Lunch Recipes

Baked Cheese Sandwich

8 slices homemade-style white bread - 3 to 4 inches square, crusts removed
1/4 pound thinly sliced cheese - (Muenster, provolone, fontina or Gruyere)
2 ounces prosciutto or boiled ham - thinly sliced, optional
3 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
12 teaspoon kosher salt
Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish and arrange 4 slices of the bread flat on the bottom. Cover each with equal amounts of cheese and ham, if desired. Top with the remaining bread.
Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl and pour in the milk. Season with the salt and blend well. Pour over the sandwiches, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the sandwiches, uncovered, until lightly browned around the edges and set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot.

Bagel Club Sandwich

Source: Macheesmo.com

4 thick bagels - cut into thirds, toasted
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons chives
1 tomato - sliced thin
4 leaves Romaine lettuce
8 ounces deli turkey or ham
4 eggs
4 slices provolone cheese
Olive oil
Salt
pepper
1) Carefully cut each bagel into three slices. Toast all slices lightly.
2) Stir minced chives into cream cheese and season with salt and pepper.
3) Slice tomatoes and rinse and dry lettuce.
4) For eggs, whisk each egg separately. In a small skillet or on a griddle heated over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add eggs and cook for a minute or two until they are almost set.
5) Flip egg carefully and try to gently shape the egg into roughly a shape that will fit on a bagel. Add a slice of provolone to each egg and let melt for a minute or so. Reduce heat to low so the eggs don’t overcook.
6) Build sandwiches by smearing some of the cream cheese on the bottom slice. Top with lettuce, tomato, and a few turkey slices. Add middle of bagel and smear on more cream cheese. Then top with cooked egg and cheese and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Cover bagel with top and cut in half for easier eating!

Eggplant Sub

2 eggs
1 c. dry bread crumbs
1 med. eggplant - peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 (10 inch) submarine sandwich buns - split
Leaf lettuce
1 jar (7-1/4 ounces) roasted red peppers - drained and sliced
8 slices mozzarella cheese
2 med. tomatoes - thickly sliced
1 can (2-1/4 ounces) chopped ripe olives, drained
Italian or vinaigrette salad dressing
In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs. Place the bread crumbs in another bowl. Dip eggplant slices into egg, then coat with crumbs. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until crispy. Cool. On the bottom of each bun, layer lettuce, eggplant, red peppers, cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Sprinkle with salad dressing; replace bun tops.

Cheese Steak Sandwich

1 pound rib eye steak, frozen - then cut very thin
1 onion
mushrooms
Provolone Cheese or Cheese Whiz
loaf of French bread
Meat: Make friends with your butcher. You need him to partially freeze a hunk of Rib Eye, and then slice it very thin. You want it sliced thin even though common sense tells us that thick is better. You can buy the hunk of rib eye and freeze and slice it yourself, but the butcher generally does a better job than I do. I can only get it about 1/8” thick and he does less
If you can’t get AMOROSOS rolls (the only thing that is REALLY good on a cheesesteak) then you have to find a substitute, like a loaf of French bread. Squishy sub rolls will NOT do. They do not hold together under pressure. Refrain from buying those “hero” rolls too. A good hoagie roll is almost rubbery in texture, but quite soft.
Toppings: All of this is personal choice. I like fried onions and mushrooms myself. Cheeses used vary - I hate to admit it but I think cheese whiz tastes the best. Provolone is awesome too. Cooking the steak: In a cast iron frying pan, or a grill pan heat some oil. Saute toppings until pliable - make them however you like them. Remove them from pan and set aside. Pour some more oil in the pan on medium high heat. Place 1/4 to 1/3 of a pound of meat in the pan, lying the pieces flat and overlapping to form a shape that will fit nicely in a bread you have chosen. When the meat turns gray with doneness, flip it over and if you are using cheese slices now is the time to lie them on top of the meat. Add the other toppings back into the pan next to the meat and allow to reheat. Cover the pan to allow the cheese to melt. This should take 1-2 minutes. If the meat looks overcooked, that’s OK - it should be GRAY.
This is the time to toast the bread if you so wish. Warmed is OK. If you are using cheese whiz, warm it in the microwave. Pick up meat and melted cheese with a spatula and deposit on the roll. If using cheese whiz, use a butter knife or chopstick to smear whiz next to the meat.
Push the meat on one side of the roll and deposit the toppings next to it. This is important because if you put the toppings ON the meat, they will not be in the bottom of the sandwich. You should get meat, toppings and cheese in every bite.

Crusty Italian Bread

Source: cooklikeyourgrandmother.com

4 package (10 teaspoons) active dry yeast
5 cup warm water - (105-115°)
12 cup bread flour or all-purpose flour
2 tbsp + 2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
cornmeal for dusting
Combine yeast, water, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 cup of flour in mixing bowl. Allow to rest for
10 minutes until the yeast starts bubbling and giving off a “yeasty” smell.
Add the remaining flour, sugar and salt and mix until the flour is incorporated. Add the olive oil and knead for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and satiny.
Place the dough in an oiled bowl, coating the dough all around with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a wet tea towel and place in a warm spot until the dough has doubled in volume -- 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on temperature.
Punch down the dough, roll into desired loaf shape, cover with plastic again and allow to rise until doubled in volume.
Place a bowl of water in the stove and pre-heat to 425°. Turn down to 400 when you put the bread in. Bake 20-30 minutes, depending on shape of loaves. Bread is finished when it makes a hollow sound when you thump on the bottom with your thumb. Print this post