Battle Sandwich–South Meets Southwest In One Kitchen

Last month, I decided to participate in “Battle Sandwich” hosted by food blogger extraordinaire, Doggy Bloggy. I was excited because I love sandwiches–all kinds–I am a sandwich fiend, For this challenge though, I wanted a sandwich that was “personal” so to speak. After giving it some thought, I realized I couldn’t do just one sandwich; I had to do two.  Herewith, my entries for Battle Sandwich:

1. FRIED GREEN TOMATO SANDWICH ON HOMEMADE BREAD WITH PESTO MAYO AND LEMON OIL

I was raised in the South, so I was pretty much weaned on tomatoes.  Fried green tomatoes?  Oh, yeah.  Put them in a sandwich?  Definitely. First, I had to make the bread:

Next, I picked the green tomatoes right out of the back yard, a couple j u s t beginning to get pink:

I’d already decided on a mix of cornmeal and cornstarch for a light, crispy batter, clinging to the firm slices with an egg wash and just the right seasonings.  Things came together nicely:

Ready to start the fryin’:

Once done, time to assemble the sandwich.  First the toasted bread with pesto mayo (pesto from our basil plants):

Next, add some of those warm, wonderful green tomatoes:

The drizzling that’s shining in the photo above is this magical stuff:

Truly it’s the nectar of the gods and the magic finishing touch on this sandwich.  The zip of the lemon perfectly compliments the tang of the green tomato and the creaminess of the pesto mayo.  Add a spicy marinated Greek salad, and there you have it:

Having gone to my roots for the first entry, I decided to turn to my adopted home of Pueblo, Colorado for the second:

2. GREEN CHILE SLOPPER

What, you ask, is a slopper? And what the heck is green chile?  Both of those were questions I asked when I moved here.  I’d never heard of either, but now I can’t imagine life without them.  Simply, green chile is a pork and green chile stew that is fairly local to only Colorado and New Mexico.  And a “slopper” is a hamburger smothered in same.  The chili usually made with locally grown chiles, and like Brunswick stew, gumbo and any other regional dish, there are as many recipes as there are people who eat it.  But everyone agrees that it starts with the chiles.  These came from one of our local farms:

Roasted nicely under the broiler:

Then peeled and chopped to go with the rest of the ingredients:

That’s a pork shoulder blade steak, cubed and seasoned, the bone reserved to make the stock.  That shallot-looking thing down in front is actually one (1) clove of garlic that we grew this year.  Our first time growing garlic!  It was enough for the whole dish!  Next the chili is assembled:

Meat browned and onions/garlic cooking in a loose roux:

Add the chiles:

A soupcon of tomato:

Then add the liquid and let simmer to perfection:

Then, to assemble, cook up some good burgers.  I like ground chuck:

On the grill, of course:

And now, it’s all ready to assemble.  From the bottom up, you can never have too much cheese, right?

Add the burger and the top bun.  You may have to eat a slopper with a knife and a spoon, but you need that top bun to soak up the green chile goodness.

Add the chile–slop it right on there!

Finish it off with more cheese and some red onions. You can always have fries, of course, but I like these mustard-roasted new potatoes:

And there you have them!  Go south or come west, I’ve got a sandwich for you either way!

Happy eating!

GG