sandwich

Bacon Explosion Sub Sandwich

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ 1 Comment

When we met four years ago Chris was an enthusiastic cook but did not own anything other than a toasting machine, so we often had grilled cheese and grilled cheese 😀 But one in a while he was able to borrow a charcoal grill, and one the first real date meal he made was bacon explosion. We have made it dozens of times since and now believe to have reached the definite perfect recipe, which we of cause are willing to share with all our wonderful readers 🙂

Due to that history, this dish means something to us and we like to make it for ‘date nights’. We have served it in many different ways and last night we decided to serve it in a French baguette with tomatoes and mozzarella and was really great.

Have you ever made bacon explosion?? If yes, what are you using for filling and how do you serve it??

 

Ingredients (4 sandwiches)

1 pound beef, grounded

1 pound pork, grounded

25 slices bacon

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

Salt & Pepper

1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp. butter

2 onions, chopped

1/2 pound mushrooms, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. thyme leaves

1 jalapeño, sliced

2 handfuls fresh spinach, rinsed

2 tbsp. BBQ sauce

2 tbsp. brown sugar

4 tbsp. soy sauce

2 French baguettes

2 tbsp. mayo

4 tbsp. BBQ sauce

1 romaine lettuce

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 mozzarella balls, sliced

Melt the butter on a medium-hot pan and sauté onions, mushrooms, garlic and thyme for 4-5 minutes or until the onion pieces begin to soften a bit. Set aside while preparing the meat and bacon. IMG_0935

Weave the bacon slices together, as shown on the picture below. Do it on a piece of baking paper, so it is easy to wrap around the meat when finished. Set aside.IMG_0936

Combine grounded beef and pork in a mixing bowl together with 1/3 cup BBQ sauce and salt and pepper. Place the meat on a piece of baking paper when mixed well. roll it out until it is approximately 2 inches smaller than the bacon wrap.

Spread the shredded cheddar on to the meat followed by the rinsed spinach (remember to rinse the spinach thoroughly, as it is one of those vegetables that might contain a lot of dirt), the onion and mushroom mix and last (but not least) the jalapeños slices. Be aware to leave an edge in the meat, so that the vegetables and cheese and be fully covered when making the meat roll.

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Roll the meat up, with the filling inside, using the baking paper to help you. Close both ends of the ‘sausage’ before transferring it to the bacon wrap.

Roll the bacon wrap around the meat sausage, using the baking paper as you did when rolling the sausage. Weave the bacon ends together, so the wrap is closed all around the sausage.IMG_0938

Place on indirect heat on the grill and grill it at 360F for approximately 90 minutes. Toss a piece of wet applewood into the charcoal to give it some smoke.

Combine 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce with brown sugar and soy sauce and stir to dissolve the sugar. Spread on the BBQ/sugar mixture approximately 60 minutes into the grilling. This will make the bacon surface shine at taste both sweet and salty.  IMG_0941

Remove the bacon explosion from the grill after 90 minutes and let it rest while warming the bread.

Slice the bread and place it on the grill with the inside down for 2-3 minutes. Then spread on some mayo and place the lettuce leaves on the bottom half of the bread.

Cut the meat into 1-inch slices and place 4 slices on each sandwich bottom.IMG_0949

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Spread out a few stripes of BBQ sauce on the meat slices before placing the tomato and mozzarella on top and finally the top half of the baguette.

Serve with a cold beer 😀IMG_0958

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (4 sandwiches)

450 g beef, grounded

450 g pork, grounded

25 slices bacon

0.8 dl BBQ sauce

Salt & Pepper

0.8 dl cheddar cheese, shredded

1 tsp. butter

2 onions, chopped

225 g mushrooms, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. thyme leaves

1 jalapeño, sliced

2 handfuls fresh spinach, rinsed

2 tbsp. BBQ sauce

2 tbsp. brown sugar

4 tbsp. soy sauce

2 French baguettes

2 tbsp. mayo

4 tbsp. BBQ sauce

1 romaine lettuce

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 mozzarella balls, sliced

 

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Steak and Marinated Onion Sandwich

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

A few weeks ago we had a colleague of Chris’ and his wife over for dinner and wanted to make something easy, as we only had little time. We decided to make steak sandwiches with dipping sauce, and now you might think “that doesn’t sound like something you serve for dinner on a friday night”, but you cannot be more wrong- it is the perfect friday night dinner, when all you want is to spent time with good friend, and stand in the kitchen cooking all night.

