Gabagool Sandwich
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 1778
- Total Fat
- 159
- Saturated Fat
- 23
- Carbohydrates
- 52
- Dietary Fiber
- 8
- Sugar
- 17
- Protein
- 38
- Cholesterol
- 232
- Sodium
- 2949
- Total: 4 hr 45 min (includes pickling time)
- Active: 40 min
Ingredients
4 hoagie buns
4 ounces your favorite mayonnaise
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
2 ounces Italian dressing
1 pound thin-sliced capocollo ham or as we call it, gabagool
4 ounces sliced Pickled Banana Peppers, recipe follows
8 slices white American cheese
4 ounces Company Sauce, recipe follows
Pickled Banana Peppers:
6 banana peppers
12 ounces white vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
Company Sauce:
3 eggs
4 ounces yellow mustard
1 1/2 ounces capers, strained
1 1/2 ounces white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons MSG
2 ounces lemon juice
15 ounces canola oil
Directions
- Cut the hoagie buns in half lengthwise. Spread the mayonnaise on each bottom half. Dress the shredded lettuce with Italian dressing. Place the lettuce on the bottoms of the hoagie buns. Portion the gabagool into 4-ounce shingled mounds and fry them in a skillet until crispy on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the gabagool over and add 1 ounce Pickled Peppers and 2 slices cheese to the top of each mound. Cook until the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mounds to the bun bottoms. Spread 1 ounce Company Sauce on the top half of each hoagie bun and top the sandwiches.
Pickled Banana Peppers:
- Slice the banana peppers 1/8-inch thick and set aside in a glass or plastic container with a lid. Add the vinegar, salt, sugar, garlic and bay leaf to a saucepot and bring to a boil. Cook until the sugar and salt are dissolved, about 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Let cool to room temperature, then pour over the peppers and let sit for at least 3 hours. (The longer they sit, the better they are.) They will hold in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Company Sauce:
- Crack the eggs into a blender. Add the mustard, capers, vinegar, sugar, celery salt, salt, MSG and lemon juice. Cover the blender with the lid and turn to medium-high speed. Blend until incorporated. With the blender still running, turn the speed down to medium and remove the stopper in the lid. Slowly drizzle the oil into the mixture until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Will hold in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Cook’s Note
The order in which you build a sandwich is very important. We call it “sandwich mechanics.” When done properly, it keeps each bite as close to perfect as possible. The wrong build can not only leave out flavors intended to be enjoyed together, it can also make a huge mess. For the banana peppers: Cooling the pickling liquid is essential to having crisp pickled peppers. If the liquid is too hot it will soften the peppers and make them mushy.