Open Face German Veggie Sandwich

I love the flavor of caraway seeds and started thinking about them early this am. I love the Russian-style dressing on the slaw—it’s slightly hot, slightly sweet and has a little tanginess. This makes four open face sandwiches, with some slaw leftover.

Ingredients:

Caraway salt (see below)

Russian style dressing (see below)

One bag (14 oz) cole slaw mix (no dressing) or ½ head cabbage, finely chopped

Four slices pumpernickel or rye bread, toasted

4 slices red beefsteak tomato

4 bread-sized slices of Muenster cheese

Dill pickle and potato chips for serving

Directions:

Prepare the caraway salt and set aside. Prepare the Russian style dressing and mix the cole slaw mix into in, one-fourth of the bag at a time (this gives the slaw time to slightly wilt down before the next addition). Place the toasted bread on a foil-lined baking sheet and pre-heat your oven to broil. Top the bread with a mound of slaw, a slice of tomato and a slice of cheese. Sprinkle the cheese with caraway salt and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Get creative on me: Use sauerkraut instead of slaw, use Thousand Island or vinegar/oil dressing for the slaw, add some pastrami, substitute cheeses, skip the caraway salt—do whatever you want!

Caraway Salt

 Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon caraway seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon onion powder

6 Tablespoons kosher salt

Directions:

Add the caraway and celery seeds to a dry skillet and heat to medium low. Cook until just fragrant (about 6 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove from heat, cool and place in a small sealable bag. Crush the seeds lightly with a rolling pin and place in a small container. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. This salt is best if it has a few hours to hang out before use.

Russian dressing

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon sour cream
• 4 Tablespoons chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon drained horseradish
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh onion
• ½ teaspoon worcestershire
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon caraway salt

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Chill until ready to use.