This Italian Meat Grinder Casserole Will Improve Your Quality of Life
Hello and welcome back to Will It Casserole? , a column in which I take your delicious concepts and reintroduce them as delicious casserole creations. Today we’ll take another of my favorite sandwiches – an Italian sandwich / meat grinder / hagi / whatever – and turn it into a hot, soothing wonderful dish.
There are a few sandwiches I like better than good Italian offal. Salted jerky with strong provolone and sour pepperoncinis always pleases my mouth, and dealing with the situation was, as we call it in the business, “a good move.”
Sandwiches are very easy to bake, but you need to think about processing the bread. For our Monte Cristo casserole, I made it like bread pudding, soaking the bread in a custard before baking. For this dish, however, I wanted the bread to be a little lighter, so I only used one egg and ditched milk entirely, opting instead for a little broth to moisturize but not soak the carbohydrate cubes. I also had no desire to bake the fresher sandwich ingredients in the casserole, because no one likes a baked iceberg, so they made a small salad out of them. Overall, I am very pleased with the result and hope you give it a try. To make a meat masterpiece, you will need:
- 1 lb. soft Italian bread, chopped or diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- A condiment mixture consisting of 1 tablespoon Parmesan powder, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon fresh pepper.
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 egg
- 1 pound of your favorite Italian meat (I took 1/2 pound of mortadella from the deli counter and one of those sample packs of Italian sausages that included salami, prosciutto, and spicy coppa).
- 4 tablespoons black olives, chopped
- 8 ounce sliced wire
- About half a head of chopped lettuce
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- A simple vinaigrette of 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sugar.
- Chopped peppers peppers in jars for serving
Toss bread with olive oil and seasoning mixture until well coated. Combine the egg and broth, pour over the seasoned bread and stir again. Cut the meat into thin strips and stir with the bread to distribute it evenly. Brush a baking dish with a little olive oil and lay out the first layer of the meat and bread mixture. Top with a couple tablespoons of olives.
Top with half the cheese.
Repeat with another layer of bread, meat and olives, then drizzle with the remaining cheese. Spray a piece of aluminum foil with non-stick spray and cover the grindroll. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for half an hour, then open the lid and continue baking until the cheese is bubbling and browned.
Toss the grated salad with tomatoes and vinaigrette, sprinkle with a little dried oregano and pepper to taste.
Serve the salad and pepperonicini casserole, adding just before serving.
Eat and be happy with your choice.