Gigantic Hero Recipes

PAUL'S SAUSAGE, BELL PEPPERS, AND ONION HERO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the oil, then add the sausage and saute until brown. Add the marinara sauce, bell peppers, onion, salt and pepper and saute until the ingredients are incorporated and hot, about 5 minutes.
• Put some of the sausage and bell pepper mixture on each sandwich roll, top with some more marinara sauce, add the mozzarella and bake until the cheese is browned, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN STYLE HERO

Steps:

• Add meats and cheese to roll. Top with lettuce and tomato. Pour on oil and vinegar mix. Spread mustard and mayonnaise on roll, close and serve.

MEATBALL HEROS WITH TRI-COLORED PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions, peppers, and salt and saute for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Cut the bread into quarters crosswise and cut each quarter in half, being careful not to cut all the way through, so the 2 haves stay connected. Scoop the soft center out of the bread.
• Put the bread, open-faced, on a baking sheet. Place 1 meatball and some sauce on 1 side of each piece of bread. Top with some of the pepper mixture. Moisten the other side of each sandwich with a little sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, about 4 minutes.

HUNTER'S HERO

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and saute onions, bell peppers and garlic. After 2 minutes, add salt and cook until tender. Remove from pan and let cool.
• In a medium bowl, pour milk over bread crumbs and let soak for 5 minutes. Remove from milk and squeeze out excess milk, until bread is moist but not soggy. In a large bowl, mix together beef, pork sausage, soaked bread, cooled vegetables, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper, chili flakes, grated Parmesan and egg. Gently roll into 2-inch balls.
• In same large saute pan used for vegetables, heat over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. Cook meatballs, browning completely until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F, using an instant-read thermometer.
• Meanwhile, remove inside dough from hoagie rolls. To assemble heroes, fill hoagies with 4 meatballs each. Drizzle with 1/4 cup Marinara Sauce and top with 3 slices of mozzarella cheese. Place heroes on a sheet pan under the broiler until the cheese melts and turns golden brown. Top each sandwich with 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan.
• In medium saucepan, heat olive oil, add onions and cook over medium to low heat until onions are transparent. Add garlic and cook until almost brown and then add tomatoes. Cook for 1/2 hour over low to medium heat, then add basil and oregano and continue to cook for 30 minutes longer. In a food mill or a blender, puree into a sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

CHICKEN PARM HERO

Steps:

• Slice loaf in half, place on baking sheet and toast under broiler. Once toasted, rub with split garlic clove. Warm chicken in microwave oven. Once warm, place on bread. Top with sauce, cheese, and a sprinkle of oregano. Return sandwich to oven and broil until cheese bubbles. Serve hot.

ITALIAN COMBO AND BROCCOLI RABE PRESSED HERO

Steps:

• Put the 1/4 cup olive oil and the garlic slices in a large skillet and place over medium heat. When the garlic starts to turn a light golden brown, add the broccoli rabe, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir to coat evenly in the oil. Cover the skillet with a lid and turn the heat down to low. Cook until the broccoli rabe stems are just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Uncover and turn the heat up to medium-high. Stir in the cherry pepper pickling liquid and cook until the pan is dry, an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.
• Slice the semolina loaf horizontally and lay the two halves cut-side up. Pull out some of the bread from both halves (reserve for another use), leaving a 1/2--inch border. Drizzle both halves with some olive oil. Spread half of the broccoli rabe on the bottom half. Layer on the cherry peppers, provolone, prosciutto, salami, mortadella, the remaining broccoli rabe and the top half of bread. Wrap tightly in parchment, wax paper or plastic wrap and tie with twine if necessary. Place a brick (see Cook's Note) or cast-iron skillet on top for at least 3 hours to flatten, refrigerated. About 45 minutes before serving, bring the sandwich to room temperature.

RACK-O-RIBS HERO

Steps:

• For the ribs: Prepare an outdoor grill l for cooking over indirect medium heat (if your grill has a thermometer, aim to keep the temperature at about 350 degrees F). Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, granulated garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
• Insert a butter knife between the membrane and bone on the back of the rack of ribs. Grab the membrane with a paper towel to grip it and pull off and discard the membrane. Sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides of the ribs and rub it in. Wrap the ribs tightly in aluminum foil and set on the indirect side of the grill. Cook, turning the package once, until the meat is tender and pulling from the bone but not totally falling apart, 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes.
• For the BBQ sauce: Meanwhile, combine the ketchup, vinegar, light brown sugar, honey mustard, hot sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, liquid smoke if using and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10 to 12 minutes.
• When the ribs are tender, remove them from the grill and unwrap them (leave the grill on). Let cool until you can touch the ribs without burning your fingers. With a knife, slit the skin on the back of the ribs and carefully pull out the bones, keeping the slab in one piece.
• Increase the grill temperature to high for cooking over direct heat. Add the boneless slab to the grill, rounded-side up, and brush with some of the BBQ sauce. Grill until the underside begins to crisp, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the slab and brush the underside of the ribs with more sauce. Continue to grill the ribs until they're glossy and caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes more. Place the ribs on the hero roll, brush with more sauce and top with onions and pickles. Cut into 4 pieces. Serve with the extra sauce on the side.