Sunday January 24th A classic Deli Lunch

Short and simple....Scott and I were in Nashville at a wonderful little deli with some good friends of ours, the second week of January. It had been a while since I had eaten a deli sandwich and their selection of amazing sandwiches made it hard for me to pick which one I wanted. In the end, it didn't matter.....THEY WERE ALL AMAZING! Each one wrapped perfectly in deli paper. And when you peeled away the folds of paper, there was a cute little pickle wedge tucked into each sandwich.

I wanted to recreate a little deli meal of my own for this Sunday's meal. So, I looked to the the man who knows how to craft an amazing sandwich... Tom Colicchio

I made his Turkey, Avocado, Bacon, Sweet Onion Relish, & Aïoli on Ciabatta! I must say, it was an amazing sandwich. So amazing that we recreated the entire meal two nights later!



Sweet onion relish
2 small sweet onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

For aïoli
1 egg yolk
1/2 clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 ounce white-wine vinegar
4 ounces grape seed oil
1 ounce olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon pepperoncini or cayenne pepper

For sandwiches
1 pound turkey breast, sliced (I used peppered turkey)
4 ciabatta rolls
8 slices of bacon
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, and thinly sliced

Make onion relish:
In heavy pot, combine onions and enough water to cover and bring to boil, then strain. Return onions to pot and add sugar, red wine vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. Place over moderate heat and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until onions are completely tender and have no bite left, about one and a half hours. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Make aïoli:
In food processor purée yolk, garlic, mustard, and vinegar until smooth and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Combine oils, then, with motor running, slowly drizzle into processor until completely emulsified, about 2 minutes. (If aïoli gets too thick, add a small amount of warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time.) Sprinkle in salt, pepper, and pepperoncini, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cook bacon:
In large, heavy skillet over moderate heat, cook bacon, turning occasionally, until crisp, then transfer with tongs to paper towel–lined plate to drain. Set aside.

Assemble sandwiches:
Slice each ciabatta in half. Spread aïoli on each of the ciabatta. Divide turkey on each of four ciabatta bottoms, then spread onion relish over meat. Lay 2 slices bacon on each of 4 ciabatta tops. Divide avocado slices between sandwiches, placing on top of bacon. Close sandwiches, slice each in half, and serve.

To accompany this amazing sandwich, I of course had to have my pickle!



Here they are in the first stage....beautiful! They were the best pickles I have ever had...probably because they were the first homemade pickles I have ever had. Yum! I will be bringing these to EVERY picnic or BBQ I go to in the future!

Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
(next time I am going to try cutting them into wedges)
1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons dill seeds

Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill.

Using mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours. Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.

I also served a homemade classic macaroni salad

Classic Macaroni Salad 4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (sold in little jars)

chef's note: I like to (each one on its own) pulse the green pepper, onion and celery in the food processor....this is beyond faster than chopping them. If you decide to do this also, you need to pulse them separately then place each one in a paper towel and squeeze some of the liquid out. This will ensure you still have a creamy and not runny sauce. I recommend you try this...it makes it so fast!!

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain. In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate overnight.