Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Last night was Matt's favorite night. Spicy Chicken Sandwich night. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich is my version of a sandwich Matt used to get all the time at Beerworks. He also says that mine is better, and he doesn't lie. Especially about food. It is not a light meal, for a sandwich that is. I only make this meal about once a month, partially for health reasons, partially so that Matt doesn't get tired of one of his favorites.

Here's how the sandwiches are constructed for two people:
Start with half a red bell pepper cut into 1/4" strips. Saute over medium high heat in some olive oil until tender and season with salt and black pepper. Remove peppers from oil, set aside. Add to hot oil 10 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into chunks, seasoned with Northwoods Fire Seasoning. Cook through. Meanwhile, melt 2 TBS of butter and mix with Franks RedHot. Toss the cooked chicken in the sauce. Cut a demi baguette in half, then slice laterally, but not completely so as to leave a "hinge". Liberally layer over both sides of open baguette some shredded cheese (usually I use the four-cheese Mexican blend). Place sandwiches open faced under broiler until cheese is melted. Place chicken onto one side of each sliced baguette, then distribute peppers and drizzle on a little of the hot sauce leftover from tossing the chicken, then close sandwiches. Take the sandwich to a level of heaven by dipping the sandwich in blue cheese dip, bite by bite, or just slather some inside of the sandwich. I used to make this with chicken breast (the original at Beerworks is breast meat), but the thighs are more flavorful, more tender, and also cheaper than breasts.

Beer Rye Panini

A simple one for lunch today. Beer Rye Bread, sharp cheddar, a little onion, loads of freshly ground black pepper. Next time I'm using red onion instead of yellow onion though. And maybe some apple...

Tuna Melts!

Tonight is Tuna Melt Panini for dinner. I mix a can of tuna (drained well) with a couple small ribs of finely minced celery, one finely minced shallot, a couple TBS of mayonnaise, a small squeeze of lemon juice, a tsp of mustard, and lots of black pepper. Spread a layer onto a slice of Italian bread, put on some Huichol or Muy Picante, layer on a few thick slices of Munster cheese, another slice of bread. Butter it up, press, and enjoy!

Off to cook...

Beer Rye Bread

Mom used to make this all the time for me and I missed it so I asked her for the recipe. I figured it would be pretty fun to make bread with homebrewed beer. The saison we have right now I felt was a good choice due to its spice and interesting yeast strain. The saison worked beautifully in the bread, combined with the molasses it has a sweetness that is still savory and also incredibly mouthwatering. The finished bread is malty, with a nice amount of rye (the flour used is half rye, half white), and powerfully tangy and slightly sweet caraway seeds. It is perfect for snacking with a sharp cheddar cheese where the creamy milky-ness and earthy nuttiness complement the malty tang of the bread. (when Mom made this for me I would inhale an entire loaf and block of cheddar in one sitting...I had more self restraint last night, making it an after dinner snack)

Prosicutto Pear Panini

Rarely do I make something without either freshly ground black pepper or red pepper flake. This Panino is so subtle, either would kill it. The clean herbaceous crisp of pear, the perfect touch of sweetness from honey, and unctuous, salty prosciutto play off of tangy fontina, which melts so well it is rococo in its decadence.

For these Panini I used 1/2" slices of Italian bread, generous 1/8" slices of fontina, peeled, cored and thinly sliced Bosc pear, a couple slices of paper-thin prosciutto, and then a moderate drizzle of wildflower honey. This Panino would be improved only if I had Lukas Honey on hand.