These Italian Peperoncini Sub Sandwiches are a delicious way to enjoy the mildly piquant, fruity flavor of Mezzetta Peperoncini!
‘Celebrations’ and ‘Feast Days’ are meant as a sort ‘investment,’ the exchanging of time, effort, and resources for a brief interlude of indulgence and enjoyment.
The Iliad, for example, gives rather deep insight into this idea, with its repeated examples of feasting and debauched sacrificing for the gods, and long explanations of how costly such events were – along with detailed descriptions of the accompanying food.
Similarly, we often consider the ‘truly delicious’ and the ‘gourmet’ as being sealed behind walls of cost, effort, time, and expertise. This mode of thinking can seep into our everyday, whether it’s something as simple as skipping breakfast, or resigning home cooked meals to set days of the week, we have all, at one point or another, forgone enjoyment for the aforementioned reasons.
What if, as opposed to forgoing those enjoyable moments that ‘make us human,’ as Emperor Nero once put it, we could instead make certain everyday meals positively crave-worthy? That’s one topic I’m quite fond of delving into here on Living the Gourmet, and today, as you might have guessed, is no different.
Let’s take for example the everyday ‘sandwich.’ The most common image is a hastily prepared lunch item, which is usually eaten in the haste of a free moment carved from an overly busy schedule. Then, of course, there are the ‘gourmet’ sandwiches, often created as exalted parodies of their ‘lesser’ counterparts, piled high with all manner of fancy ingredients on artisanal bread.
Surely, however, there has to be an in between, right? Something that can make an ‘everyday sandwich’ crave-worthy. That, of course, is precisely where today’s recipe comes in, Peperoncini Pork Sandwich, made using Mezzetta Peperoncini Peppers.
Now, I know what you’re thinking, that Peperoncini Peppers are for antipastos, or outdoor luncheons, or as an accompaniment to party entrees. True, but where’s the rule saying we can’t use them in something a bit more ‘everyday friendly’ to get that delicious kick that only they can deliver?
Exactly.
Now, to start things off, we begin with thinly sliced pork loin, which we then prepare the pork as shown below in an alternating mix of flour seasoned with salt and black pepper, egg wash and finally Italian Bread Crumbs. Once that’s done, fry them up as described below.
After that’s done, it’s time for the fun part – assembling the sandwich. We start off by – surprise! – slicing the Italian bread or rolls if you prefer, and drizzling both sides with the dressing outlined below, and building it high with provolone, salami, basil, tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, sliced red onion, sliced pork cutlet, and the Mezzetta Peperoncini Peppers.
And just like that, you’ve got a positively crave-worthy sandwich.
Italian Peperoncini Sub Sandwiches
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
For the Pork:
- 2 lbs. of boneless pork loin - sliced very thin
- 1 1/2 cups of flour - plus dash of salt and black pepper
- 2 eggs beaten with a splash of milk
- 2 cups of Italian style bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
Italian Dressing for the Sandwich:
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbs. red wine vinegar
- 3 tbs. honey
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
For the Sub Sandwiches:
- Italian bread - sliced lengthwise
- Pork cutlets - sliced
- Slices of provolone
- Slices of salami
- Fresh basil leaves
- Slices of fresh tomato drizzled with olive oil, crushed garlic clove and fresh basil leaves
- Red onion - sliced thin
- Mezzetta Peperoncini peppers
- Dressing for sandwich - drizzled on both sides of bread
Instructions
For the Pork:
- Set up a station with three shallow bowls; one with the flour, one with the egg wash and finally one with the breadcrumbs.
- Dredge the pork first in the flour, then the egg wash and finally the breadcrumbs.
- Heat a large cast iron frying pan with approximately ½ inch of vegetable oil and place the breaded pork loin in the pan. Do not overcrowd the pan!
- When the pork becomes a beautiful golden color carefully turn over and finish cooking on the other side to a beautiful golden color. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pork.
- Set these on a platter prepared with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
Italian Dressing for the Sandwich:
- Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and stir.
Assembly:
- Slice the bread lengthwise, drizzle each side with the dressing and proceed to building your sandwich as thick as you like!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
Also, don’t forget to enter the Mezzetta Nation Sweepstakes with Chef’d for your chance to win 52 meal kits. As a bonus, all who enter receive a 10% Coupon.
Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
Claudia Lamascolo says
I use them in so much of my cooking you did them proud Catherine god bless! WOW~!!
Chiara says
I'm hungry now !May I have one of these wonderful sandwiches ? A warm hug
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
What a mouthwatering sandwich! We love peperrocini too.
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, Those are beautiful fried pork loins and I'd be happy with just them. However, added to that great sandwich/sub, Wow! The dressing drizzled over the sandwich is a really important ingredient too. My wife would kill for this sandwich! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Candice says
You are so right! You totally elevated this sandwich to the gourmet! As usual impeccable taste and writing style. Such a fan of your work.
Juli Purcell says
Every time a read your blg I feel myself get smarter and waxing philosophic! ANd this sandwich!!! I saw it pop up on Pinterest and was immediately all "I need this in my life!"
christine says
This is a totally crave-worthy sandwich. Love that pork cutlet!
Liz says
This is no ordinary sub sandwich! Love the breaded pork loin and all the delicious toppings!
Erica Schwarz says
Peperoncini are an absolute favorite in our home - subs, salads, everything. We love them!
Kim says
Wow! This is loaded with deliciousness!! My son just spotted a picture and is requesting this for his next meal. 🙂
Sues says
My husband and I both love these peperoncini and these sandwiches are seriously gorgeous! I need to recreate 🙂
Julia says
Peperoncinis are my favorite! I eat them out of the jar--but they look even better on this sandwich!
Danielle says
Those sandwiches are bursting with filling, and that's the way they should be. They look amazing and I wish I had a sub for dinner.
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says
Yum, this sub looks absolutely delicious!
Lizzie says
Yum, I know what you mean, lunch is always sidelined in western culture, this recipe makes me think of sleepy little Italian towns that shut down for a period in the afternoon - because lunch really does mean something (and it's far too hot...). When we open a jar of antipasti, like I did today for a salad, we will eat them in sandwiches, blended into dips, wherever we can squeeze them into as I hate waste...