What's in a sandwich?

I started thinking about the ingredients in a well made sandwich today as I was making Phil and I Italian subs for lunch. What makes the perfect one? Is it the crusty bread or soft white bread? Mayo or mustard? Lettuce or tomato or both? Then I got to thinking about Italy and the different sandwiches I enjoyed there.

I remember my first visit there, specifically Venice. We walked along tiny, winding roads trying to avoid tourist trap restaurants in search of something authentic and special for lunch that first day there. It was a school trip and my mom, Auntie Virginia and family friend Anna were with us as well. My aunt and mom could understand Italian, but none of us could really speak it except the occasional "Buongiorno" or "Ciao, but I believe no matter what country you visit, we all speak the language of food. We looked inside windows of all sorts of store fronts. Windows filled with pizzas, dried sausage, cheeses, breads, and then we came across this tiny store. I can't recall the name, but we stopped because of the sandwich filled window. Thin sliced Italian bread filled with all sorts of Italian meats and cheese lined the window and case. The sandwich I had was sweet capicola (typically made from pork shoulder or neck and then dried whole), thin sliced tomato and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. The vision of the sandwich is so clear, even though it was almost 14 years ago. The shop was not fancy by any means and the sandwiches were simply served wrapped in a paper napkin with a corner sticking out so you could eat and walk at the same time. It was perfect and I guess I figured out what makes the perfect sandwich, it is good quality ingredients that can be brought together with no fuss. So, in honor of finding the perfect sandwich here is what I like in my Italian sandwich....

Serves 2

2 8" spuckies or good quality french loaf
10 slices of each: prosciutto, capicola, mortadella, sopressata and provolone ( be sure they are sliced thin)
extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
pinch oregano
pinch of fresh ground black pepper

Hold the spuckies on their side and cut lengthwise ensuring not to cut all the way through. Drizzle each side with oil and sprinkle oregano and black pepper, shingle the meats and cheese (five slices each sandwich), one more drizzle of oil on the meats and enjoy. Phil likes his sub with black olives and pickles and I sometimes like mine with crushed giardiniera salad, but again keep it simple and buy good quality cold cuts, visit Jerry in East Boston his are the best. Enjoy!