They had never had sandwiches likes these before, and definitely not with dipping sauce! They looked a bit sceptic at the beginning, but as soon as they had tasted the combination of the melted cheese, the moist and tender beef together with the marinated onions and the perfectly cooked beef stock, they were excited – and they ended up eating it all – actually, we had hoped for some leftovers for saturdays lunch, but on the other hand, we love to watch when people get surprised and overeat 😀

Hope that you will like as much as we do, and we hope that you will leave a comment with your thoughts and/or suggestions 🙂

 

Ingredients (8 small sandwiches)

1 1/2 pound strip loin

3 tbsp. grainy mustard

Salt

Pepper

1 Focaccia bread

3 tbsp. mayo

10 Romaine lettuce leaves

10 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

1 marinated onion

2 cups beef stock

 

Fire up the car kettle grill and let it get hot (approximately 400F) while preparing the meat.

Season the roast with salt, pepper and mustard. Sear the meat on both sides before placing it on indirect heat with the lid on. Roast the meat until you reach a core temperature of 130-135F if you’d like it to be medium-rare or 140-145F if you’d like it to be medium (but for God’s sake DON’T overcook it!). It takes approximately 1 hour.

Remove the roast from the grill when it has reached the wanted temperature. Cover it with tin foil and let rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing it.

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While the meat is resting, you can prepare the bread and the beef stock. Slice the bread, and spread on some mayo on both sides. Place slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on the top half of the bread, and place it on the grill for a few minutes to let the cheese melt.

Boil the beef stock at let it boil until it has reduced to half the amount.

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Place lettuce leaves on the bottom half of the bread. Cut the meat into paper thin slices and place it on top of the lettuce followed by meat juice from the tin foil and the marinated onions. Top it of the top half of the bread with melted cheese.

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Cut the sandwich into 8 equally sized pieces and serve with the reduced beef stock as a dipping sauce.

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (8 small sandwiches)

600-700 g strip loin

3 tbsp. grainy mustard

Salt

Pepper

1 Focaccia bread

3 tbsp. mayo

10 Romaine lettuce leaves

10 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

1 marinated onion

2 cups beef stock

Easiest Focaccia Bread

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

This is without doubt one of the easiest recipes on focaccia bread that you might find on the internet. It only takes a few minutes to make the dough and if you would like to advance a bit, you can add roasted walnuts or semi-dried tomatoes together with the herbs 🙂

Most often we use the bread for sandwiches, but it is also great for tapas and/or to bring on a picnic with friends and family.

Ingredients (1 bread)

1 tbsp. active yeast

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup durrum flour

1 cup water

1 tbsp. coarse salt

6 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh thyme or rosemary leaves

1 tsp. sea salt

 

Dissolve the yeast into the water and add both flour types together with the coarse salt and half of the olive oil. Knead until the dough is smooth – it should be moist, but not sticky.

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Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let raise to double size, approximately one hour.

Form the raised dough into a ball and place it on a piece of baking paper. Pour the remaining olive oil over the dough and use your fingers to form the bread. It should end up being approximately 1 inch thick.

 

Sprinkle with your choice of herbs and cover the bread with a dishcloth. Let raise for additional 45-60 minutes.

Sprinkle the sea salt on top of the bread and bake in the oven at 480F for 18 minutes.

Use for sandwiches, tapas or whenever you feel like eating a good home baked bread 🙂

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (1 bread)

1 tbsp. active yeast

2.5 dl wheat flour

2.5 dl durrum flour

2.5 dl water

1 tbsp. coarse salt

6 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. fresh thyme or rosemary leaves

1 tsp. sea salt

 

Italian Meatball Sandwich

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

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As we wrote in the last entry on elderflower drinks, we have a sunday tradition with a couple of friends. Most sundays we end up making some kind of comfort food, like burgers, Sloppy Joe’s, chili dogs or some kind of sandwich. Last sunday we decided to make Italian meatball sandwiches (as we, Chris and I, are planning a trip to Tuscany later this summer), and they turned out to be great – as usual 🙂 Actually they were so great, that the guys eat way too much and ended up sitting in our bathing pool in their underwear, complaining about stomach pain (we will spare you the actual picture of this ;-)). Out of the 8 ‘small’ sandwiches you will get from this recipe, we ate it all – which explains the stomach pain – but all four of us are ‘heavy-eaters’ when it comes to good food, so you might have food enough for 6-8 people, depending on their sandwich-hunger 😀 Hope that you will try the recipe and enjoy it as much as we do!

