The reuben sandwich

Origins:

According to Wikipedia, the reuben sandwich originated in the 1920s during poker games held at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago, IL. One of the members of the “committee”, a name the poker group gave itself, was Reuben Kulakofsky. Kulakofsky, a grocer from Omaha, NE, and a Jewish immigrant born in Lithuania, introduced the committee to the sandwich. Later the owner of the hotel and member of the committee, Charles Schimmel, added the sandwich to the hotel’s lunch menu where it grew in fame and popularity. There are other renditions of the story, but I find this the most intriguing. Since the time of the committee, many renditions of the sandwich have been attempted, and I have found it hard to keep away from dabbling with one of my favorite sandwiche recipes.

One additional thought – you may want to press the sandwich if you have a press.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices – pumpernickel bread (traditionally rye is used but I prefer pumpernickel)
• 1 tablespoon – butter
• 1 slice – Gruyѐre cheese (Swiss is traditional but try the Gruyѐre)
• 2 tablespoons – sauerkraut (drained)
• 2 slices – corned beef (you may wish to use pastrami instead)
• 2 tablespoons – Thousand Island dressing
• Mustard to taste (you may wish to experiment with Grey Poupon)

Preparation (1 sandwich):

Butter one side of each slice of the pumpernickel bread and lay one slice on the skillet butter-side down. Add 1 slice of cheese, sauerkraut, 2 slices of corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, dash of mustard to taste, followed by the other slice of bread (butter side facing out).

Pumpernickel with cheese, sauerkraut, corned beef, Thousand Island dressing, and mustard.

Grill over medium heat until the cheese melts. If you are using a sandwich press, it normally takes about 2 minutes.

Grilling the reubens.

I also suggest that you serve the sandwich with a dill pickle. Bon appétit!

J. Botticelli