Saturday, July 31, 2010

No Cook Meal: Carmine's Cold Italian Heroes and Spiced Melon Balls


Ever get one of those cravings that just won't go away and you have to satisfy it? Last week I was craving a Cold Italian Hero in the worse way and I simply had to have it. At the store I planned on just buying enough to make one or two sandwiches. Then it hit me....why not buy more fixings? It's the perfect no cook meal! These heroes were so tasty that we had no trouble eating them throughout the week. They were a delicious way to stay cool in the awful heat we were having.

Cold Italian Heroes
Adapted from Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook
Serves 4 very hungry people (could easily serve 8)
4 Crispy Hero Rolls, 6-8 inches long
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 slices genoa salami
12 thin slices prosciutto
24 slices mortadella
16 slices provolone
2 large roasted red peppers, halved
4 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce
12-16 large slices ripe tomato (about 4 tomatoes)
Slice the rolls in half lengthwise, without cutting all the way through. Press them open with your hands.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the vinaigrette over both halves of each roll.

To assemble each sandwich, layer 5 slices of salami, 3 slices of prosciutto, 6 slices of mortadella, and 4 slices of provolone on one side of the roll. Top with half a roasted pepper, 1 cup of shredded lettuce, and 3-4 slices of tomato. Season the tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste. Fold the other side of the roll over the sandwich ingredients and press to close. Cut sandwich in half and serve.

Notes/Results: This is one serious and delicious sandwich and it certainly satisfied my craving! One half of the sandwich is plenty to satisfy even a hearty appetite. The first time around I followed the recipe and drizzled the dressing directly on the bread. I'm gonna have to say that isn't my favorite method. Not only did it make the bread soggy, but you couldn't really taste the dressing that way. I prefer drizzling the dressing directly on top instead. I definitely recommend this for a great, flavorful, hearty no cook meal!

I am submitting my Cold Italian Heroes to Deb @ Kahakai Kitchen for her weekly Souper Sundays roundup.
As a side dish to our Cold Italian Heroes I also served Mark Bittman's Spiced Melon Balls. Round and juicy pieces of cantaloupe tossed with lime juice and a sprinkling of salt, cayenne pepper and cilantro. A perfectly refreshing side dish with just a touch of heat!

Mark Bittman's Spiced Melon Balls for Raw Foods Week @ I Heart Cooking Clubs!

25 comments:

  1. Those are both delicious ways of beating the heat! Italian subs are my favorite kind of subs...love the drippy sauce that I have to douse them with!! And although I'm not the biggest melon fan ever...I always love to pop a few in my mouth if they have something delicious sprinkled on them like this!! YUMMMY =)

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  2. Awww... probably should not eat this myself, but your pics make me so want an Italian sandwich! Maybe a little one for a snack??? My daughters and I luv your blog - we included you on a list of blogs we just discovered that we want to recommend! Thanx for a great blog!

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  3. I have not had an Italian sub in ages--thanks for giving me a new craving to add the the list! ;-) They look so delicious--mahalo for sending it to Souper Sundays. Loving the melon balls too--I am making a dessert soup with cantaloupe in it for tomorrow's SS post.

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  4. I love your beat the heat logic - tons of meat and cheese are often the way to go. This looks like an antipasto lover's dream!

    And those melon balls - so cute and refreshing.

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  5. Wow, you could start your own subway shop! Delish :)

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  6. Seriously delicious sandwich. Every week, we sit down a baguette stuffed with salami, provolone, arugula and other assundry items. Great summer tradition!

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  7. That sandwich looks delicious! My husband would be so all over this one. Italian Heroes are his favorite. I will have to make these and surprise him with it. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. OMG - those melon balls look and sound gorgeous - I never would have thought of serving them in that way. Your hero looks awesome as well - I am definitely trying that when summer rolls around.
    Sue

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  9. Ooh, those Italian heros look sooo good. I've never been to the Carmine's in NY, but it's on my list to do now. There's a fabulous deli in Palm Beach called Carmine's (no relationship), and they serve a very similar sandwich which is our favorite. I'll have to give yours a try.

    Bittman is always a winner with the melon balls.
    Great meal Kim.
    Sam

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  10. What a seriously delicious looking sandwich. And as you know, I LOVE sandwiches, lol. Especially in the summer. This would be perfect to bring to work for my lunch. All that yummy meat, cheese and veggies. Mmmmm....

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  11. Oooh yum--now you have me craving one!! Looks great, and like you said, perfect for hot summer days :-)

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  12. Your bowl of melon balls makes me crave for melon! I am glad I have one in teh fridge!

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  13. Both of these are perfect for the heat wave we're having right now.

    When I read that the dressing is drizzled on the bread, I thought "yeah, that's what I would do." Then I had to laugh when I read your notes about not doing that again! Honestly, I'd probably add the dressing both ways! The messier the sandwich, the better it tastes!

    My mother in law serves cantaloupe sprinkled with black pepper and I always thought that was different. This is definitely different w/ salt and cayenne. There's a cantaloupe sitting in my fridge right now. Will have to skip the cilantro though. I'm the only one here who eats it.

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  14. I am so intrigued by the spiced melon balls, its such an unusual but delicious sounding way of serving melon.
    *kisses* HH

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  15. Excellent idea! And better than any local sandwich shop, too.

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  16. We all love sandwich night. The melon balls sound too good.
    Mimi

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  17. I've never had a Italian Hero sandwich before. Sounds like I've been missing out.

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  18. Both these dishes look delicious! I'm especially loving the melon; yum!

    Let me know how the chicken turns out!

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  19. You're my hero! (Ha! Someone had to say it!)

    Love this and especially like the fact you don't soak the bread with the vinaigrette.

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