The Sandwich Man

About author / Pamela Chester

Mom of two; graduate French Culinary Institute; kids cooking program instructor; Master's degree in food studies. Creates kid friendly foods and loves her slow cooker.

Father’s Day is just about here and it’s time to honor our favorite dads in the world. Each year I find myself in a quandary over what to get my husband (the world’s greatest dad). As a kid I always bought my dad a tie, but these days not many guys, including my main man, need to wear ties to work all that often.

Now, everyone knows that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And most dads love any type of gadget. So my idea for the perfect Father’s Day gift for my husband is a brand new panini press, along with some delicious fixings.

As he is a lover of Italian food, and a great sandwich maker, this gift’ll combine two great things in one. Plus my husband has a special talent for making sandwiches. Ever since the first year we started dating, I was struck with how he would get into “the zone” when constructing a sandwich. He's not a recipe person, but there’s a specific method to his madness. In this case the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, for his dad is quite the sandwich maker too.

Since we live in the Philadelphia area, we are spoiled for all things sandwich. We’ve got hoagies, cheesesteaks, and Italian roast pork with sautéed greens. Philadelphians are particular about what goes between the bread; it has to be the right cheese, cut of meat and fixings. It's the same with the bread. It has to be a hoagie roll from a certain bakery, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. You would never call a sandwich on a long roll a hero, submarine, or a grinder here. And never, I repeat never, use mayonnaise.

So no wonder my south Philadelphia native father-in-law has a certain way with sandwich making. Especially the legendary Italian hoagie. Luckily he has passed it on to his son, and, I am hoping, he will in turn pass it down to our two sons. A few rules of thumb are: Don’t skimp on the meat and cheese, and go light on other condiments like lettuce, tomato (thin sliced), and barely any onions. He doubles up on the layers of meat and cheese, and when finished constructing, he seasons it well with salt, pepper, and oregano or basil. He will always add hot peppers and sliced pickles soaked in the hot pepper juice (to give a little kick). Sometimes he’ll pop it in the oven to toast it and melt the fillings.

Another place where sandwich making is raised to an art form is Italy. The grilled panini is one of the greatest sandwich creations ever. Crisp on the outside, with luscious, melted fillings, on the inside, it’s a masterpiece. We used to live near an Italian deli, and one of our weekend rituals would be to pick up some yummy sliced meats like prosciutto and capicolla, some cheeses, along with other fixings like roasted artichokes and pesto, and grill panini sandwiches on a grill pan. My husband would take the same care in putting these panini ingredients together as his Philadelphia style hoagies.

So hopefully the husband will be as excited about this Father’s Day panini press as I am. I can just imagine all the yummy combination we can make: nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread) and banana; fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomato; and prosciutto and fontina. And I know with his gift for sandwich making, my husband’s panini creations will turn out just right!

It seems like most fathers have a special kitchen talent. For some, like my dad, it’s breakfast. For many others, it’s barbecue. And some love to cook over the campfire. Whatever it is, here’s wishing a happy Father’s Day to all the great dads in your life!

Serves/Makes: 4

• 4 hoagie rolls
• olive oil and red wine vinegar, to taste
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 12 slices Genoa salami
• 12 slices Capicola ham
• 12 slices Provolone cheese
• 1/4 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, or hot peppers