Ingredients (8 ‘small’ sandwiches)

Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
2 cups breadcrumbs
1 cup milk
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/3 cup feta cheese
3 tbsp. thyme leaves, fresh
2 tbsp. rosemary leaves, fresh
1 egg
Salt
Pepper

Tomato sauce:
3 cups tomato sauce
4 tbsp. tomato paste

2 French baguettes
2-3 tbsp. mayo
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 bundle of cilantro

Meatballs:
Combine breadcrumbs and milk in a mixing ball and make sure that all the crumbs get soaked. Set aside while chopping the shallots, garlic, feta cheese, thyme and rosemary.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs. Mix well using your fingers, as it will give the best result. Divide the meat into 8 equally sized meatballs, approximately the size of a baseball. Place in a greased ovenproof dish and bake in the oven at 350F until the reach 165F – approximately 40 minutes.
Don’t turn off the oven when the meatballs are finished, as you also need to warm the baguettes later on. IMG_0382 IMG_0389 Tomato sauce: Combine tomato sauce and paste in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 5-10 minutes before turning down the heat. Let simmer with the lid on for approximately one hour or until the meatballs are ready to get soaked. Stir occasionally to avoid burning. Place the baked meatballs in the tomato sauce and make sure that the whole meatball gets marinated in the sauce. If necessary, pour some of the sauce on top of the meatballs. Let simmer for additional 25-30 minutes. IMG_0393 When the meatballs are ready you can begin to assemble the sandwiches 😀 Slice the baguettes lengthwise and spread out the mayo on both the top and bottom. Place 4 meatballs and a bit of tomato sauce on each bottom followed by a slice of cheese. IMG_0397 Place both the baguette bottom with the meatballs and the top with the mayo on a wire rack, and warm in the oven until the cheese has melted. Decorate with cilantro on top of the melted cheese and finish off with the baguette top.IMG_0398 Cut each sandwich into 4 pieces with one meatball in each. Serve with an ice cold beer or a glass of good Italian wine, if you like it a bit more sophisticated 😉IMG_0405

Bon Appétit friends!

 

Ingredients (8 ‘small’ sandwiches)
Meatballs:
450 g ground beef
450 g ground pork
5 dl breadcrumbs
2.5 dl milk
2 shallots
4 garlic cloves
1.25 dl parmesan cheese, grated
0.8 dl feta cheese
3 tbsp. thyme leaves, fresh
2 tbsp. rosemary, fresh
1 egg
Salt
Pepper

Tomato sauce:
7.5 dl tomato sauce
4 tbsp. tomato paste

2 French baguettes
2-3 tbsp. mayo
8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
1 bundle of cilantro

Greek Barbecue Lamb Sandwich

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

There are many ways to serve lamb, but if you want to try something less traditional, you should consider trying this  fabulous greek lamb sandwich, which we made a while ago.

When you have made the meat, it is as easy as boiling an egg, and you get all the good flavors from the greek cuisine combined with the charcoal flavor from the grill – a great great way to serve lamb.

 

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 Barbecue lamb roast

4 greek flatbread

1 cup greek yoghurt

1 cucumber

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. salt

1 romaine salad, sliced

3 red peppers

1 head 2 small tomatoes

1 red onion

1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup stoneless black olives

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Grate the cucumber and sprinkle with salt. Let rest in a colander while chopping the vegetables.

Chop the red peppers, tomatoes, red onion and olives into a small cubes.

Drain the salted cucumber as much as possible and mix with the minced garlic and greek yoghurt. Refrigerate the tzatziki for 5-10 minutes.

Cut the lamb roast into 1/2-inch slices and place 2 slices on each flatbread. Add sliced salad, tzatziki, chopped vegetables and some crumbled feta cheese.

Fold the bottom of the flatbread followed by both sides. That way, you don’t drop any of the filling while eating 🙂

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (4 servings)

1 Barbecue lamb roast

4 greek flatbread

2.5 dl greek yoghurt

1 cucumber

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp. salt

1 head romaine salad, sliced

3 red peppers

12 small tomatoes

1 red onion

2.5 dl feta cheese, crumbled

1.25 dl stoneless black olives

 

Steak Sandwich with Dipping Sauce

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ Leave a comment

This sandwich is without doubt the best hangover sandwich ever!

