Hot Italian Grinder Dip Ranch Style Food

ITALIAN HOAGIE DIP

Steps:

• Make the dressing by combining mayonnaise, olive oil, basil, oregano, garlic powder and pepper flakes. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, pepperoncini, salami, ham, capicola, mortadella and provolone cheese.
• Toss with the mayonnaise dressing and pour into a serving bowl.
• Lay out the bread slices on a platter and drizzle the herbed oil over the bread slices as well as over the bowl of hoagie dip and serve.

HOT ITALIAN GRINDER DIP (RANCH STYLE)

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 8-inch round glass baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise. Mix well until there are no lumps.
• Add the ranch dip mix, hot sauce, shredded cheese, ham, salami and capicolla. Mix well.
• Transfer to prepared baking dish and spread evenly.
• Bake for 20-22 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
• Remove from oven and top with shredded lettuce, tomato, onion and pepper rings.
• Serve hot with crackers for dipping.
• HINT: for some extra added flavor I've also served this hot dip drizzled with my favorite bottled Italian Salad dressing.

R.I. HOT OVEN GRINDER

Steps:

• 1. Cut loaf of Italian bread in half; slice through sandwich half - lengthwise, deep enough to open and fill with ingredients.
• 2. On one side of bread - layer onion slices, tomato slices, lettuce, pepper rings, or pepperoncinis.
• 3. Spread Italian meats and cheese, overlapping.
• 4. Generously drizzle olive oil and add a few splashes of red wine vinegar. Add seasoning if you wish.
• 5. Press sides of bread together and voila!
• 6. Rhode Islanders often leave the sandwich open and place it in the oven until the cheese melts - let the temperature rise to 350 degrees.
• 7. NOTE: After WWII, as Italian food grew in popularity in the United States and many cultures became assimilated, the use of other meats and cheeses infiltrated the grinder - turkey, roast beef, American and Swiss cheese. Even mayonnaise and mustard elbowed their way in. With the advent of chain restaurants, all sorts of grinders can be had and named for the type of bread used - baguette, ciabatta, barra, foccacia. In Rhode Island, the Italian grinder has hit the sauce big time: meatball, chicken parm, and eggplant grinders abound.

ITALIAN HOAGIE DIP

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the deli meats and cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato and banana peppers.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, olive oil. oregano, basil and pepper flakes.
• Pour the mayonnaise mixture over the meat mixture and stir to combine.
• Serve with sliced baguette or crackers.

ITALIAN GRINDER

Steps:

• Slightly toast buns, with insides up, in toaster oven or oven.
• On bottom half of bun layer two slices capicola, pepperoni, salami and provalone.
• Return to oven and toast until cheese is melting and kind of bubbly (my meat starts to crisp a little on the edges) and top bun is toasty brown.
• Remove from oven and top with shredded lettuce, tomato and italian dressing.