HOT ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH

Hi All! As promised, today's menu item is the Hot Italian Beef Sandwich. Many years ago, I use to be an Asst. Mgr. at Wall Street Deli when it was in the Riverchase Galleria. (Wall Street Deli is a New York Style Deli that is typically found in downtown office buildings, hospitals, college campuses and airports.) The menu has changed over the years but back then, they use to make a sandwich called the "Hot Italian Beef Sandwich." It is very similar to the Philly CheeseSteak except that instead of using sliced rib eye or top round, you use sliced roast beef. This menu item doesn't really require a recipe per se because to be honest, it's a sandwich but we're not talking about your garden variety tuna on wheat or ham & Swiss. This sandwich is so good that you might actually consider going back for seconds.

*Final Thoughts......Wow! It's just as good as I remembered. I put a little mayonnaise and spicy brown mustard on mine.  Also, you can sauté your vegetables in olive oil or any type of marinade that you prefer if the House Italian Dressing is too weird for you.  I chose House Italian Dressing because once the vegetables are tender, the dressing mixes with the butter, thickens a bit and creates a very tasty sauce for your sandwich.  Use it sparingly though because even though this is a juicy sandwich, you don't want it to be too soggy. 

Ingredients:

Sliced Roast Beef
(approx. 8-10 semi-thin deli slices)
Provolone Cheese
1 c. sliced onions (sliced lengthwise)
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 c. sliced bell peppers
Soft Hoagie Rolls
1 tbsp. butter or margarine
2 tbsp. House Italian Dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Sauté onions and peppers in sauce pan with melted butter until cooked and tender.

2. Add mushrooms and House Italian Dressing and cook until mushrooms are tender.

3. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.

4. Pan sear roast beef until cooked.

5. Assemble sandwich by placing approx. 4 or 5 slices of roast beef on the bottom half of the bun followed by 2 - 3 tbsp. of the vegetable mixture and then finally, top with two slices of provolone cheese.  

6. Place in toaster oven with medium-high heat and toast until cheese is melted and top is lightly toasted and crispy.

*One sandwich consisting of 1 "Earth Grains" Soft Hoagie roll, 4 slices of Sara Lee Roast Beef, 2 slices of provolone cheese and 1/2 of the vegetable mixture has approx. 570 calories.  If you add a tbsp of mayonnaise and mustard, add another 95 calories to that.