Reuben sandwich

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© Photo:  Ben Frantz Dale, via Wikimedia Commons
Reuben sandwich

A Reuben sandwich is normally made using rye bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and Russian dressing, griddled or fried and served hot. The corned beef is sometimes replaced by pastrami, and the Russian dressing by Thousand Island salad dressing.

The Reuben sandwich is part of American food folklore. It is usually associated with Jewish food tradition even though all its variants combine meat with cheese and therefore are not kosher. Several competing stories are told about its origin and involve slightly different recipes, a fact that partially may explain the confusion.

Origin

The Reuben sandwich was probably named for Arthur Reuben who owned the now closed Reuben's delicatessen in New York. The sandwich has been made using corned beef, pastrami or ham. Reuben reportedly created the sandwich to honor Annette Seelos who was an actress in 1914. Another story goes the sandwich was created by Reuben Kay, a Omaha grocer, who made the sandwich for a poker game. His sandwich won a national contest the following year. The sandwich can be grilled or served cold.

Recipe

A simple recipe for a Reuben sandwich:

• Corned beef
• Thousand Island dressing
• Sauerkraut
• Swiss cheese, sliced thin
• Butter, softened
• Rye bread (swirled rye bread makes an appealing presentation)

Heat a grill pan, or skillet, while preparing the sandwiches. Spread soft butter on bread slices. Layer the corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and spread Thousand Island dressing on the top bread slice. Sandwich bread together. Grill using the preheated pan. Serve warm – or cold.