La Maison de Mezzetta Moroccan Melts
with Minted Harissa Mayonnaise
(Vegetarian Category)
About the winners - $1,000 Finalist ~ veg Sandwich
Erin Evenson
La Maison de Mezzetta Moroccan Melts with Minted Harissa Mayonnaise (Vegetarian Category)
How did you feel when you found out you won the contest?
[Erin:] I was in complete shock. I had JUST returned from grabbing a veggie-and-goat cheese sandwich from the deli next door, so it was practically providence that I returned to my desk to a telephone message from Mary Ann advising me of being a finalist in Mezzetta's sandwich contest! I couldn't believe it! The sandwich was created as a tribute to the inspiration provided by and availability of products in my Brooklyn neighborhood, and is something that I make for practically any occasion, be it a night in alone, with my boyfriend, with family or friends visiting, a group joining us to watch a baseball, basketball or football game, to listen to a new record, or a local political committee meeting; this is a sandwich that knows no boundaries, and is a crowd-pleaser in Brooklyn (despite the generous use of spinach...I love spinach, but it is a lot of fun to watch so-called "spinach haters" gobble up these sandwiches).
How did you come up with the idea for the winning sandwich?
The neighborhood of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn is pretty extraordinary, in that you can find homemade mozzarella, house-made feta, Lebanese baked goods, British Isles sausages, fresh-pickled Scandinavian herring and North African specialties all within a few blocks of one another. This sandwich was inspired by both the availability of Mezzetta's products and some extraordinary meals that I have had at one of Bay Ridge's wonderful Moroccan restaurants. One of my favorite meals was a caramelized onion, carrot and raisin tangine. I was obsessed for days with the combination of caramelized onions, carrots and raisins, and couldn't believe how lovely the combination could be. I started playing around with the idea of Moroccan spices, fruit, vegetables and cheese, and realized that this amalgamation would make one great sandwich, especially with a final dusting of powdered sugar, in tribute to the traditional topping to a Moroccan bastilla. I have served this sandwich many times, and to great success, particularly to serious meat-eaters who have previously tried to tell me that nothing vegetarian could possibly be good. Ha! I showed them!
Have you ever won a cooking contest before?
had never entered a single cooking contest until late last summer. The very first contest I entered was Sutter Home's Build a Better Burger Contest, and I was invited to be a finalist for the Northeast Region in 2007. I IMMEDIATELY fell in love with Napa Valley, and spent every spare moment driving back and forth between American Canyon and St. Helena (over and over and over again). I think I was in too much shock to actually register shock, and it was an amazing experience. I LOVE California! I am a not-so-secretive obsessive home cook, and my mom, my sister and I have all been accused of being able to talk about food more than anyone else could POSSIBLY talk about food. We could have just eaten a heavy, multi-course dinner in the dead of winter, and we would STILL be discussing food while moaning in agony later in the evening. We just can't help it! Anyhow, after the wonderful Build a Better Burger experience (I was the first runner-up in the Beef category...whoo hoo!), I then investigated other contests, but made a pact with myself that I would only enter a contest that included a food that I always use. I have kept that pact, and this is only the third contest I have ever entered, and I could not possibly be more surprised or honored to be recognized by Mezzetta. I could eat your olives until I am partially green and your pickled carrots until I am partially orange (and, actually, you might want to ask my boyfriend for his honest opinion...I may very well be an amalgamation of green and orange, but he is the kind of person who would be too kind to tell me that I have turned an odd, sickly color).
Why do you think gourmet sandwiches are becoming such a trend?
I was born in 1972, and I grew up watching public television cooking shows. I knew that I was an outcast when I could try to discuss cooking with my classmates, but I still persisted. In the mid-1990's, I started experiencing a bit more luck in college, and more of my peers were becoming interested in cooking. I went to school in downstate Illinois and we had great access to local farmer's markets and products that a lot of students had never encountered. The more that my friends saw and tasted, the more they would experiment, and one of the tastiest experiments that anyone can perform in their own kitchen is making a sandwich. We could experiment with different vegetables and spreads and breads and cheeses and meats and find our own favorites, without having to call our parents begging for more money to be wired into our student accounts. Sandwiches are also SO user friendly, in that we could always pack them to go for a picnic, serve them at both high-end gatherings and sports events, and they were ALWAYS welcome. Yet, the more we would all experiment with flavors and temperatures and combinations, the better received and more accolades our sandwiches would receive. ANYONE can make a great gourmet sandwich, just as long as they start with great products.
