By Gabrielle Hamilton
- Total Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- 4(299)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This sandwich serves many dainty folks or fewer rugged types. Preorder the bread from an Italian bakery or deli counter, and build first, season last. Success here is in achieving a perfect filling-to-bread ratio, a generousness with the seasonings, and the ability to close the sandwich around the filling without finding it woefully over- or under-stuffed when it’s time to slice. It’s a huge help to have on hand 8-inch wooden skewers, disposable gloves, a good serrated knife and an egg-slicer gadget. The assembly instructions here are meant to be helpful but not prescriptive, as I trust that everybody knows how to build a sandwich to their own liking.
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Ingredients
Yield:1 six-foot hero (serves 12 to 30, depending on the group)
- 2green bell peppers
- 1medium head iceberg lettuce
- 5firm hothouse beefsteak tomatoes
- 1bunch celery hearts
- 1bunch flat-leaf parsley
- 2(14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts
- 14garlic cloves, peeled
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Extra-virgin olive oil (approximately 1 to 1½ cups)
- 2large red onions, peeled
- 1(6-foot) seeded Italian loaf (special order)
- Red-wine vinegar
- 1shy quart (not quite a full 4 cups) mayonnaise (preferably Hellmann’s)
- 2pounds sliced provolone
- 2(6-ounce) cans sliced pitted California black olives
- 24large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced
- 2(12-ounce) jars sliced pickled jalapeños
- 2(12-ounce) jars sliced cubanelle or banana peppers
- Dried oregano
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Preparation
Step
1
Wash and dry bell peppers, iceberg, tomatoes, celery hearts and parsley.
Step
2
Grind artichokes in a food processor with the peeled garlic and a pinch or 2 of salt, until largely puréed but still textural, like tapenade. If a little loosening is needed, blend in a glug of olive oil.
Step
3
Using a sharp knife, shave celery crosswise. Transfer to a medium bowl, and add the artichoke purée. Season assertively with salt and pepper, plus a nice long drizzle of olive oil; toss well and then set aside.
Step
4
Slice everything else that was washed and dried into the thinnest slices you can manage. Thinly slice the red onions into rings, then cut the rings in half to create half-moons. (Full rings of thinly sliced red onion have a tendency to become stringy as they wilt inside a sandwich, creating a bit of a choking hazard.)
Step
5
When ready to assemble the sandwich (at least 1 hour before eating, though the assembled sandwich can sit up to 12 hours in a cool place), chop the parsley, and stir it into the artichoke-and-celery mixture. Taste that the mixture is highly seasoned to your liking.
Step
6
Set up an efficient workstation with enough counter space for the bread, and have all your mise en place in neat containers in front of you. If possible, put the vinegar, oil and mayonnaise into squeeze bottles, just as they do at delis and salad bars. Wear gloves to make separating slices of cheese and onion and tomatoes while assembling more “grippy.”
Step
7
Hinge the bread horizontally without slicing all the way through. Be assertive in butterflying the loaf open — like breaking the spine on an open book — in order for it to lie flat enough to receive all the fillings without your having to hold it open along the way.
Step
8
Build by overlapping the ingredients, or “shingling” them, along the central channel of the hinged loaf in the following order: cheese, lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, artichoke-and-celery mixture, red onions, black olives, hard-boiled eggs, jalapeños and cubanelle peppers.
Step
9
Generously salt and pepper the whole thing, then zigzag squiggles of mayonnaise, squirts of vinegar and olive oil. Finish with a light dusting of oregano.
Step
10
Squeeze the sandwich closed, and insert 8-inch wooden skewers, driving them in diagonally to prevent the sandwich from springing back open. Trim a couple of inches off each end, then serve and slice to order.
Ratings
4
out of 5
299
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Cooking Notes
Barbara Aschenbrenner
Since as you’re going to create half moons anyway, it’s much easier (and safer) to cut the onion in half through the root, and then slice into half moons.
Jwl
A million years ago when we made these at home, we would scoop out the bread from the bottom piece, and fill the hollow with the shredded lettuce and onions, which had been tossed with the dressing. Next we would build the sandwich.
Katy
i love this. any tips on where to buy the bread? and is there any intention of making a video? The faith that "everybody knows how to build a sandwich to their own liking" is appreciated, but I'm not confident my 6-inch sandwich assembly skills will translate to a 6-footer.
Mpthurston
I made the sandwiches all summer for the beach. After I have baguette filled I wrap and put another cutting board on top and heavy items onto it until we are ready to go. Really helps meld flavors together
Tom
Found this to procure a giant loaf for a monster sandwich:http://www.grimaldibakery.com/retail_wholesale.html
john bertagna
6 foot hoagie rolls are hard to come by. try taking 3 two footers and cut all but 2 ends off. join them up with the 2 uncut ends outward, make your sandwich(s). to maintain the entire length of the sandwich i used a 1"x12"x6' board wrapped in foil to serve.
