Orange you glad this squash sandwich is for dinner?
While Hillary and I love our summertime tomato salads and fruit cobbler, cold-weather cooking is really when we hit our stride. We’re in our groove when the oven has been on 400ºF all evening or a ragù has been simmering for the last two hours. Throughout November, December, January, and February, there’s one thing in particular that pushes our culinary prowess: leftover squash.
“I’m pretty upset that today was the first time I’ve had a proper Maine lobster.” This was the text I sent my parents after lunch in Kennebunkport, ME two weekends ago. Yes I know, #firstworldproblems indeed. But I was drunk off of sweet corn, clam chowder, and freshly-caught lobster, so I felt some guilt tripping was warranted.
Lunch al Desko seems to be the new hot thing these days. It’s the simple idea of bringing in leftovers or making your lunch instead of buying the same basic Sweetgreen salad/California roll/Deli panini. Despite sparking ridiculous “challenges” like #Cook90, I’m in full support of the ham sandwich’s newfound trendiness. My favorite office lunch happens to be an upscale version this classic brown bag staple. I’ll usually make a prosciutto & mozzarella sandwich when I already have one or more of the ingredients at home. Let’s say there’s some arugula and bread from last night’s dinner; at Noon, I’ll run out to Whole Foods for mozz, prosciut, and peppers. These three ingredients cost just as much as salad or sushi, and there will be leftovers for an pre-dinner snack.
Economical, resourceful, and delicious, Lunch al Desko definitely deserves its recent buzz. Admittedly, the prosciutto & mozz sandwich is my definition of “best.” So tell us your favorite office lunch in the comments! But it better not be “1 can of chickpeas.”
Ingredients
Prosciutto
Fresh mozzarella, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 roasted pepper, sliced into strips
Arugula, or whatever greenery you have on hand
Long roll, ciabatta, or baguette
Pesto, optional
Olive oil & red wine vinegar, optional but recommended
Salt & pepper
Directions
Pro-tip: try to get the roasted pepper from the grocery store salad bar. Pour the olive oil and vinegar into the same container as the roasted pepper.
Prep the mozzarella, prosciutto, arugula, and pepper on a plate. Cut bread lengthwise. If using, spread pesto on the bottom half.
Layer on prosciutto, mozzarella, roasted pepper, and arugula. Drizzle oil and vinegar, sprinkle salt and pepper.
The Thanksgiving holiday offers us the chance to see friends and family while gorging on the usual spread of turkey, mashed potatoes, yada yada yada. This year, however, it wasn’t the meal on Thursday that brought me the most pleasure. On Wednesday afternoon, I decided to skip the pre-Thanksgiving fast and walk to Cosmi’s Deli in South Philly for a Italian hoagie. Philly has recently gotten a lot of love for its pizza, fried chicken n’ donuts, and – yes, New York, even bagels. Most trips home I’ll head straight to Washington Ave. for Vietnamese pho, vermicelli, and hoagies aka bahn mi. Something must’ve been in the air this time around because I was craving the most quintessential Philly food I know. And, no it doesn’t begin with Cheese.
Admittedly, I have exclaimed on more than one occasion that I make the best Italian hoagie in the country. This is complete hubris, because although my version is pretty damn good – the guys at Cosmi’s will show you how it’s done.
I won’t leave you with a recipe, but I will give some instructions.
Walk, bike, or drive down to 8th & Dickinson streets
Go up to the counter and say, “Can I get a Italian on a seeded roll, lettuce/tomato/onion, roasted peppers, oil/vinegar, salt/pepper/oregano.”
Grab a bag of Herr’s chips and a can of soda
Pay for everything + a couple bucks tip
Find the nearest place to enjoy the best meal Philly has to offer.