Growing up in a small town in Downeast Maine, our go-to lunch when doing summertime activities was “Italians” (aka the Italian Sandwich). It’s a harmonious flavor I will never forget. In this recipe, I will share some of the traditional secrets that made them SO DELICIOUS!
Ham is the standard meat of a Maine Italian. More specifically, that really generic, “cooked ham”, the stuff that’s used in this guy’s Maine Italian video. I used my plant-based smokehouse ham, and it was awesome! If I make a plant-based “cooked ham” in the future, I’ll be sure to try it out in an Italian and let you all know how it is. If you want be a Craig’s Curls Recipe Volunteer, I would love to work with you on making a cooked ham out of soy curls!
The Secrets
You get to pick-and-choose what you want on a Maine Italian. I used to pick off the tomatoes. I added oregano in this recipe but like everything it’s optional. Oregano would’ve been on a fancier Maine Italian, likely from somewhere out of Portland (note: that photo is not representative of classic Maine Italians!).
Don’t go crazy piling up the ingredients. Maine Italian is all about balance and harmony. Look at the photo, it’s a pretty good representation. You don’t want pickles overlapped. Next time I will dice up the onions and tuck in some sliced green peppers in true Maine Italian form!
The Number One Most Important Secret of the Maine Italian that NOBODY ELSE IS TELLING YOU…
Make them ahead of time! These are very, very good fresh, but like many things, the flavors will really start to shine after a few hours.
A Note About Cheese
Lastly, traditional Maine Italian sandwiches will have white American cheese on them. If you’re feeling the need, feel free to cheese/plant-based cheese it up, but this sandwich holds its own without the cheese!
Plant-Based Maine Italian Sandwich
Ingredients
- Soft Italian bread (Fresh or gently heated French baguette can be used as pictured)
- Plant-based smokehouse ham
- Tomato, sliced
- White onion, sliced or diced
- Green bell pepper, diced
- Dill pickle slices
- Finely shredded iceberg lettuce (butterhead lettuce is great, too!)
- 1 pinch Black pepper
- 1 pinch Oregano
- 1 small pinch Cayenne pepper or Paprika
- 1 splash Red wine vinegar (only if you like vinegar on your sub)
Instructions
- Be sure to read or skim the section "The Secrets" in the associated blog post.
- Assemble as seen in the picture. Everything listed is optional but legit New England-style. Everyone has their own preferences, maybe someone wants yellow mustard and no vinegar, plenty of people are averse to tomatoes, and others may even want a little salty punch of olives – no matter your preference, go for it!
Notes
Video
I found a video of a Maine Italian that’s actually fairly legit, though the guy is an absolute animal with the tomatoes.
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