Ultimate Pastrami Sandwiches

Christmas lights. The annual tradition of Roberto directing the light installation from a lawn chair while Marcus does the actual work. This year: the Scottsdale house, not Maryvale, because Jessica wants the house to look like "something from a magazine" and Roberto wants the house to look like "a Mexican Christmas in the desert" and the compromise — as always — is both. White lights on the eaves (Jessica), multicolored lights on the mesquite trees (Roberto's demand, executed by me), luminarias along the walkway (Elena's tradition, the paper bags with candles that turn a sidewalk into a cathedral), and a giant inflatable Santa that Diego insisted on and which Roberto regards with a suspicion bordering on hostility. "That is not a real Santa," Roberto said, staring at the eight-foot inflatable. "That is a balloon." Diego said, "Abuelo, Santa is not real either." The theological implications of this statement sent Roberto into a silence that lasted forty-five minutes.

At Rivera's, the Christmas season presents an opportunity: the catering arm. Jessica identified corporate holiday parties as a revenue stream we should capture before opening. She printed flyers, sent emails to every business contact David Kim and Michael Torres could provide, and within two weeks we have six catering bookings for December. Six corporate holiday parties, each one thirty to sixty people, each one a chance to put Rivera's food in front of potential opening-day customers. The food will sell itself. The food has always sold itself. But Jessica's marketing will ensure the food has an audience.

The catering menu is a simplified version of the restaurant menu: brisket by the pound, pulled pork sliders, green chile stew shooters, cornbread, and cole slaw. Simple, portable, spectacular. Tomás and I will run the kitchen for the catering events while the rest of the staff continues training at the restaurant. The dual operation is ambitious — restaurant prep during the day, catering events at night — but I have spent twenty years working 48-hour shifts at fire stations. I know how to work tired. I know how to cook tired. The fire does not care if you slept. The fire only cares if you show up.

Diego's Christmas list: a dinosaur encyclopedia (expected), a real chef's knife (denied — he is six), a cooking class with Daddy (granted, enthusiastically), and a puppy (pending — Jessica and I are discussing, which means Jessica is saying no and I am slowly, strategically wearing her down). Sofia's Christmas list: new soccer cleats, a cookbook by a chef she admires (she specified the author and edition, because Sofia does not leave gift-receiving to chance), and a subscription to a food magazine. The girl wants a food magazine subscription for Christmas. She is nine. I am living my best life.

Six catering bookings in two weeks means six chances to prove that Rivera’s is something worth showing up for—and while the brisket and green chile shooters do the heavy lifting at those corporate parties, I keep coming back to the slider principle: people eat with their hands when they’re happy. After a long night of loading coolers and driving across Scottsdale with Tomás, I wanted to put together something at home that honored that same idea—stacked, unapologetic, built to satisfy. These Ultimate Pastrami Sandwiches are what I make when the catering is done and the family is still awake and Roberto is still, probably, staring at the inflatable Santa.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb thinly sliced pastrami
4 hoagie rolls or thick-cut rye bread slices, split
4 slices Swiss cheese
3/4 cup sauerkraut, well drained
1/3 cup Thousand Island dressing
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
Dill pickle slices, for serving

Instructions

Warm the pastrami. Place pastrami in a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and steam for 4—5 minutes, turning once, until heated through and tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
Toast the rolls. Spread softened butter on the cut sides of each roll. Toast in the same skillet or under the broiler for 2—3 minutes until golden brown and crisp at the edges.
Spread the sauces. Spread Dijon mustard on the bottom half of each roll and Thousand Island dressing on the top half. Don’t be shy—the sauce is what ties it together.
Layer the sandwich. Pile a generous portion of warm pastrami on each bottom roll. Top with a slice of Swiss cheese while the meat is still hot so the cheese begins to melt.
Add the sauerkraut. Spoon sauerkraut evenly over the cheese layer. Sprinkle with caraway seeds if using.
Close and press. Cap with the top roll and press down firmly. Wrap in foil for 2 minutes to let the heat meld everything together—this step makes the difference between a good sandwich and a great one.
Serve. Unwrap, slice on the diagonal, and serve immediately with dill pickle slices on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Ultimate Pastrami Sandwiches — Built for the Catering Life