Tote-and-Slice Loaf Sandwich

Even though I found this sub recipe in Better Homes and Gardens in June of 2009, I immediately thought about fall and football season when I read it. This is the perfect sandwich to take to a tailgate party, a Saturday at the soccer field, or a picnic with friends. This one is sure to be a crowd pleaser, although, if your destination has a grill available, then this Grilled Submarine Sandwich is still my favorite. You can make that one ahead and take it with you too.

This sandwich has some great flavors goin' on...but if I make it again, I would change a couple of things. First, I used french bread for this sandwich. It was definitely thick and crusty and a little on the chewy side. In my opinion, there was just too much bread to deal with when trying to get to the flavors of the sandwich. I think I'd like to try it with a soft Italian loaf or a nice flavorful focaccia bread. Also, I think that this sandwich needed more meat. Next time I'll either add more salami or put some ham in there too.

Here's how it came together:

I began with sun dried tomatoes. Not the ones packed in oil, just plain sundried tomatoes. At my corner store, I can buy these for a great price! They're cheaper when you're not paying for the olive oil and spices. I poured some boiling water over these and then let them sit for 30 minutes to soften up while I gathered the other sandwich ingredients.



Once those tomatoes have soaked, drain off the water and chop. You can chop the tomatoes by hand or use a food processor. I decided to see if coffee grinder was up to the challenge. It was : )



Slice a loaf of bread (French, Italian, focaccia) in half lengthwise and then hollow out the bottom half, removing the soft bread in the center.



Stir a package of softened cream cheese until smooth. Tip: I added some Italian dipping spices to the cream cheese for extra flavor.



Spread both halves of the bread with the cream cheese mixture.



Then spread some prepared pesto over one half and the dried tomatoes over the other half.



Layer on the salami and provolone cheese.



Slice up some banana peppers and olives (or buy them already sliced) and



put those on top of the sandwich too.



Oh, and I added some red onion and a little more cheese. It seemed like the right thing to do.



I put the top on the sandwich and cut out a slice to taste. I decided that I wanted to see if it would be better hot, so I wrapped the rest of the sandwich in foil and baked it in the oven until the cheese melted and the sandwich was warm in the center.



As it turns out, the sandwich was good toasted or cold. Slice it into 6 individual sandwiches and serve.



As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I still prefer the Grilled Submarine Sandwich to this recipe, but my husband and one of the guys from his office were definitely impressed by this one when he took the leftovers to work the next day. Speaking of which, I think this might be one of those recipes that tastes better the next day. Make it the night before. Then, take it to your tailgate party and see if it gets two thumbs up!

Tote-and-Slice Loaf Sandwich adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

Makes: 6 sandwiches
Start to Finish: 25 min.

Ingredients
3/4 cup dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
1 1-lb. loaf Italian, French, or focaccia bread
1/2 an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon Italian dipping spices
1/3 cup basil pesto
4 oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
2-4 slices of American cheese or cheddar
8 oz. thinly sliced peppered or regular salami
4 oz. thinly sliced ham
8 bottled peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
4 oz. thinly sliced provolone cheese
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Small salad peppers and/or pimiento-stuffed green olives (optional)
Directions
1. Place tomatoes in a small bowl. Add enough boiling water to cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain tomatoes and place in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. Or finely chop tomatoes by hand.

2. Split loaf in half horizontally. Remove some soft bread from the bottom half of the loaf, leaving a 1/2-inch-thick shell.

3. Spread cream cheese on cut sides of both bread halves. Spread top half with dried tomatoes and bottom half with pesto. On bottom half layer provolone cheese, salami, banana peppers, onion, and loaf top, spread side down.

4. If toting, tightly wrap loaf in plastic. To serve, slice loaf crosswise into six sandwiches. If desired, spear a salad pepper and olive on long toothpicks; insert through sandwiches. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 6 sandwiches Calories588, Total Fat (g)34, Saturated Fat (g)14, Monounsaturated Fat (g)11, Polyunsaturated Fat (g)3, Cholesterol (mg)69, Sodium (mg)1645, Carbohydrate (g)46, Total Sugar (g)5, Fiber (g)4, Protein (g)24, Vitamin C (DV%)16, Calcium (DV%)28, Iron (DV%)21, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Stay tuned for the weekly meal plan with grocery list tomorrow!