I'm sure you've been on the edge of your seat waiting for this one from me... right? Right! Well, here is the incredibly messy, incredibly amazing Italian sandwich that I craved constantly during both my pregnancies & even when I wasn't expecting! This recipe is my interpretation of the original Di Pietro's Italian sandwich.
More than just a sandwich...this is a warm fuzzy memory for me. The original sandwich comes from a little hole in the wall place along the Northeastern coast...in the little big city of Portland, Maine.
My Nana used to buy them back in the 1940's for a quarter apiece.
My family would get them on summer vacations to Old Orchard beach. To sit on the beach in the warm sun, the smell of the salty air, and the sound of the waves crashing on the shore with a Di Pietro's Italian in your hands is one of life's most wonderful things. In all seriousness...put that on your bucket list!
If you are ever in the Greater Portland area...you must look them up & try their original Italian sandwich!
Di Pietro's Italian Sandwiches
171 Cumberland Ave
Portland, ME 04101
Or give them a call: (207) 772-4084 & see if they'll ship you some!
This is what I came up with that tastes *almost* as good...and the quality of your sandwich is going to depend on the quality of your ingredients.... as they say about pizza...better ingredients... better pizza!
The RECIPE
Mini Sub Buns (white bread...not that other healthy whole grain stuff)
white American cheese slices
deli ham sliced thin to medium
tomatoes ...ripe & red
vidalia or sweet onion chopped fine
green pepper chopped
oil cured black olives...pitted
polish dill pickles
salt & pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed if you can find it)
Slice the Mini sub buns down the middle & lay flat.
For the first layer...add the American cheese & then the sliced ham on top of that.
Slice your tomatoes thin & line up the slices for the next layer.
On top of the tomatoes, sprinkle on the green pepper & onion....then add as many black olives as you like. My husband skips them altogether ...but I eat enough to make up for it! I love my olives!
At this point, pour on a little "EVOO" ...as Rachel Ray would call the olive oil.
Then add salt & pepper to taste.
Finally I add one long polish dill pickle spear on each half of the sandwich then sprinkle that with pepper too.
This is so messy & yummy. You'll find that if you try the original DiPetro's sandwich...it's much more neatly made & comes wrapped in white paper & tied with a rubber band & you can get the oil on the side... anyhow, it's all good!
To make it a little easier to handle...I cut the sandwich halves into halves.
Grab a 'Moxie' and plenty of napkins & enjoy!
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