Sauerkraut and Reuben Sandwiches

When I was growing up, my mom would cook whatever we requested for dinner on our birthdays. My top two choices were always her quiche lorraine and her Reuben sandwiches. To this day, I would still say her Reuben sandwiches are the best I’ve eaten and I have eaten quite a few over the years.

My top two complaints of those that I have tried and not liked are too much meat and not being grilled. Sometimes they are piled so high with meat that you can’t get your mouth over them. What makes a Reuben sandwich so great are all the other ingredients. They should to be given equal mouth space per bite to really appreciate the blend of all the flavors. How can one make a Reuben and not grill it? The bread becomes crusty and the cheese melts and the ingredients warm throughout.

My mom always made the sandwiches in a waffle iron (with the flat plate inset) with rye bread, swiss cheese and pastrami, but her two unique touches where how she prepared the sauerkraut and her special sauce. I recently asked her to share her two secrets. She would rinse the store bought sauerkraut (refrigerated bag type, not in a can) in cold water and then cook it a long time over low heat with caraway seed to make the sour flavor more mellow. Her special sauce was merely Heinz chili sauce mixed with Hellman’s mayonnaise. Sort of like Russian dressing, but the chili sauce gave it a little more of a kick.

Wanting to put a spin on the traditional Reuben and make my own creation from local ingredients, I ordered what I could through Mughsot’s local buying club. This included the raw fermented sauerkraut from Wills Valley and the ham and swiss cheese from Meadow Run Farm. Raw sauerkraut is one of those super foods that combines a highly nutritious vegetable, cabbage (yes, more cabbage) with a very healthy process (fermenting). The raw stuff is good for improving digestion, killing bad bacteria and boosting your immune system. Most supermarket sauerkrauts are pasteurized which kills much of the health benefits, so you might have to scour the shops for your raw options.

While I really like rye bread, I decided to use the all-purpose bread that I usually have at home which is a wheatless multi-grain bread that I get from Trader Joes. It’s high in protein and fiber and has a hearty texture. For my version of the special sauce I mixed Hellman’s mayonnaise with some harissa (spicy chili) sauce that I picked up in at a middle eastern specialty store. Harissa is one of my go-to condiments when I want to make certain dishes spicy. It’s particularly tasty on eggs. Wanting to the minimize the calorie count where possible, I used spray oil on both sides of the bread and pan rather than pouring oil into the pan.

I don’t have a waffle iron, but I do have a cast iron, enameled grill pan which is one of my favorite cooking wares. I cook / grill vegetables (particularly good for zucchini and eggplant), meats and make all sorts of pressed sandwiches in it. Having a heavy lid, helps cook the items quicker and gives those textured grill marks. The particular one I have is from Mario Batali’s line and not too expensive ($80) as compared to some of the Le Crueset items – then again, it’s probably made in China and not France.

I spread the sauce mixture on one side of the bread and then layer equal parts sauerkraut, ham and swiss cheese on top. I find it important to put the sauerkraut over the sauce so that it mixes down with it when heated. I also don’t use that much meat or cheese, for purposes of moderation and because I have found it more appealing as an overall flavor profile. Then I grill until the cheese is melted and it’s brown on both sides. Perfection! It also goes great with Philly Fresh spicy pickles.