Pepper and Paprika Beef Sandwich

If I want to stay on the good side of my children, I stick to the 3 Magic P's that never yield any complaints nor pouts, just big smiles and thank yous. Pizza, panino and pasta. There's love in that order. 

Last night's choice was pizza. We decided to go out because we didn't know if we can go out on the 6th for the Befana. The Befana is an important holiday in Italy when it is believed that the Befana, a old witch, goes around flying on her broom filling up stockings left by kids with candies and toys if they had been good and charcoal if they had been naughty on the eve of the 5th. For a Sunday night in the pizzeria we frequent, it was so strange to find ourselves alone in a place that's usually buzzing with activity. The pizza there has always been dependably good, not exceptional but not bad either. What makes that place really popular is the very warm reception that the owners give the diners and the small indoor play area for the kids so it's really a place for families with young children. We found out from the owner that there was a football game between Roma and Lazio and they had been very busy with early pizza take-out orders before we arrived. Obviously, we were sticking out from our neighborhood of football fans.

 

But let's move on to another magic P in my kids' list. Sandwiches. They have saved me a lot of times when I open my fridge and cupboards without enough ingredients to put together a decent meal. When the meat is not enough to cover the four of us, there are some leftovers that I am certain the kids will not eat again or there are some odd slices of prosciutto and cheese to put together, sandwiches are my saviors. The kids love our sandwich dinners to bits because there's a variety to choose from. Sometimes, it's possible to turn a desperate situation into a good one. 

This panino or sandwich was born after I saw once that the remaining beef was not enough to prepare a proper meal for the four of us. Thinking of putting together a sandwich popped up as the only solution. I had all the ingredients for a basic dry rub, tomatoes and lettuce to fill up the sandwiches so the sandwiches became dinner. And a good one at that. I have always cooked with paprika especially when I bake the potatoes so it's a spice that both kids are used to.

Because of the holidays, I have been quite behind with work and sharing my recipes. I created this sandwich for Stepable, a new food site I joined where you can find the recipes much easier to follow because they come along with step-by-step photos. Click on this link to go there.  Thanks!

Buona Befana to all of you!