Italian Beef

Even though my mother was Italian (Sicilian, actually), she never made Italian beef sandwiches. I imagine the reason for this is that she was from New York and not Chicago, since Chicago is apparently where the dish originated. I'm pretty sure I never even knew of Italian beef until I moved near to the Windy City. Better late than never!

This is Jeff Smith's recipe, which I discovered in an old cookbook recently, and I think it's fabulous. First you season the beef with oregano and roast it until it's rare, then you slice it thinly and put it in a pot with peppers, garlic, beef stock, and wine and simmer it till it's tender and tasty. I used a roast we'd gotten from Stan of Triple S Farm and actually made stock with "soup bones" we'd bought from him as well.

On this occasion, we melted slices of Provolone cheese on the sandwiches and of course topped them with pepperoncini. Keith made his crispy French fries to go with (as they say in Chicago). Heavens. A rib-sticking meal for a wintry night (or morning; I had mini-sandwiches several mornings last week for breakfast).

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwich
from The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Italian, by Jeff Smith

1 4-pound sirloin tip roast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced
2 large red bell peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch strips
2 large green peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch strips
2 medium yellow onions, sliced
2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
4 to 6 Italian poor-boy rolls, sliced lengthwise but not cut all the way through

Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Season the meat with salt and pepper, oregano, and thyme. Place on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for about 2 hours or until the meat reaches 130 °F in the center. Remove and allow to cool. Deglaze the roasting pan with a little water and place the juices in a 6-quart pot.

Heat a large nonstick frying pan and add the oil, garlic, red and green bell peppers, and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes and add to the pot. You may have to do this in batches.

Slice the cooled meat very thinly across the grain, using an electric meat slicer if you have access to one. Place the sliced meat in the pot along with any meat juices that have accumulated during cooling. Add the beef and chicken stocks, wine, and parsley. Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir the pot a couple of times during cooking. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off the heat and allow the pot to rest, covered, for 15 minutes. Dip each roll into the broth in the pot so that it is saturated and heavy. Fill the roll with plenty of simmered beef and vegetables.

Small changes: I added crushed red peppers to the broth, because I like more spiciness. And I would use more oregano next time—at least double the amount Smith calls for.

Mamma mia! That's a sandwich.