47’s Fiesta Bird & Private Eyes

I know. Daryl Hall and John Oates. I know.  Let me explain. My boyfriend and I had just moved to Michigan. I had already been working at Trader Joe’s in Arizona, continued in MI, thankful to have a paying job. The Trader Joe’s I worked at in Michigan was one of the most fun-loving, affectionately flawed and amazing experiences of my life. (Although all of my Trader Joes stores fit that bill.) My first day at the new store I rolled in, proudly wearing my Sketcher Shape-Ups, anxiously feeling out my new TJs family. (My friends made fun of me for these shoes later. I deserved it.) One of my first memories from the store? The music they played! I was singing, dancing, absorbed in the music and the time flew.  After we had closed and were stocking the shelves, Private Eyes came on and I swear half the crew froze in an almost near panic. One even yelled out the name of one of our managers and the song was changed instantly. I would later discover it was a running joke that this manager die-hard loved, faithfully loved Hall and Oates. In reality he loathes them. So, when I first think of my time in Michigan Hall and Oates come to mind.

Usually when I think of a place I lived or visited, the food,  the restaurants with this dish or that, the small shops with incredible smoked meats or house made cheeses come to mind. For Michigan, this place is Zingerman’s Deli. When you walk into Zingerman’s the cheese counter, the shapely prosciutto legs, the fresh baked bread, bright green olive oils, rich moody coffee, dried yellow egg pastas and a deli case of fresh crunchy salads greet you. It looks as overflowing as a Where’s Waldo picture. My partner swears my eyes grew as big as whole pizzas and I didn’t talk for 20 minutes when he took me to Zingerman’s for the first time.  Also you can sample everything in the store!  On top of this food wonderland, they make the best sandwiches in the United States, hands down. I really miss their crusty, meaty, old-or-new-pickle accompanied sandwiches. So this is my take on a Zingerman’s style sandwich, which is always over the top, always delicious and one place that I will always miss. Hall and Oates hits a certain guilty pleasure level and reminds me of fond times. When I think of my time in Michigan, a Zingerman’s style sandwich and Private Eyes somehow end up on the same page.
Vinyl: Daryl Hall and John Oates – Private Eyes
HallandOates

 

47’s Fiesta Bird

Prep time – 20 minutes

Cook time – 20 minutes

Total time – 40 minutes

Serves 2

 

Ingredients

Roasted Red Pepper Spread:

One 6 oz jar of roasted red pepper strips, drained and pressed

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 garlic clove

½ teaspoon salt

Sandwich:

2 uncooked chicken breasts (about 4 oz each)

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 slices of smoked Gouda

1 can of hatch green chiles, drained and pressed

1 whole tomato

2 leaves of lettuce, washed and dried

4 teaspoons of mayonnaise, divided (optional)

1 loaf of crusty sourdough or farm house style bread (look for one that will yield slices 6-8 inches or larger in diameter)

 

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients for the red pepper spread in a food processor and blend until a thick, slightly chunky spread forms. If needed, add in ½ teaspoon of olive oil at a time. Drain extra liquid and press to remove any extra moisture. Repeat this with the hatch green chilies. Moisture is the enemy of sandwiches.
  2. Taking a mason jar or heavy glass (a beer mug or mason jar would work well), pound the chicken breast into even uniform thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season with salt and pepper.
  3. Lightly coat the chicken in olive oil and place on a preheated fry pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, then keeping chicken in the pan, remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes in the pan, covered. Do not open the pan to check on them or even to peak! This will finish cooking the breast and keep them moist and tender.
  4. Prepare your sandwich mise en place (your set up). Cut the crusty bread so that you have four even thickness slices, ¾ inch – 1 inch thickness is desirable. Toast the bread lightly. Cut the tomato into thin slices. Lay out the cheese slices, grab the red pepper spread and the hatch green chilies. You should have the chicken, the bread, the mayonnaise, the red pepper spread, the hatch green chilies, the tomatoes, the lettuce and the cheese.
  5. Take one slice of bread and if desired, spread 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise on one side. On that same side, lay the lettuce and tomato and hatch green chilies (about 2 teaspoons worth). Lay the chicken breast on top and the smoked Gouda. Taking the top slice of sandwich bread, spread generously with the roasted red pepper spread. Place this on top of cheese, chicken sandwich bottom. Lightly press entire sandwich to compress and slice in half. Serve with a whole dill pickle. If you are really lucky and can find local pickles, the flavor often resembles Zingerman’s Deli’s pickles.

 

Notes:

This sandwich will definitely be an open wide mouth bite! You can elect to cut the breast in half length-wise to reduce the sandwich size. However, the real  Zingerman’s is always piled high and always a big bite sandwich!

A lager or pale ale would pair expertly with this sandwich. I had Dale’s Pale Ale! You are looking for something that won’t compete with the spice from the red pepper spread and chilies.

Curious about the name? Hatch green chilies are from New Mexico. New Mexico is the 47th state to join the Union. Zingerman’s has a knack for naming their sandwiches unique names so I followed suit! Here is the link to their deli: http://www.zingermansdeli.com/

Leave a Reply