Annemarie
This is my go-to when I miss my NJ roots. I typically use a local baguette, lightly toasted (warmed). Prepare olive oil, vinegar, s&p, oregano and set aside. I use provolone, lettuce, tomato, red onion. I put the dressing directly on the bread, then add provolone, etc. Easy & fast!
Frank
Add some breaded and deep fried eggplant slices. Adds a nice crunch. Add a clove or two of garlic to that mayonaise. Skip the jalapenos and replace with italian style hot peppers in oil.
Molly Bloom
Mayo on an Italian style sub? Blasphemy!
Haley
YES! I loved an Italian sub as a child, but becoming a vegetarian in 3rd grade stripped me of that joy. It's nice to have a formal recipe instead of the mish-mash I attempt on my own. I second the request for a video!
Mary
Easiest solution is to buy the mayo that comes in a plastic squeeze bottle.
Sarah
Beautiful! Scaled down for two, this will accompany us on many summer picnics. Generally I’m no fan of single-purpose kitchen gadgets, but one that I can’t live without is an egg slicer! Highly recommend.
LD
made it with a ciabatta loaf (2 ft), used avocado instead of eggs, 2 layers of provolone, 1 layer of smoked cheddar... WAS AWESOME!!! will do it again, and again...
DrDre2008
I guess you missed the "meatless" part. And the memo that everyone isn't you.
Russell Freeman
KUDOS the addition of sliced hard boiled EGG, awesome idea. Making this giant for the weekend> PS Bread any local European or Italian baker can bake to order. I second the motion for a Video. Sorry I had to add a few slices of Italian deli meats while I was shopping, make your veggie sandwich for us guys.
Sharon
I really enjoyed this! A meatless sub! I did leave off the hot peppers as I don't tolerate them but did use most of the rest. Now, to find a good gluten free bre a d that works better than 2 slices od bread. Which was still enjoyable, by the way.
Christy
I made this for our block party. Instead of trying to order a 6 foot roll, I used good quality hoagie type rolls. I did find out why she says slice to order--it's hard to cut these up without massacring them. But I did cut each hoagie into 4, and put them on parchment squares, so people could easily grab and eat standing up, no plate needed. Anyway, they were good, I liked the artichoke mixture, but there was too much filling for the bread to close, so I ended up hollowing them out a bit.
orbisdeo
I say can the canned olives and chop the same amount of Castlevatrano’s with an equal amount of canned chickpeas.
Giuseppe
It sounds great, but I couldn't eat this without wishing for salami.
Ryan
I don't have 6 feet of prep space. But I sure do like a sammy.
Blarp
Disgusting use of two dozen eggs. Substitute the gross eggs for slices of salami, ham, and other italian meats for a much more delicious much easier to make sandwich.
DrDre2008
I guess you missed the "meatless" part. And the memo that everyone isn't you.
Molly Bloom
Mayo on an Italian style sub? Blasphemy!
Annette
I used a 16oz Chabaso ciabatta, dug our some of the middle. Made enough for 6-8. Used 5 eggs and approx one third of all other quantities. Delish.
MainLineMike
I've never understood the whole "giant sandwich" thing. Setting that aside, what about this is an Italian hoagie other than the provolone? There's nothing in this flavor profile the come close to the salamis that belong in an Italian hoagie.
Richard
It's meatless; that's why there is no salami.
Frank
Add some breaded and deep fried eggplant slices. Adds a nice crunch. Add a clove or two of garlic to that mayonaise. Skip the jalapenos and replace with italian style hot peppers in oil.
Gaston
A good italian dressing on all of this - red pepper flakes, garlic, etc., would go well with this. The mayo doesn't work.
Sarah
Beautiful! Scaled down for two, this will accompany us on many summer picnics. Generally I’m no fan of single-purpose kitchen gadgets, but one that I can’t live without is an egg slicer! Highly recommend.
LD
made it with a ciabatta loaf (2 ft), used avocado instead of eggs, 2 layers of provolone, 1 layer of smoked cheddar... WAS AWESOME!!! will do it again, and again...
Julie
Smart idea on the smoked cheese!
DrDre2008
Thanks for the avocado tip! I'm going to add some tempeh slices as well.
Jwl
A million years ago when we made these at home, we would scoop out the bread from the bottom piece, and fill the hollow with the shredded lettuce and onions, which had been tossed with the dressing. Next we would build the sandwich.
odile
this sounds awesome..but did I miss something here? how to transport this 6 foot sandwich carefully wrapped..in one piece.?thanks to anyone for any clarification.
SGS
In the original article she said she wrapped it in brown paper, closed with packing tape (?) & secured, carried/served on plywood.
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