apples (I used two Gala and one Granny Smith)

1 Store Brought Pie Crust (I used the Pillsbury version that comes from the refrigerated section the store, same area you get biscuits in. Two come in the box you only need one for this recipe)

1/3 Cup of sugar (I used cane sugar, but white or brown would work as well

½ of the juice of lemon

½ Teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/8 Teaspoon of ground nutmeg

½ Teaspoon of vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch (I didn't have on hand so I substituted with all-purpose flour)

Melted Butter (to brush on pie shell)

1 egg (for egg wash)

*Take your pie crust out of the freezer about a hour before you are actually ready to bake, it takes a while to defrost enough for you to unroll it.

Utensils

Baking sheet

Parchment Paper

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.     Wash, peel, and thinly slice your apples.

3.     In a bowl combine apples, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, vanilla extract, and salt, then gently stir to mix thoroughly. Set aside. 

4.     In a cup squeeze ½ of lemon, dissolve your tablespoon of cornstarch/flour into the lemon juice and stir to remove lumps. Pour and stir this mixture in with apples. Set aside 

5.     Tear a piece of parchment paper large enough to hold your galette, unroll your pie crust on to the parchment paper, once you get the pie crust completely unrolled unto the parchment paper place it unto a baking sheet.

6.     Here you can take creative license; you can either gently arrange the apples slices in a circular pattern to achieve a more refined look or dump the apples into the middle of the crust for a more rustic look. Either way leave about a inch of dough free from apples to have room to form your crust.

7.     Hold the dough between your index and   thumb on one hand and fold it over the index finger of your other hand. The idea is to create a twisted pattern.

8.     Prepare your egg wash. Take one egg and combine it with a 1 tablespoon of cold water, mix thoroughly.

9.     Brush you’re the crust of your uncooked galette dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle crust with sugar.

10. Place into preheated oven and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes, turn hallway through.  ( I started to check for doneness at 40 minutes in the oven)

11.  Pull your galette from the oven and immediately brush with melted butter.

Feel free serve your galette with ice cream, and a bit of caramel sauce for a sundae like experience. I made this dessert during a week night. I went to the store earlier in the day and there was a sale on apples and since it is Fall/ Autumn I figured they would be at the peak of freshness and perfect for baking. What are some of your favorite fall desserts?  Do you find yourself wishing baking was easier? Are there any dishes that you prepare that are “virtually” homemade? Comment below. I would love to hear from you.