Deli Voodoo
The deli is no longer limited to pastrami and roast beef. Today, you see mashed potatoes, pasta salads napped with vinaigrettes, quesadillas, cooked chicken and veal cutlets-even poached salmon. The sheer sorcery of mixing and matching a few ready-to-eat choices into a new dinner item may seem as wondrous as watching a woman in a box being sawed in half by a magician-only to rise at the end to great applause. With these recipes, get ready to take your bow.
• roast beef sandwiches with arugula and wasabi spread •
Thinly sliced roast beef is easy to find and much improved with wasabi, a dry magical powder (just add water). It also compliments the peppery arugula.
1 tablespoon dried wasabi powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 crusty Italian sandwich rolls, split
1 pound thinly sliced roast beef (preferably fresh cut from the deli section of a better grocery store)
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1 bunch arugula
1. Hydrate the wasabi: In a small bowl, stir together the wasabi and 1 tablespoon of water.
2. Make the spread: In another small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and the wasabi.
3. Make the sandwiches.
Spread the rolls with the wasabi mayonnaise. Layer on the roast beef, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with the arugula, and serve.
tip: Wasabi powder is a classic ingredient that we keep on hand at all times. It will last a long time and can be used to spice up many sauces. Try stirring just a little into sour cream or heavy cream for an instant wasabi cream sauce that's great on top of fish or chicken.
• vietnamese roast beef salad •
Nuoc mam gives this all-in-one salad meal a complex flavor profile often associated with hours of cooking. Grab a package of shredded carrots, and you won't even resent having to chiffonade the greens.
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 teaspoons Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Juice of 1 lime (1/3 cup)
11/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 pound thinly sliced roast beef, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1 head Boston or Bibb lettuce leaves, cut into thin strips*
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
1/4 cup fresh mint, cut into thin strips
1 cup shredded or grated carrot
1. Make the marinade: In a large bowl, stir together the oil and garlic, and cook them in the microwave on high (100 percent power) for 1 minute. Add the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and red pepper, and combine.
2. Marinate the roast beef: Toss in the roast beef and let it sit in the marinade for 15 minutes.
3. Toss the greens: In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, basil, and mint.
4. Compose the salad.
Arrange some of the greens on each plate and sprinkle with the carrots. Lift the meat from the marinade, and arrange it on the greens.
• madras turkey quesadillas •
Pears and turkey are great together. Try a jar of select pears from the refrigerated case if the market has only rock-hard pears. If you have time, pick your fresh pears and let them ripen in a brown paper bag for two days for perfection.
8 tortillas, preferably toasted sesame flavor
1/4 cup Curry Mayonnaise (page 176)
3/4 pound smoked turkey breast, thinly sliced
2 firm, ripe Anjou pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced, lengthwise
1/2 pound shredded aged Gouda cheese
4 teaspoons butter
1. Assemble the quesadillas: Lay 4 of the tortillas on a work surface. Spread each tortilla with 1 tablespoon of Curry Mayonnaise. Top with the turkey and pear slices. Sprinkle shredded cheese over each, and top with a second tortilla. The quesadillas may be prepared up to this point and refrigerated for up to 2 hours.
2. Grill the quesadillas.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. For each quesadilla, and cooking 1 at a time, add 1 teaspoon of butter to the pan. Fry the quesadilla until it is lightly browned and the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes per side. Cut each into quarters, and serve warm.
• provençal spinach and goat cheese wraps •
Colorful spinach and puckery goat cheese wrapped up in a sophisticated roll; these are as easy to eat as they are to make.
1/2 pound fresh baby spinach
2 (8-inch) spinach tortillas
1/4 cup prepared olive tapenade
6 ounces herbed goat cheese, crumbled into small pieces
1 small tomato, thinly sliced
1. Cook the spinach: Clean the spinach leaves, discarding their stems. Place the leaves in a colander, and rinse well with cool water. Place the spinach in a small saucepan, and cook, covered, over medium-high heat just until it is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
2. Assemble the wraps: Lay the tortillas on a flat work surface or plate, and spread them with the tapenade. Lay the cooked spinach leaves over the tapenade; then top with the goat cheese and tomato slices. Roll the tortillas up tightly, and place them, seam-side down, on serving plates. The wraps may be prepared up to 2 hours ahead of time and refrigerated. Serve the wraps at room temperature.
• shaman southwestern roast beef salad on top of corn salsa •
The earthy flavor of roast beef works well with the smoky flavor of chipotle and the sweet flavor of corn. And of course, it is all great on top of plain old cold, juicy iceberg lettuce on a hot day.
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons chopped canned chipotle in adobo or jalapeño pepper
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 pound thinly sliced roast beef, cut into thin strips
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, halved, seeded, and cubed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 3/4 head of iceberg or Boston lettuce, cut into thin strips
2 mangos, peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
1. Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, stir together the lime juice, 1/4 cup of the cilantro, the pepper, garlic, and olive oil.
2. Marinate the beef: Toss the roast beef strips with half of the dressing to thoroughly coat each strip. Marinate the beef for at least 5 minutes.
3. Make the salsa: In another medium bowl, toss together the corn, tomato, celery, red onion, and the remaining cilantro. Drizzle the salsa with the remaining dressing.
4. Arrange the salads: Divide the lettuce among 4 plates, placing it in the center of each plate. Spoon some salsa onto the lettuce, and top with the marinated beef. Surround the mounds of salad with the mango slices. Serve at once.
• ham and mango chutney sandwiches •
Major Grey's chutney-keep it in your pantry for those days when your palate is in a panic for something flavorful. Here we use it on a sandwich, but the sky's the limit on this product.
1 baguette, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 (8-ounce) jar mango chutney
Make the sandwiches: Spread the chutney on both sides of the bread, layer the ham on top, and put the halves together. Cut the baguette into 6 sandwiches. Wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap, and chill them until serving time.
• smoked turkey, cream cheese, and cranberry sauce sandwiches •
Turkey with cranberries is a classic combination that has a way of surprising people "off season." For a fast meal, try this winner of a sandwich.
1 baguette, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 pound cream cheese
1 (15-ounce) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/2 pound smoked turkey, thinly sliced
Make the sandwiches: Smear one side of the bread with cream cheese and one side with cranberry sauce. Layer the smoked turkey onto a baguette half, and top with the remaining half. Cut the baguette into 6 pieces. Wrap the sandwiches in plastic wrap, and chill them for up to 1 hour, or until serving time.
• smoked turkey, mango chutney, and blue cheese sandwiches •
Pick up almost all these ingredients in the deli section of your grocery store. Mango chutney works its magic again. Its complex flavor can tune up many old standards.
6 ounces mild blue cheese (such as Maytag, Gorgonzola, or Stilton)
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons bottled mango chutney, large pieces of mango chopped up
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon
4 (5-inch) pieces Italian or French bread, cut in half lengthwise
1 pound thinly sliced smoked turkey
8 to 10 arugula or lettuce leaves
1. Make the cheese spread: Mash together the cheese, mayonnaise, chutney, parsley, and lemon juice. Adjust the seasonings to your taste.
2. Make the sandwiches: Spread the cheese mixture on each half of the bread slices. Layer each sandwich with turkey and lettuce. Serve as open-faced sandwiches or top with a second slice of bread.Copyright© 2003 by Linda West Eckhardt and Katherine West Defoyd