Italian Beef Sandwiches with Coleslaw

It’s Super Bowl Sunday again. I saw Valerie Bertinelli make Italian Beef sandwiches on TV last week and decided that that’s what I wanted to do for our Super Bowl Sunday lunch. She made her sandwiches with a giardiniera aioli but I don’t particularly care for giardiniera. At least not the ones I’ve tried so far. I do think these sandwiches would be great with a garlic aioli though.

One thing she did do was serve her sandwiches with coleslaw and that was definitely the way to go as far as I’m concerned. Delicious! The coleslaw added a sweet crunch to the tender, savory beef that made it the perfect well-rounded meal.

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICHES WITH COLESLAW

Make Italian Beef the Night Before:

• 4 lbs. boneless beef chuck or rump roast, cut into large chunks
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 can (15 ozs.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper

1. Combine all ingredients together in slow cooker.
2. Cook on low setting for 10-14 hours.
3. Skim some of the excess fat from the surface using a ladle or cooking spoon.
4. Shred the beef coarsely with two forks.

Assemble Sandwiches:

• 4 loaves (12-14 inches each) Italian or French bread
• Italian Beef, warm or at room temperature
• coleslaw, ready-made or make your own (recipe here)

1. Cut each loaf of bread into 4 to 6-inch lengths depending on how big you want your sandwiches.
2. Split each sandwich in half lengthwise and toast lightly.
3. Fill sandwiches with the shredded beef.
4. Top beef with coleslaw.

NOTE:  Serve sliced pepperoncinis on the side for those who might want them.
You can also top the beef with a slice of mozzarella or provolone cheese before piling on the coleslaw, if desired.

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Olive Tea Sandwiches

Vickie, one of my officemates, brought in some little olive sandwiches and I got to try one. Delicious! I thought they would be perfect to serve at my Mother’s Day Tea Party. She told me what all she put in hers (cream cheese, garlic powder, a little ranch dressing….) but I can’t remember what all the ingredients were that she used and I didn’t write anything down so I decided to try and make my own version when I got home. My sandwiches are simpler with less ingredients in the filling, but I think they came out just as good.

OLIVE TEA SANDWICHES

• 1 pkg. (8 ozs.) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup chopped pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 1 tbsp. olive juice
• 1 loaf soft white or wheat bread

1. Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, olives, pecans, and olive juice.
2. Cut crusts off bread.
3. Make sandwiches with olive filling.
4. Cut sandwiches into little shapes.