Putting My Must-Haves to Work: Pepperoncini Peppers

Okay, I said I'd try to help you out.  I gave you a list of essentials, and then I didn't follow through and tell you what to do with them!

Pepperoncini peppers look like a wild card on the list.  What are you supposed to do with a spicy pickled condiment?  Actually, you can do a lot.  My suggestion today is just one example of the many possible uses of this tasty ingredient.

If you're someone who likes tuna salad sandwiches like I do, then you're gonna love this quick tip.  Use the peppers, along with some Romaine lettuce and Greek feta cheese to perk up a classic.  Instead of doing the traditional tuna, mayo, and pickle relish version of tuna salad, leave out the pickles.  Just drain the tuna really well (the peppers will add liquid back in, and we're not making tuna soup sandwiches here), then mix in just enough mayonnaise to sort of bind the tuna together.  After adding just a pinch of salt and a twist of cracked pepper, you're ready to assemble.

I always toast my bread for any sort of meat salad sandwich, whether it be crab salad, tuna salad, or chicken salad.  The bread du jour in our house this weekend was English muffins.  They actually go surprisingly well with the tuna and peppers.  I too was shocked.  You can really use any bread you like, but I prefer something a little more adventurous than just your standard white bread.  Whole grain and 12 grain bread are my favorites when I have them on hand, although a nice hearty sourdough or marble rye would also be really tasty.

So set up your bread, adding a couple leaves of romaine to the bottom piece (this keeps the underneath of your sammy from getting soggy).  Please don't chop up your lettuce.  It's not as good that way, and if your bread is still hot, it'll just wilt faster.  Top the bed of lettuce with a healthy scoop of tuna.  Then nestle a few slices of pepperoncini pepper in the tuna.  Sprinkle with crumbled feta, then finish by topping the sandwich with more lettuce and the top of the English muffin (or other slice of bread).

The spice from the pepper acts as a more flavorful and savory alternative to sweet relish, and the feta ties everything together and makes it feel a little like a Greek salad on a sandwich.  It's something to try.

You can use pepperoncinis just about anywhere you would otherwise use pickles.  And pairing them with ingredients like feta or Kalamata olives can turn something like a burger, chicken sandwich, or salad into a Greek-style treat.

Opa!

~AF