Vegetarian Hoagie Sandwich

Blogging Marathon# 50: Week 1/ Day 1 Theme: American Sandwiches Dish: Hoagie Sandwich We are starting a brand new edition of blogging marathon today and my theme for this week is 'American Sandwiches'. Didn't realize that there are around 70-80 different types of sandwiches in the US until I saw the list of sandwiches on Wiki that Valli shared with us. More than 90% of these are meat based, so after carefully looking through all my options, I picked 3 sandwiches that were vegetarian and those we knew I would be making again and again.  For the first day, I made Hoagie sandwich. This is a kind of submarine sandwich and has quite a few different names like a sub, wedge, hoagie, hero, grinder etc. it is interesting to know that there are about 13 different names for this very sandwich in US. A submarine sandwich basically consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread that is split width wise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces.
I was first introduced to hoagie sandwich at the deli I worked during my Masters. The owner was really nice and she would make me a hoagie sandwich with all the veggies she had in the kitchen -- it wasn't even on her menu, but she still made for me. I never saw a vegetarian hoagie sandwich on any restaurant menu till now and so it's been quite a long time that I had this sandwich. I found the recipe for Italian veggie hoagie sandwich here and followed it to the 'T'. I smeared some roasted garlic mayonnaise on the bread before filling it with the veggies and it was a super hit at home. Both my husband and I loved this sandwich. I made my own hoagie rolls, but good quality Italian or French bread can also be used. Recipe adapted from here: Ingredients: Makes 4 Hoagies
Hoagie Rolls (Long Sandwich Rolls) - 4 (or 16~20" long Wholewheat Italian or French baguette, cut into 4 equal lengths)
Red Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced into rings
Artichoke Hearts - 1 14oz., can, rinsed, drained and cut into quarters
Tomato - 1 medium, seeded and diced
Balsamic Vinegar - 2tbsp
Extra virgin Olive Oil - 1tbsp
Dried Oregano - 1tsp
Provolone Cheese - 4 slices
Lettuce - 2cups, shredded
Pepperoncini - 1/4 cup, sliced
Mayonnaise - 3tbsp (I mixed some roasted garlic with the mayo)
Method:

• Place the sliced onions in a small bowl and cover them with cold water. Set them aside, while you prep the other ingredients.
• Combine artichoke, tomato, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, dried oregano, salt & pepper. Mix well. Drain the onions and pat dry.
• Pull out some of the soft bread from the middle of the bread. Spread the mayo on both sides of the bread.
• To assemble the sandwiches: Place 1 cheese slice on the bottom of the bread. Spread the artichoke mixture and then top it with onion, lettuce and pepperoncini (if using). Cover with the bread tops. Serve right away!!

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked today for BM# 50.