How long have you been using Mezzetta products?
For at least 8 years.
Where do you shop for Mezzetta products?
I am fortunate enough to find Mezzetta products both locally and "imported" from near and about my hometown in Illinois. I have happily lived in Brooklyn, New York for nearly three years now, but have in the past been known to clandestinely pack jars of Mezzetta's giardiniera (Mezzetta's is the best I have ever tasted, but don't tell any of my favorite Chicago Italian beef joints that I said that) and pickled carrots in my luggage en route from visiting my Illinois family back to Brooklyn. My Illinois sources were Caputo's Italian Market on Harlem Avenue in Elmwood Park, Illinois, Andy's Fruit Ranch (yeah...I know...how do you lasso fruit?) on Kedzie Avenue, and Prisco's Fine Foods on Prairie Street in Aurora, IL.
Thankfully, upon further exploration of my neighborhood, I was been able to find Mezzetta's products within not just my neighborhood, but within my very own block! This is great, because I have experienced quite a few broken jar casualties in my checked luggage (not that I will ever really complain that my clothes smell like olives...I have no problem skipping lunch and just happily licking my shirt sleeve all day...wait...I think that might just be too much information...sorry about that). Both Jenny Farm on 5th Avenue and 77th Street in Brooklyn and the Lebanese grocery store that is located in the 7900 block of 5th Avenue (the name is escaping me right now, which is quite aggravating, because I shop there at least once a month...I will report the name when I return home tonight) both carry a good line of Mezzetta's products, including roasted peppers, olives (though I really wish I could find the smoked olives locally, but I haven't yet been able to find them), pickled carrots, giardiniera and olive oil.
Any plans yet for the prize money?
I will definitely treat my boyfriend and myself to a dinner at the wonderful Moroccan restaurant that inspired this sandwich recipe (and leave a great tip). The rest will go towards our house-with-a-real-kitchen fund. Our current kitchen is workable, but I can't wait until we can raise enough funds to finally sign the dotted line for a home with a TRUE working kitchen (and a giant pantry to store all our Mezzetta's products!).
We know you visited Napa Valley last year, and we bet you hope to return soon. What are your favorite wineries or restaurants to visit there?
I can't wait to eventually return to the Napa Valley for a visit. It is an extraordinary and dreamy place, and I will admit that I am quite jealous that you work there (though, well, I pretty much am in love with New York, too...I love both equally!). Oh, and I could eat the fig, cheese and thyme flatbread at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen for every meal, every day of the week. And the latest Cabernet from Groth Vineyards...oh my! That is pretty delicious. And I had several raw milk cheeses that I hid in my carry-on from Raymond & Co. cheesemongers in Glen Ellen (I bought them in the early, early hours of the morning before the Build a Better Burger cook-off at the local farmer's market). Geesh...those cheese were pretty spectacular.
Biographical Info
Age? (You can make this an approximation!)
35. Not an approximation. I have no shame.
Profession?
Former schoolteacher, now a paralegal, or "legal assistant", as is en vogue in these parts these days.
Married? Involved? Children? Pets? Names?
Involved, for nearly 7 years. We have one pet, an insane, middle-aged cat named "Turnip."
How long a resident of Brooklyn?
3 1/2 years, previously a resident of Chicago, Illinois.
Other hobbies, passions, pastimes?
I am a trombonist (yeah, not all that girly) and a prolific political blogger. My passions pretty much involve music of all kinds, my family (my wonderful mom and sister), my inspiring boyfriend (Chris), and, well, constantly traveling and exploring, be it domestically or foreign. And, of COURSE, cooking and seeking out awesome eatables.
Anything else you would like to add?
I think I have probably divulged more than someone with any shame should! This is still such an incredible surprise. Thank you very, very much for this honor. Your products are truly inspirational, and I wish all the best to you and the Mezzetta family. Thanks, again!