When you go through the recipe, you will discover that it takes around 2 hours to makes, which is definitely not hangover friendly! But don’t worry…. You can make the meat and slice it when you have time, freeze it down and just thaw the amount the need when you get hungry 🙂

Another thing that might be difficult (but totally worth it) is the beef stock for the dipping sauce. We make it our selves when ever we have some leftover bones, but an easier solution, is to buy some at your local butcher 🙂

 

Ingredients (2 servings)

2 pounds roast

3 tbsp. mustard

3 tbsp. steak rub

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/3 cup mayo

4 tbsp. horseradish, grated

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1 French baguette

1 cup beef stock

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Fire up the kettle grill with some charcoal (place the charcoal in one side of the grill).

Spread out the mustard on the meat followed by the steak rub. Put the meat directly over the coals and sear on all sides. Place the seared meat in a cast iron pan or an ovenproof tray  with some olive oil.

Place the pan with the meat on the opposite side of the coals (indirect heat) and grill until the meat has reached a core temperature of 156F (about 35-45 minutes). Take the pan of the grill and let the meat rest while you prepare the rest of the sandwich.

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Mix the pan dripping with the beef stock and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Cut the meat into thin slices (use an electric slicer if possible) and add it to the simmering stock. Let it all simmer for 5-8 minutes.

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Warm the baguette in the oven while the meat is simmering in the stock. Whisk together mayo and grated horseradish and spread out a generous layer on both the top and bottom of the warm baguette. Add the soaked meat on the bottom of the baguette and sprinkle on the shredded cheddar cheese and finish up by adding the top of the baguette.

Take all the remaining stock and pour it into a bowl. Serve as a dipping sauce for the sandwich – you will be surprised how tasteful it is.

Serve with a cold hangover beer 😀

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (2 servings)

900 g roast

3 tbsp. mustard

3 tbsp. steak rub

2 tbsp. olive oil

0.8 dl mayo

4 tbsp. horseradish, grated

1.25 dl cheddar cheese, shredded

1 French baguette

2.5 dl beef stock

 

 

Pork Fried Steak Sandwich

~ Ann & Chris Demant ~ 2 Comments

What are you planning for tonights dinner? The male part of this marriage is a sucker for fried food, so we have had this fabulous easy to make sandwich with crispy pork tenderloin.

We have chosen to use tenderloin as it is easy to beat flat without to much work and has a lovely mild taste. There is nothing like crispy pork tenderloin in a sandwich.

 

Ingredients (2 sandwiches)

1 pork tenderloin

salt

pepper

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 tbsp. flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup oatmeal

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup vegetable olie

1 Italian baguette

2 tbsp. aioli or mayo

1 ball mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 romaine salad leaves

2 tomatoes, sliced

 

Sour Cream Sauce

4 tbsp. sour cream

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 lime, juice and zest

salt

pepper

 

Clean the meat for silver skin and connected tissue and cut it into two equally sized pieces. It is important to remove all silver skin from the meat, otherwise it might get though. Beat it flat with a meat hammer. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Turn the meat in the flour and set a side while mixing the other ingredients.

Mix together some salt and pepper, onion powder, oatmeal and bread crumbs in a mixing bowl. Now take the two pieces of beaten meat and dip into the eggs, then turn it in the bread crumb mix. Fry in 1/4 cup of olie in a sauce pan, until evenly brown and crisp, approximately 3-4 minutes on each side.

When the meat is fried, cut through the Italian baguette and spread on some aioli, put on the fried tenderloin and top with sliced mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for about 5-8 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

For the sour cream sauce toss all ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.

When the sandwich comes out of the oven, add salad, sliced tomatoes and sour cream sauce.

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If you are more than two you don’t have to double the recipe, try instead to serve it with honey glazed crispy bacon brussels sprout and an ice cold beer (of cause)!

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Bon Appétit!

Ingredients (2 sandwiches)

1 pork tenderloin

salt

pepper

1 tbsp. cayenne pepper

1 tbsp. onion powder

2 tbsp. flour

2 eggs, beaten

1.25 dl oatmeal

1.25 dl breadcrumbs

0.6 dl vegetable olie

1 Italian baguette

2 tbsp. aioli or mayo

1 ball mozzarella cheese, sliced

4 romaine salad leaves

2 tomatoes, sliced

 

Sour Cream Sauce

4 tbsp. sour cream

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1/2 lime, juice and zest

Salt

Pepper