Susan grew up in Garland, but she was actually born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her dad was fond of hoagie sandwiches, and he made them for his children. Susan introduced me to hoagies during our first clinical year in medical school. Later, I had subs of many different kinds, but I never forgot the original hoagie.
A couple of evenings ago, I suggested that I should try to make hoagies for dinner. Susan was game, of course. Few meals are as delicious and comforting as those that our parents prepared for us when we were children. I went online in search of hoagie recipes, and there were many.
Yesterday, I gathered the ingredients for hoagies, and this evening, I made them. The bread was Portuguese Water Bread left over from yesterday’s Brown Crab dinner. I cut the rolls in half and brushed them with olive oil. The meat layer was thinly sliced Prosciutto, Soppressata, and uncured Pepperoni. The cheeses were sliced Provolone and Mozzarella. The vegetable layer was romaine (I put arugula on mine), sliced tomato, thinly sliced red onion, and sliced sweet peppers. The sandwiches got a sprinkling of salt and oregano at the table. Yum!
RIP, Henry Penfield. You live in your children’s memories, the family stories that we tell, and in some meals that we serve.
It is late as I see this and it sure looks good!!!!!