Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Culinary THROW DOWN: Pepperoni

As the winner of last month's Culinary Throw Down, Miss Kym had the honor of choosing this month's theme. I would have bet the dogs she'd pick potatoes, but no. She picked. Pepperoni. Which is a head scratcher on the surface, but also very clever. At least as far as I'm concerned, because I really had to stretch myself to come up with something other than pizza or pepperoni and cheddar on a Ritz and call it a day.

So, this is what I came up with. An Italian-esque version of the Vietnamese sandwich, Banh Mi. Which I love, not only because they're super duper delicious and large enough to feed two people (which means one Moi), but always for some reason the least expensive thing on the menu. Which means if you're super hungry but super skint, skip MacDonald's and head towards your local Vietnamese restaurant. I've had Banh Mi at five different places in ABQ, and none of them are priced over $3.50.

Anyway, back to my pepperoni-ied version:

What:



French baguette, split in half lengthwise.
Pepperoni
Soft cheese of your choice
1 T. mayo
1 T. yomato pesto
Roasted red peppers
Italian yellow pepper
Fresh basil

How:

Mix together mayo and pesto and spread on one side of the baguette. Then cut everything up and layer on top as shown. Slice in half and eat!




Taste verdict: Partly sunny. As I've mentioned on a couple posts, I was hoping that because pepperoni is a cured pork sausage, it would act similar to bacon in its ability to jazz things up a bit. Not really. I could taste the pepperoni just fine, but it wasn't music in my mouth, if you know what I mean. Not like if it had been bacon or bbq pork. Or beef tongue. Hmmmm . . . now that's an idea . . .

This month's Throw Down also included the directive to post photos of our kitchens. Here are a couple of mine:



(Induction is the way to GO, baby.)

Also, Kym is judging this time around, so if you're playing, head on over to her place, say I'm up, and we'll all be around to visit!

16 comments:

Buzz Kill said...

I've never heard of a Banh Mi (we don't have too many Vietnamese restaurants here) but what you made looks really good. The ingredients would make a great panini with the pepppers, cheese and pepperoni. That's alot of sandwich but I could eat it. Nice job with a challenging ingredient.

Your kitchen is huge and I like the tile work, vaulted ceiling and pot and pan holder. Nice to have you as a challenger instead of a spectator for a change.

h said...

Banh Mi's rock! What a great creative idea you had. I totally agree that your other sammy ingredients would have worked nicely with beef tongue or pork.

Happy throwdowning!

Glad you're eligible this time!

Note: If you win, the theme does NOT have to be an ingredient. It can be anything.

Jenny said...

I see a special Valentine!!! I'm loving the kitchen shots, great idea from Kym.

I buy a version of this sandwich with tofu from a pho restaurant across the street. GREAT use of Pepperoni.

Pam said...

Now this looks yummy and very Pam-worthy eating. Will have to head over to 23rd Street and see what I can find.

Heff said...

That looks EXCELLENT !

Big Shamu said...

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!
I see a cookie jar, whooohooooo.
I too see special Valentines. I also see the Squirrel Terrine.

Pepperoni is tough. Did anyone go with the classic West Virgina Treat, the Pepperoni Roll?

Karl said...

Good afternoon Moi,

Quite the innovative use of pepperoni. Your sandwich looks really good.

The flow through your kitchen very well done, the ceiling beams add so much character to the room.

moi said...

Buzz: Since the spousal unit and I both work at home, I have become aces at making two things: soups and sandwiches. Always looking for something new and interesting in that realm.

Troll: We have a "roach coach" that parks outside the Wal-Mart up here that serves the BEST lengua tacos ever. Three for four dolla. Mmmmmm . . .

Boxer: And your mug is in the cabinet :o) I'll have to try a tofu Manh Mi one day.

Pam: Is 23rd street where your Vietnamese restaurants are?

Heff: Thanks!

Shamu: The cookie jar has a proud place in Moi's home. And, yes, I think Heff did the pepperoni roll.

Karl: Thanks! The beams are beautiful, but what a pain in the arse to dust. And the spiders have such a field day kiting back and forth among them.

chickory said...

i spy a squirrel cookie cutter!! and your valentines and magnets. xoxoxox!

never had a banh mi but i eat at a vietnamese grill often where i have this weird hybrid of pasta, salad and grilled shrimp. so good.

im not a big lover of pepperoni and agree its kind of an interesting challenge that you dont know what to do with it!

your solution was a good one...im off to see how others handled it.

good luck!


love the green cabinets.

Joanna Cake said...

Ive never eaten Vietnamese either and there was a problem with the fact that I cant eat anything with yeast or dairy... and peppers hate me so it was a bit of a non-starter.

However, and Ruf will be disgusted by this admission, I love ox tongue in sodabread with salad :)

Aunty Belle said...

Ho! This was inventive--cleavah.

A heart eyed dawg valentine? heh....an' other dawgy art. Ya must have an artistic dawg lovin' friend.

Induction rules! (I like the color of your countertops)

Kymical Reactions said...

OK. This sandwich is on my list when I'm looking for something to make when I just don't feel like cooking. It looks DELISH. Yomato Pesto? I die. And your Kitchen? Yeah, it's only my dream.

xo.

moi said...

Chickory: Vietnamese cuisine is one of my faves. I also like their soups. But the portions! Oy. They should cut everything in half. Oh, and did you see your otter ornament? She's hanging from the chandelier over the dining room table.

Joanna: Tongue lovers of the world unite! . . . Did that sound weird?

Aunty: When we moved in, I took one look at the electric stove and went: NO. But hooking up gas was going to be a feat. Our only solution was induction and I love it. LOVE.

moi said...

Kym: Thanks! In addition to the yoogy electric stove, the kitchen also featured oak cabinets that while of a very high quality, were stained way too dark for my taste. And the counters were white Corian. All very blah and outdated. So we hired a furniture refinisher to strip and stain the cabinets and Granite Transformation to install new counters right over the existing ones. The whole project came in at about a third of a full kitchen redo.

Big Shamu said...

No, no, not weird at all....

LaDivaCucina said...

Jesus Christ, another spotless kitchen! What gives? Seems like I'm always wiping my cupboards down and washing the floor yet.....your kitchen looks like you could eat off the floors.

As for the sammich, why not just call it a hoagie? (Since it's more Eyetalian than Vietnamese?!) Looks good anyway!