Saturday, June 7, 2008

Reuben

Reuben

I got some wisdom teeth pulled on Tuesday and I've pretty much been in hibernation, sleeping for about 18 hours a day, ever since. Lemme tell ya, the novelty of eating milkshakes and soups wears off real fast. I've been in a real pissy mood lately because after 5 days of eating mush all I want is some real food, something with texture, something with crunch. I just want a goddamn burger and extra large side of onion rings. Sadly, I won't be eating that anytime soon. But I swear as soon as I'm able to open my jaw again, I am going to make the biggest and best burger ever. Heck, I'll even make the bun from scratch.

In my desperation for real food, I started looking through all the recipes I have yet to post, and unsurprisingly, that didn't make things any better. This is a prime example of what I can't eat right now, which also happens to be one of my top 3 sandwiches. :( A big, fat Reuben that's crunchy on the outside and hot, juicy, and gooey on the inside. *siiigh* It was delicious when I made it a week or so ago though.

Reuben Sandwich

Rye bread (dark is preferable, though personally I like marbled rye because it looks cool)
Corned beef or Pastrami (but then it would be a Rachel), thinly sliced
Sauerkraut, drained
Swiss Cheese, shredded
Russian Dressing or Thousand Island
Butter

Cheater's Thousand Island:
Mix equal parts ketchup and tartar sauce or mayo if you don't have tartar sauce. Add a little vinegar for acidity then some Worcestershire to taste.

Feel free to use a sandwich press or whatever sandwich-making gizmo you like (I hear a George Foreman works well). But I just have a plain old cast iron skillet.

Butter 2 slices of bread, place them butter side down on the skillet. Cover one slice of bread with corned beef, then add some sauerkraut, and top with some dressing. Add shredded Swiss on the other slice of bread (shredded cheese melts faster). Turn the heat to medium low and cover the pan to keep the heat in. Check the bottom of the bread periodically. You want the bread to be a lovely golden brown, the cheese to melt, and the meat and sauerkraut to warm up a bit. Avoid turning the heat up too high otherwise the bread may burn very quickly.

When both pieces of bread are golden brown, cover the meat/kraut piece of bread with the cheese covered bread (not the other way around or stuff will be falling off everywhere). Smush it down a little to glue the sandwich together, cut in half, and serve hot.

16 comments:

Susan @ SGCC said...

Ooooh! I could sure go for one of those right now! It looks terrific! I love a good Ruben or Rachel!

Anonymous said...

Gotta love a good Reuben. :)

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Oh, I feel your pain -- I remember when I had my wisdom teeth pulled. It was not a happy experience. I discovered coffee fudge ice cream, because I couldn't eat ice cream with chips, and though I loved it, it did get old after a week. Reubens are on my list of all-time favorite sandwiches...

Unknown said...

awww, endure a few more days of pain :)

BMK said...

Feel better soon. I had mine out 5/30 and am still recovering. Its not a fun experience. The good news is at a week out I can eat solid food again! It will get better.

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Trust me when I say, "I feel your pain." And thank goodness for milkshakes. Get well soon!

Vicki said...

Thank you for sharing your lovely recipes. I especially love the thai curry one and will definitely be testing it out sometime soon!

jpstivers said...

I love Rubens! Never made a bun from scratch. I'll have to try that sometime. Hope you heal soon.
Joseph from Louisville, Kentucky

Amy said...

Susan,
Oh I'm craving one of these right now too. *drools*

Angelica
You bet!

Lydia,
I too have a weak spot for coffee ice cream.

Bettina,
Then it's time for round 2, the left side.

bmk,
I can eat solid food again now too. Yay! I can enjoy food for 2 more weeks then it's time to take the left side out. :(

Susan,
Yeah what would we do without milkshakes. But it's a little sad not being able to use a straw. :(

Vicki,
No problem! I hope you like the curry!

Joseph,
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the curry!

chriesi said...

Mmm that is yummy!

RecipeGirl said...

This is my favorite sandwich. I'm drooling...!

Mari said...

OMG, I love Reubens so much! It's one of the sandwiches that miss from the US! Last time I was in Chicago, I had a Reuben here:
Eleven City Diner
, it was fabulous!

LyB said...

This is so funny because I just bookmarked a recipe for burger buns a few minutes ago and I've been thinking of making some too! That Reuben looks fabulous. Hope all is well with your teeth. :)

Anonymous said...

I love reuben.As my teeth is good.
Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe.

Anonymous said...

Reuben Sandwich ummmmm......
I love it.This is one of my favorite sandwich.

Inner Imp said...

Looks o so yummy!!!
Sometime you might like to try using mayo on the outside instead of margerine or butter. I have done that for years for grilled sandwhiches. Some, I mix a bit of dijon mustard or regular mustard with the mayo before spreading it on the outside of the bread before grilling, or some finely grated garlic. Sigh, it is an hour and a half before lunchtime here and now I am wondering where I can get a reuben for lunch.

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