Brazilian Sandwich – Bauru

I am a big fan of a great sandwich, and I think we are always in search of a great one. I think I just found, what could possibly be one of my top five, a super sandwich. My wife and I love sandwiches, and we typically order a sandwich on a Saturday. They are just sandwiches, typically a local sub shop in town called Jimmy John’s, and as they are good, they are nothing to write home about.

I will also lay it up front that my go to deli meat is a nice roast beef, hands down, my favorite. However, I will also admit that if you throw me into a delicatessen such as Benji’s deli in Milwaukee, that roast beef gets immediately pushed to the side for a corned beef sandwich.

There is something to write about though, and that is a Brazilian sandwich known as the Bauru. Nothing out of the ordinary on this sandwich, nothing that you would not be able to find in your local grocery store, but this sandwich has a twist. A twist so awesome that it really brings this sandwich together, boosting it with amazing flavor.

Ingredients:

• Batard, or nice French Bread
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 slices of beefsteak tomato
• 6 pickle slices, or pickled cucumbers
• 1/2 tsp dried Mexican oregano
• pinch of salt
• 3-5 slices of thinly sliced roast beef

The trick to this sandwich is the cheese, and you have to get it melted. The best way to achieve this is to do it in a double boiler. To setup the double boiler, get a large saute pan out, and fill it a quarter way up with water. To this place a small saucepan inside the water, and bring it a boil. Add the cheese into the saucepan, and let it melt into a nice gooey glob of cheese.

During this time, slice your bread in half, lengthwise, and tear out the interior bread, just leaving a the crusty bread, and a bit of the interior as your vessel. Add the slices of roast beef, top with the sliced tomato, sprinkle with the salt and oregano, then top with the pickles. Take a fork and grab that gooey melted cheese from the saucepan, and blanket the top of the sandwich. Quickly place the top of the bread onto the sandwich, and push down just a bit, making sure the cheese comes out, wrapping the sandwich with love.

You will notice the cheese will change its texture in a couple of minutes, but it is such a wonderful texture, with just the right amount of saltiness.

Taking a bite into the bauru just explodes with flavor. The subtle hint of oregano with the roast beef, along with the pickles and texture of the bread, this one is hands down a must make. Hope you enjoy.