Johnny's Ruben

            So here I go back to my roots a little, just on the other side of the tree. You have all heard of the influence that I have had on my mom’s side of the family so here is a little something inspired by my dad’s side. I seem to be unable to break too far from my love of the sandwich so here is another classic that I have tried to make my own. Now, part of the joy that I find in cooking is being inspired by not only the great products that I happen upon on my walkabouts but also what I eat when I go out for a meal. So I guess this is actually part homage to my dad’s side, part inspiration from a recent visit to the Clay Pigeon Bistro, and part screwing around with a classic. So here we go Johnny takes on the Ruben.

Johnny's Ruben

            There is something about a good Ruben sandwich, it is delicious yet if you tell most people what is in a Ruben you get this kind of how could you eat that look. Like anything else, if you have had a bad Ruben it will put you off of them but if it is done well it is simply magic. There is something about the tart acidity of the sauerkraut, the saltiness of the corned beef the sweetness of the Russian dressing, the richness of the cheese and the tang of good mustard, that when they are in the right proportions they sing like a good five part harmony. Add into that a really good rye bread and, like I said, it is magic. Now for my little tweak on this dish I have used Montreal smoked meat instead of the traditional corned beef and it worked out pretty well. So here we go.

Johnny’s Ruben to the tune of American Slang by The Gaslight Anthem

200g Montreal smoked meat

100g smoked gruyere cheese, grated

3 heaping tbsp of sauerkraut

3 tsp of Russian dressing

3 tsp Dijon mustard, more on the side if you like

6 slices of marble rye bread

-Get your broiler started. Lay the bread out on a parchment lined sheet pan. On three of the slices smear the Russian dressing, on the other three smear the mustard.

-Split the meat into three portions and evenly lay it on the mustard smeared slices. Do the same with the sauerkraut on the Russian dressing smeared slices. Add the cheese and flip them together to make your sandwich.

-Fire them under the broiler until the top is golden and then flip them to toast the other side. The cheese should be oozing out the sides, what a wonderful sight. Let them cool for a couple of minutes and then cut them in half and serve.

The reason this is a three sandwich recipe that feeds two is that whenever I make it we always want just another half. It is a good thing. Enjoy it and give it a go.