…if what they want is GOOD food.

I have a confession to make — I make roast beef specifically for the sandwiches. As good as it is warm, dripping with juices and fresh from the oven, roast beef takes on an entirely different identity when it’s cold, thinly sliced and piled high on top of good bread. Another reason I love making roast beef sandwiches? Horseradish. I can’t get enough of the stuff and truthfully, can’t find a better application (outside of prime rib) than when its teamed up with creamy mayonnaise inside of a sandwich.

Curious about what type of cheese people typically ask for on their roast beef sandwiches, I asked the checkout guy at the supermarket what he would choose. After a momentary pause he looked at me with a puzzled expression and responded sheepishly with,”Cheddar?” After asking several more of my friends and family the same question, I came away with similar, unsure responses. Realizing that sandwiches, like ones favorite pizza toppings, are very much tied to individual tastes, I figured there was no use trying to produce an archetypical version and decided to experiment. So, with some leftover dill from my Turkish stuffed grape leaves and what was left of a container of cream cheese in the fridge, I put together this piquant spread that adds a flavorful twist to an old favorite.

I’ve gone with something less traditional here, but what do you think belongs on a roast beef sandwich?

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The stuffed grape leaf, oftentimes referred to as dolma, is an under appreciated member of the meze family.  In favor of the ubiquitous hummus and pita or cucumber and yogurt salad, stuffed grape leaves tend to get passed over.  In fact, one of my closest friends and my own mother find this Middle Eastern staple off-putting.  I, too, remember a time when I shied away from stuffed grape leaves based solely on the fact that the dish involved the use of a leaf. (Then again, I was 9-years-old; I’m not sure what their excuse is.)  Expecting a vegetal, grassy flavor, I was caught off-guard by the savory, sweet, and sour flavor packed inside of each tiny bundle.

Having made many different versions of stuffed grape leaves, no recipe renders more consistent and flavorful results than that of Claudia Roden’s in her spectacular cookbook, Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon.  After making these from scratch you’ll find that the flavor of a homemade stuffed grape leaf is light-years away from those that come from a can.

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I usually do the cooking in my house, but on a recent trip to the farmers market, my girlfriend stumbled upon a vendor selling what looked to be the last of this season’s tomatoes and was instantly inspired to make this soup. A little overripe, she decided that the still beautiful specimens would taste especially good after roasting in the oven to concentrate their flavor.  Now, I myself am not the biggest tomato soup fan, but I was blown away at how delicious and flavorful the end product became. Somewhere between a tomato bisque and an earthy, slow-cooked tomato sauce, this soup had me sopping up the leftovers from the pot with a piece of toasted sourdough. Perfectly seasoned and especially comforting on a foggy San Francisco evening, my place in the kitchen might be in jeopardy if my girlfriend continues to turn out such satisfying fare.

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