BREAD! Part 1: The food

I've become obsessed with bread.  One specific kind of bread.  Oh, two kinds actually, food and money, but this post is about the food version.  One specific kind of that food.  Friends, can you guess which?

I've been using banh mi rolls from a Vietnamese baker here in town (Lanvin, on 82nd Ave) when I make sandwiches for Louise.  It is not poorboy bread, but it is the closest I've found in Portland. Portland has many bakeries making outstanding french loaves, but they are almost all crusty, VERY chewy, with lots of large holes.  These qualities are almost the opposite of a poorboy loaf.   In contrast, the rolls from Lanvin have a crispy crust and a reasonably airy crumb. So my plan has been to try contract with them to use their recipe / technique in dimensions similar to a NO poor boy loaf or, failing that, using their bread as is.

Until today.

I've been sampling foods from some of the highly rated carts in town, per Willamette Week, the Bore-ogonian, and Portland Food Cart Stories (thanks for the great book, Bertrams!).   All of them rave about Tiffin Asha, which specializes in the foods of southern India.  I love South Indian food.  And the description of the Hot Chick:  A freshly made dosa wrapped around pakora fried Draper Valley Farms chicken drizzled with black cardamom-infused honey, pickled greens and creamy yogurt cheese, convinced me that some research was in order.   But when I googled the location (ACK!  I verbed Google!) I discovered that the cart is only open Thursday through Sunday.   Sadder but wiser, I was determined to honor my appetite for research.

So I redirected my attention to from south Asia to South Philly and decided to check out The Italian Market.  Open seven days a week, 12-9, located behind Belmont Station, and oh my, the Federal (spicy Italian pulled pork, broccoli rabe, sharp provolone on some very nice looking bread) was speaking to me.  Loudly.   As I was perusing the menu, I noticed that they referenced a bakery I'd never heard of before: Alessio's. Turns out Alessios is primarily a wholesale supplier serving local eateries, and will "happily" collaborate to deliver bread to spec.   New possibilities appeared before my eyes!

Could they craft a loaf that closely resembled the real thing?  That would be truly epic, because as anyone who has eaten poor boys knows, the bread, more than the fillings or condiments, defines the sandwich.   So the quest was on to see if I could find a recipe to take to Alessios.  After several twists and turns, I found this.  As I read the blog entry, my heart sank.  This blogger gets it!  She knows exactly what a poor boy loaf is, she's found a very credible recipe, and, like so many others, her dream of an ex-pat poor boy has been crushed.

I started to fret.  I've lost confidence in my initial plan using banh mi rolls.  I'll be labeled a fraud for claiming a legitimate poor boy!  If I don't have the bread, what's so damn special about the damn sandwich?  Do I need to jettison any assertion of authenticity, since I'm willing to tout a bastard poor boy?!?

Thankfully Mario interrupted my dire ruminations by locating an article on nola.com indicating that the recipe I'd found is, in fact, the Leidenheimers* recipe, and, what's more John Gendusa (owner of a smaller rival bakery) points out that the necessary crust cannot be accomplished without the steam of a large commercial oven.   Sweet relief!  Of course, now using banh mi rolls is, in my fevered brain, anathema...so let's all light some incense and hope that Alessios can make my poor boy dreams come true!**

Ahem.

I'm thinking you might be interested, after all that, to get a review of The Italian Market.  Here goes:

Nice, solo spot (plusses and minuses there); Belmont Station has created a nice outside sitting area adjacent, as well as a new "indoor / outdoor" year round space with garage doors / ceiling heaters and the same furniture as outside. There is an entrance to the bottle / tap shop so you can bring your tasty beer selection out to accompany the food.

I was hoping to chat up the co-owner, who was working solo (and Rachel and I were the sole customers at that time) about the cart business and Alessios, but since my initial inquiry "How's business?" was answered with a terse "Good."  I let that go.

I got the Federal, Rachel got the 9th Street Hoagie:  Capicola, Mortadella & Hard Salami topped with Sharp Provolone, Oregano, Pepperoncini, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Olive Oil & Red Wine Vinegar.   Both were excellent in their way.  Really liked the bread, chewy, but not Portland chewy, fine enough crumb and substantial enough to support the juices/vinaigrette;  big enough (probably 10"?) that Rachel and I could only finish half each.  The Federal was outstanding.  Tender porky shreds with lots of red pepper flakes moistened with cooking juices, complemented by the bitterness and texture of the simply cooked and well seasoned rabe.  The contribution of the provolone was negligible.   The hoagie was less unique, but excellent.  Since it was lunchtime, I skipped having a beer this time, but I  know we'll be back.


* Leidenheimers is the 800 pound gorilla of New Orleans poor boy bread bakers.
**  Not to worry, if that doesn't work out I'm not going to throw in the towel...

Postscript:  When Mario sampled our lunch leftovers, he noted that the bread, in texture and flavor, resembles the storied muffaletta loaf.  Since the thin, seeded round is so distinctive,  I'd ruled out including in on the menu.  If I can get a miniature muffaletta loaf (the NO version is about 12" in diameter making a monster sandwich that few ever attempt to finish solo), I will happily concoct olive salad and offer this fantastic sandwich, that shows up in bastardized versions around town again and again (she intones sanctimoniously).  And once I have olive salad, I can offer an "Italian Salad" (originally called the Wop salad) a simple combination of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers tossed with olive salad.   Yah, dawlin', den we got ourselves some di-et food!