Happy November! It was so nice having Halloween on a Saturday night then getting an extra hour of sleep -- great today, crummy for the next few months because it so dark, so early. Yesterday, I made a Pickle Hoagie at home. Wondering what that is? Is it a hoagie filled with pickles? Hmmm…that sounds strange. No It’s a hoagie where the pickle replaces the bread. This still sounds strange. If you love pickles, read on.
I learned about it from Preston and Steve, my favorite Philly morning radio show. After some research, I discovered that Elsie's in Haddon Township, NJ put these on the map. They created a hoagie without the bread, making it both gluten free and low carb. I promise to try Elsie's and post a review soon but I couldn’t wait to try one. I decided to make one at home. I'll say it now. Mine looks much wimpier than Elsie's but it really came out great. Watch the video to see how it went. Disclaimer: This video is my first. It's not the best but I will continue to get better.
Bread. In this case, pickle: I may have woken up in the middle of the night concerned about where to find a big enough pickle. I knew I had the gigantic "vat" of pickles that my husband picked up from Costco. But, just because everything is huge at Costco, doesn’t mean the gigantic vat contained gigantic pickles. In the morning, I discovered that some would "cut the mustard" but I planned to check out Corropolese for larger barrel pickles. I was right! Because of COVID-19, you needed to ask for them instead of "bobbing for pickles" in the barrel. I ended up with two very large pickles for my hoagies. Go me!
My pickle from Corropolese was a fine vessel for my hoagie. If you scoop out the seeds and then some, you can really fit a lot more than my attempt. I was too worried of overfilling it and making it too tough to eat (I don’t like food all over my hands). Just be sure to keep the pickle goodness. If you scoop too much, you may as well call it a "Pickle Skin Hoagie". That's just gross. Seriously, I can't believe I wrote that.
Condiments: I added the condiments in between the capicola and genoa salami. I did this because I was concerned the oil and mayo would make the hoagie too slick and everything would fall out. I will test it with condiments on top next time, and report back.
Meats & Cheese: I purchased high quality meat and cheese from Corropolese Italian Bakery and Deli in Norristown. I love their tomato pies, roasted pork and hoagies. I also grabbed a few hoagies that I will review soon.
Veggies: I went lite on the lettuce, tomato and onion but I could have fit more. I had very thinly sliced onion and tomato which always make the experience wonderful. I used romaine lettuce in 1 inch pieces - no complaints here.
Reorganization Rating: No reorganization necessary. Everything stayed put and I didn’t need to be re-assembled. Score! That was based on tooth picks. Super important part of the build. Watch the video to see more.
Eating experience: It was different but it was easy to adjust, as it tasted just like a high quality hoagie on a crusty roll. I think because it was a new experience, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was super surprised at the flavor and didn’t miss the bread. Maybe after a while, I would miss bread. I always do eventually. Hence why I have to work out almost every day. UGH!
Next meal survival rate: Didn’t save a sliver. I was too hungry and too lazy to make more than one today. I will update after I make more, and I will!
Overall happiness rating: This was a big hit! I was worried I wouldn’t find big enough barrel pickles. I was worried I wouldn’t fit the ingredients. I was worried it would have the overwhelming flavor of pickle. So negative and worrisome, right? And not necessary! I was very happy and so was my husband. I plan to make these a party staple once we can have parties again. Easy, different and tasty!