Ok, St. Patrick has been put to bed for another year, your green cloths are in the hamper, the dishes have almost all been run through the dishwasher, and your recycling bin, full to the brim with empty beer bottles, is at the curb. Congratulations, another successful St. Patrick’s Day dinner has come and gone. But what to do with that small amount of left over corned beef? Well I have the perfect answer to that delightful dilemma my dear reader, and so does my dear friend Jim. The best use for corned beef ever invented (left over or not) is the Reuben Sandwich! There are as many theories as to why this sandwich is called a Reuben, and speculation about who invented it as there are ways in which a Reuben Sandwich is prepared. My favorite account of the creation of this now famous sandwich is as follows: In 1938, Arnold Reuben gave an interview for the American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1940, entitled Reuben and his Restaurant. This is an excerpt from that December 18, 1938 interview with Mr. Reuben: “I’ll tell you about how I got the sandwich idea. I owned a delicatessen on Broadway and one day a dame walks in, one of the theatrical dames, and she’s down and out I suppose, and she asks me for something to eat. Her name was Anna Selos. Well, I’m feeling sort of good, so I figure I’ll clown around for the dame. That’s how it all came about. I’m clowning for the dame. Well, what do I do? I take a holy bread that I used to keep and grab up the knife and, you know, clowning like, I cut it right through on the bias. Then I take some roast beef, I don’t remember exactly what. But, anyway, I figure I’ll put anything on. So I take some meat and cheese and I slap it on, and I put on some spice and stuff and I make her up a sandwich; it was a foot high. Well the dame just eats it, that’s all. She must have been plenty hungry. And when she gets through she says, “Mr. Reuben, that’s the best sandwich I ever tasted in my life.” Well, the idea comes to me in a flash. I’ll call it the Anna Selos sandwich, after the dame. Then, one night, she brings some friends up, you know, stage people and a newspaper man, and this guy he goes right behind the counter and makes himself up a sandwich, and then he tells me why I don’t call the sandwich after celebrities? Like what happened with Anna Selos. Why don’t I call it the Anna Selos sandwich? Well, boys, in a flash, I get the idea. Anna Selos! I’ll call it a Reuben Special.” Regardless of who invented this recipe or why it is called what it is, the actual fact of the matter is that the Reuben Sandwich should be classified as the eighth wonder of the world! The modern world that is! It is simply that different from any other sandwich and a true culinary achievement.
A little Northwest history: When Jim was in 2nd grade (about 50 years ago) his parents started taking him to the Crabapple Restaurant at Bellevue Square in Bellevue, Washington. Those of you who have lived in the Seattle area for some time will probably remember that Bellevue Square was one of the nation’s earliest shopping centers. And the Crabapple Restaurant was one of the first establishments to open in the square. The restaurant was designed with an art gallery motif, and its walls were filled with works by Northwest artists. The owner, Carl Pefley apparently found himself acting as an art dealer, selling paintings and then choosing replacements. Both Carl and his wife Pat enjoyed art shows, so it was inevitable that they would want to form one of their own. In 1947, Bellevue’s Pacific Northwest Arts Fair opened for the first time. It was held for 3 days and attracted more than 30,000 visitors. But what attracted Jim’s family to this amazing restaurant was the Reuben Sandwich. Jim said it was truly the first time he realized that some food is really, really good. The following recipe is a combination of Jim’s and my thoughts on how to build the quintessential Reuben. The only difference being that Jim uses Maries Thousand Island Dressing and I usually make my own. Huge difference, right? (My recipe included.)
- thin slices of corned beef, trimmed of any fat (home cooked is the best)
- sauerkraut (Jim uses S&W canned, I use whatever is in the pantry at the time)
- Swiss cheese, thinly sliced (Jarlsberg is perfect. And none of that low-fat version. Yikes!)
- dark Russian rye bread (Brenner Brothers is the best, if you can find it)
- Thousand Island dressing (either Marie’s or homemade)
- butter
Place about a tablespoon of water in a lidded non-stick pan and place over low heat. Add the corned beef and warm the meat on both sides. Overlap slices of the meat until it is about the shape of the bread you are using. Add a layer of sauerkraut, as thin or as thick as you prefer. Place 2-3 thin slices of Jarlsberg on top of sauerkraut, cover and cook until all is warmed through and the cheese is just starting to melt. Meanwhile slather Thousand Island dressing on 2 pieces of rye bread. Remove the corned beef from the pan and carefully place it on one of the pieces of bread. Top with the other piece of bread, dressing side down. Add a pat of butter to the pan and heat till bubbling. (Use just enough butter to flavor bread and allow it to brown, but not so much that the sandwich tastes greasy.) Put sandwich in pan, place a small plate on top as a weight, and heat until bread starts to toast. Flip the sandwich and repeat the process. (And don’t even think of hotting the whole thing up in the microwave!) Cut in thirds and serve with potato salad, coleslaw or Jim’s favorite – Tim’s Jalapeno Potato Chips and a good stout beer. (Jim recommends a Guinnes.) Oh yes, another Jim recommendation. Eat the middle third of the sandwich last. I’m not quite sure why that is. But when it comes to food and the eating thereof, I never question the big guy. If you knew him and his cooking, you wouldn’t either!
Thousand Island dressing recipe:
- 1 c. mayonnaise
- ¼ c. ketchup
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp. creamy horseradish
- dash hot sauce
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 T. finely minced dill pickle
- 3 T. finely minced black olive
- 1 green onion, finely minced
- 1 T. minced fresh parsley
Combine all ingredients and serve on Reuben Sandwich or any time a Thousand Island dressing is required.