Doug’s Take on Emeril Lagasse’s Columbia Street Grinder

This week I talked about how I made sandwiches for the station after trying it during the Super Bowl. In the last few days I've had some people ask me about what I put it in it.  I have to be honest,this sandwich caught my attention as I was thumbing through the pages of  Parade Magazine and was created by Emeril Lagasse, but I put my own spin on it.

The sandwich is called the Columbia Street Grinder. In order to make this you will need Italian or French Bread, Balsamic-Herb Vinaigrette, 8 oz. of provolone cheese, 8 oz. of sliced mortadella, 8 oz. of sliced spicy ham or capicola, 8 oz. sliced salami, 1 large ripe tomato (cut into slices), 12 thin onion slices, hot or sweet cherry peppers and 2 cups of lettuce.

The hardest part of the ingredients needed is finding the capicola and mortadella. You can find most of the ingredients in the Bings or Woods deli. I had to go to Tony's Market in Warrensburg to find mortadella, which is kind of like a bologna; and also the capicola, which is described as a spicy ham. It's nice to stop in there if you have not done so and try some of their Italian and Sicilian flavors.

Once you have purchased the ingredients, this is how I assembled the Columbia Street Grinder, which is a little different then how Lagasse did it. Slice the bread in half length wise, put the balsamic vinaigrette on one side of the sandwich and then layer the cheese, mortadella, capicola, salami, sliced tomatoes, lettuce and onions. I did not put the cherry peppers on top, nor did I use them.  On the other sliced bread, put more balsamic vinaigrette on top. I let the sandwich sit for an hour to let the flavors all come together.

My family really enjoyed the sandwich and I had bought way too much for the four of us since I purchased 1/2 pound of each ingredient, so we had tons of leftovers. I did make this for the Super Bowl, but had it for lunch the following day and experimented with it, by using a horseradish mustard, that put a little more kick into it. I also tried just basic mayonnaise, but that took away from the kick totally.

I did enjoy the sandwich with nachos on the side, but I'm sure any chips will do.

I hope you enjoy the sandwich, if you try it, let me know.