Montreal Submarines

Ok, this is a total local specialty, which i've only seen in quebec and eastern Ontario , I guess it is our local variety of the cheese steak sandwich, hawked by the dozens of greek/italian-owned pizzerias and several of the (also mainly greek-owned) hot dog restaurants of montreal; it is a delicacy which my father got me into. In town the quintessential sub chains are Vincents (especially on Rue Laurier Est) and the now famous Mikes restaurant. I suggest you go to the oldest most venerable locales to get this monster sandwich, personally I am Intensely partial to a little place calle the Jadrin Grec in the Cartierville (rue de salaberry near O'brien) neighbourhood or to Momesso’s in NDG.

Here’s how I make it at home, it ought to drip a bit if done correctly.

Ingredients:
2 pieces of sandwich steak
1 small onion or half a Spanish onion
half a green pepper
4-5 mushrooms
10 pieces of montreal pepperoni or kosher beef salami (no exceptions)
4 pieces of spicy capicollo
4 pieces of sweet ham (prosciutto cotto or Parisian ham please)
2 big pieces of provolone or a half cup grated mozzarella cheese
garlic
S&P, cayenne pepper
Oregano
Iceberg lettuce
Tomatoes
Thousand Island dressing or italian dressing

Tools:
Griddle or Electric dutch oven or very large wide skillet
Several plates
A nice long metal spatula


Heat up the Electric dutch oven to med/high heat

I take either baguette or long crusty rolls, cut into 7 inch sections in Montreal tradition. Preferably warm toasted in the oven.

Each section requires 1 small onion (a Spanish white for 2 sandwiches is best) as well as half of a green pepper, and a few mushrooms fried to death in the griddle (do not add salt until all is browned) with chili pepper. Salt lightly afterwards.
Put aside

Then you take some thin sandwich steak, fry it until it is brown on one side with tabasco, lea and perrins and garlic as well as salt and pepper. When you flip the steak, start frying the pepperoni, capicollo and ham until they become brown.



Now for the assembly: put the fried meat on top of your steak, then the cold cuts by the fried vegetables. Top it with 2 pieces of provolone (or some grated mozzarella) and let it cook until it melts. At this point squeeze the open bread onto the stack and carefully flip with a very long metal spatula (you could use two smaller ones, but who will hold your plate then? Who? I don’t know.) I like to put sliced pickled red peppers and Sicilian olives on this as well

Top this all with some shredded iceberg lettuce and a few pieces of tomato. Top with oregano and thousand island dressing (or Italian if you don’t like delcious orange glowing things). Serve with homecut fries and you have a montreal delicacy

Variation
You may also put Italian sausage on this sub, split down the middle and fried fully, just stack it in the place of the cold cuts in the assembly process