Open Face Steak Tomato and Provolone Sandwiches

Open Face Steak Tomato and Provolone Sandwiches

A quick and easy summertime or anytime meal can be found in these terrific open face sandwiches that make great use of leftover steak from last night's barbeque or steak dinner. To be honest, in anticipation the next day being a busy one with little time to cook, I grilled a couple of extra strip loin steaks as a bit of advance meal planning. That is the sort of thing that I often do during a busy week. Today, for example, I am attending a concert at my son's rock band camp all afternoon, so yesterday when we had grilled chicken Caesar salad for dinner, I purposely grilled a few more breasts to quickly put together some grilled chicken paninis for dinner tonight, which will include some roasted peppers and more of that tasty provolone cheese... really looking forward to those.

These steak sandwiches are made on toasted ciabatta bread that has been spread with a delicious compound butter that includes garlic, herbs and Worcestershire sauce. Besides adding a great flavor punch to these sandwiches, one other use for this particular compound butter is to top a freshly grilled steak with a generous pat of this butter and let it melt over the steak as you eat it. Just simply delicious, if just a little indulgent.

Originally published on July 22, 2011.

Garlic Herb Worcestershire Butter

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp soft butter

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp chopped oregano

1 tbsp chopped chives

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Lightly saute the garlic in 2 tbsp butter, just to soften it. Do NOT brown it.

Add the sauteed garlic to the other ingredients and whip together until smooth. If you like, you can form it into a log, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for several days.

Ciabatta bread, split horizontally and well toasted

Spread the Garlic Herb Worcestershire Butter on the toasted ciabatta.

Top the bread with thin slices of freshly grilled rare steak. ( or if using leftover rare steak, warm it for only a minute per side in a cast iron skillet.)

Lightly fry thick slices of vine ripened tomatoes in a little butter before adding these on top of the sliced steak.

Finally, place several slices of provolone cheese on the tomatoes and broil for only a minute or two until the cheese melts. Grab a fork and knife and dig in.