Vegetarian Uprising

Meat lovers, don’t let the vegetarian title scare you, this sandwich is for everyone! Chef Shockley pulls together a variety of Midwest flavors to best complement our Old World rye bread, including beets, tomatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce, and a citronette dressing. Shockley says that when it comes to sandwich-making, the little things make a whole world of difference. It can be as simple as adding a dressing to the lettuces or taking it up to a notch with an elevated saffron aioli. This sandwich, which includes both, does not disappoint.

Ingredients:

  • Gonnella Old World rye bread
  • 1/4 c warm water
  • 1 heaping tbsp saffron
  • ½ c mayonnaise
  • 1-2 tomatoes
  • 2 whole pickled beets
  • 3 oz sharp cheddar
  • 1 bunch spinach

For the citronette:

  • ½ c olive oil
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 lime, juiced

Directions

  1. Combine lime juice, lemon juice, and olive oil and set aside for later use.
  2. Add saffron to water and allow it to dissolve and steep. Add mayonnaise to the mixture.
  3. Slice the tomatoes. Lightly salt them to extract moisture. Set aside.
  4. Finely chop the pickled beets.
  5. Toast one side of the rye bread while allowing the other side to remain soft.
  6. Toss the spinach leaves in the citronette.
  7. Assemble the sandwich by adding a layer of the saffron aioli to the soft side of the rye, followed by the dressed spinach, beets, and tomatoes. Top with some slices of sharp cheddar cheese.