Dad's Ham Sandwich

Since I can remember my dad has been making this simple, but very tasty ham sandwich. The first time I remember making it is in our kitchen in the basement of our house in London for lunch on the weekend.

There is certainly nothing out of this world about this ham sandwich, but for some reason I do crave it every so often. I don't know where my dad got the idea of putting sauteed onions and tomatoes in a sandwich; I've certainly never seen it on the menu anywhere or eaten anything like it.



Dad's Ham Sandwich
Makes one sandwich

3 tbsp finely chopped onion
2 tbsp finely chopped firm tomato
2 slices of any type of bread, I use white pullman
2-3 thin slices of baked ham
canola oil





Heat up a small, shallow pan that will fit the sliced bread into it. Add about a tablespoon of canola oil to the pan, and once it is hot, add the onions. Saute for about 2-3 minutes, until they are fairly soft but still retain a small about of crunch. Add the tomatoes and saute for about 1 minute, until they are heated through and start to soften. Remove to a bowl.







In the hot pan, place a slice of bread (if you want it to be both tastier and crunchier, add a bit of oil or butter to the pan and spread it evenly before adding the bread). Next, pile on the ham, and on top of that, spoon the onion tomato mixture over, making sure it is spread evenly. Then place the second piece of bread on top.










When the bottom piece of bread has become lightly browned, flip the sandwich over carefully with a spatula. Don't let it all fall apart in the process!



Brown the other side (add a bit more butter or oil to the bottom of the pan if you wish). Remove to a plate, and slice in half. Serve hot!

Steak and Cheese My Way

Here's my personal steak and cheese recipe:

3 patties of Steak-eze (more or less depending on how much meat you like)
1 tbsp of olive oil or canola oil
One large red onion, cut in half and then sliced
2 cloves of garlic sliced thinly, or a teaspoon of garlic powder
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
Provolone cheese
Loaf of italian bread

Steak-eze is not the leanest meat, so I cook it and then drain the fat off by placing it on some paper towels. Next I heat up some oil in a pan, and put the onions, garlic, some salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook until somewhat soft and slightly brown on the edges. Then add the meat, and a little more salt and pepper to taste. In the meantime slice your bread in half, and put a few slices of provolone cheese on top of one half (or both if you really like cheese!). Put it under your broiler (be sure to watch out so you don't burn it!) until the cheese is melted. Then plate up and put the beef mixture on the top. I ate mine as an open faced sandwich.