This week, Ted made the Taste of Utica recipe found on page 122 of our book.
Posted by Rainie Piccione
Ted barely got started then declared ….
“The recipe doesn’t say when to add the sauerkraut. Where do I put the sauerkraut?” Since he has more experience eating Reubens than I do (one of Ted’s favorite deli sandwiches by the way), I asked where he usually found the sauerkraut, but I would think he could put it on top of the cornbeef or in between the beef and cheese. This is how Ted ended up making this weeks recipe.
Toasted Reuben Sandwiches for 2 (and one of those is VEGETARIAN)
- 4 slices of Pumpernickel Bread *If you can get Heidelberg Baking Co. Pumpernickel, it’s SO good! Heidelberg Baking is located in Herkimer, NY)
- 2 to 4 teaspoons of Lite Thousand Island Dressing (or Russian Dressing)
- 4 oz sauerkraut, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry
- 8 slices of THIN sliced Swiss cheese
- 8 slices of THIN sliced cornbeef *Use 8 slices if you use meat for both sandwiches otherwise, 4 slices per sandwich)
- 2 to 4 teaspoons butter, softened *Ted used SmartBalance
Butter (or SmartBalance) one side of the pumpernickel sliced bread pieces. On the other side, spread a thin coating of Thousand Island dressing.
Place the butter side down on a grill, griddle, or non stick fry pan preheated on medium heat.
On top of those cooking bread slices, place 2 slices each of Swiss cheese. Then put on 4 slices of cornbeef followed by the 2 more slices of Swiss. Top with sauerkraut (2 oz per sandwich).
Butter one side of the remaining bread and spread Thousand Island dressing on the other side. Place the DRESSING SIDE DOWN on top of the sauerkraut sandwich. When toasted on the first side, flip it over to toast the other side. *I wasn’t watching Ted but I would say about 3 – 4 min. per side depending on how hot your pan is.
YUM! Although I didn’t have the meat, the cheese, the sauerkraut, the dressing and most importantly the bread all came together for a terrific sandwich experience.
As usual, Ted LOVED his Reuben but said ….”tomorrow when I make them, I’m adding more Thousand Island dressing”.
Hold on to your hats – next week, LASAGNA – Utica style.
What a delicious combination is this! Thanks for sharing.
By far one of my favorite sandwiches, we have not had a good one in a very long time… I made them last year but you mastered it with the thin cuts here on the corn beef… very hard to do that… Loving the layers… just perfect!
Sorry about leaving out where to put the sauerkaut. Like those before me, I often don’t use a recipe a cook and sometimes leave a step out. It was not intentional. As with any recipe please feel free to add more or less of any ingredient. Glad you enjoyed them anyway. The deli can cut your cornbeef to any size. I get mine sliced thin for Reubens and 1/4 inch thick for making home-made corned beef hash.