Mountain Guide’s Reuben

My original training on making deli sandwiches came from my time working at Moe’s Deli, on Frankford Avenue above Cottman, in the 1970s. It was my second real job and the woman who ran the deli had very high standards for ingredients and our performance. Her teachings are the inspiration for this sandwich, and several others, which uses homemade Russian dressing with only natural ingredients.

Ingredients
2-3 tbsp “Revamped Russian Dressing” from the “Basic’s” Section.
4 slices Jewish rye bread
6 slices baby Swiss cheese
½ lb pastrami sliced thin
½ large yellow/white onion
1 large jalapeno cored and chopped
6-8 oz fermented cabbage or store bought Saur Kraut
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
Olives for garnish

Rinse the Saur kraut (no need to rinse the fermented cabbage) and then sauté in 1 tbsp oil in non-stick pan until its starts to dry out. Add the onion and jalapeno and remaining oil, let cook till onions are translucent stirring frequently.
While the Saur kraut is cooking, on a griddle melt the butter and brown the bread on both sides. Place three slices of Swiss cheese and half the pastrami on two of the slices, remove to the plates and turn off the griddle. (leave remaining rye bread there for now).
Next spoon some Revamped Russian dressing over the pastrami, followed by the Saur kraut/onion/jalapeno mixture, then place the remaining rye bread slices on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cut each sandwich in half, and add olives of choice to the dish.