Rachel Sandwich - Video Recipe

Coleslaw between 2 slices of rye bread? But when you add melty Swiss Cheese, tender Corned Beef, and Russian Dressing, now that's a great sandwich. My Rachel Deli Sandwich is stacked with deliciousness.

I was unaware of such a wild sandwich until I first ordered a Rachel at Los Angeles's premier Jewish Deli, Canter's Restaurant. They are expensive, in the $20 range now, and I would get them just every once in a while. 

The Rachel is a riff on a Ruben Sandwich, which is made with Sauerkraut instead of Coleslaw. And the Ruben is an American creation from the early 1900s (click here to read all about it.)

What makes a Rachel Sandwich so tasty is the combination of cool Coleslaw with thick slices of Corned Beef and Swiss Cheese on toasty Rye Bread. It's a heady, hardy sandwich.

Now you would think it too difficult to make in your kitchen but I have a simple Corned Beef Recipe that uses a package of uncooked Corned Beef. 

And all you have to do is boil the Corned Beef until tender. Check out my  Easy Corned Beef recipe below.

I always have a few packages of uncooked Corned Beef in the freezer that I get for half price during St. Patrick's Day week sales. 

For my Coleslaw, I use a 14-ounce bag of sliced cabbage and carrot and a few dollops of mayonnaise that I get from my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree.

Coleslaw made with a pre-shredded bag of cabbage is the way to go and I have an Easy Coleslaw recipe below to prove it!

A Russian Dressing is ketchup plus mayo. Mix it together for a sweet sandwich filling.

You're supposed to use Swiss Cheese, but I've made mine with any favorite cheese I have on hand - it's all good.

A Rachel Sandwich can go other meaty ways, one is using sliced cooked turkey and the other way is made with Pastrami. I've not tried turkey, but I know Pastrami makes a great Rachel. Of course, I have an Easy Homemade Pastrami recipe video for your viewing pleasure.

As for Rye Bread, I get mine from the "clearance shelves" at my local Ralph's Grocers for one to two bucks a loaf. 

Once you toast week-old slices of rye, they taste as good as new. I've also made a Rachael with regular bread. (I guess you can't really call it a Rachel, but it's delicious regardless.)

Do try out my version of a Rachel Sandwich -- so go for it, and make your own Corned Beef or Pastrami  -- that's the 99 Cent Chef cheap$kate way.

                                            Rachel Sandwich - Video                Play it here. The video runs for 2 minutes and 26 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• Sliced Corned Beef or Pastrami - My recipe for Easy Corned Beef is here. My Easy Pastrami recipe is here.
• Coleslaw - add as much as you like, usually a couple tablespoons per sandwich. My Easy Coleslaw recipe is here.
• Swiss Cheese - One slice is enough, but add as much as you like. 
• Russian Dressing - Mix one teaspoon of ketchup plus one tablespoon of mayonnaise.
• 2 Slices Rye Bread - I've made the sandwich with regular white and wheat bread.
• Butter - a thick slice for toasting the sandwich. 

Directions

For a simple Corned Beef Recipe just simmer a raw Corned Beef covered in water for about 3 to 4 hours until it is tender. 

Check the water level every hour or so and add more if needed. A package of Corned Beef will have directions as well.

Slice the cooked Corned Beef. You can make your sandwich with as much as you like.

What makes this sandwich is toasting the bread and melting the Swiss Cheese. Here's how I stack it.

Add a slice of butter to melt and spread it out enough to cover a slice of bread.

I add a slice of bread and then the Swiss Cheese, so the cheese is closest to the heat and will melt nicely. 

From here out you can stack it anyway. Pile on the Coleslaw and sliced Corned Beef.

Finally, smear on the Russian Dressing and top with a slice of Rye Bread.

When the cheese starts to melt it's ready to turn and brown the other side of the sandwich. Again it's good to peek under the sandwich to make sure you don't burn the bread.

You can add more butter when you flip the sandwich if you like a more buttery flavor. I find it's buttery enough even if one side has most of the butter flavor and browning.

It usually takes 2 or 3 minutes per side to brown the Rye Bread and melt the Swiss Cheese, depending on how hot the pan or grill surface is.

Hindsight

Stack the sandwich any way you like. Start with Swiss Cheese, Corned Beef, Russian Dressing, and top with Coleslaw. Mix it up the way you like it.

I've made the Rachel with Pastrami, too. I've never tried a California Rachel (made with sliced cooked Turkey) but it sounds delicious.

Reuben Sandwich - Video Recipe

I love Reuben Sandwiches for the yin and yang pull of flavors. On the one hand, you have salty Corned Beef and sour Sauerkraut. Then you have creamy Russian Dressing pushing against pungent Swiss Cheese, all between pungent Rye bread. A Reuben is a heady sandwich, it's almost too much of a good thing.

Click on any photo to see larger.

And a Reuben Sandwich is an American original from the early 20th Century. Named after Reuben Kulakofsky, a grocer from Omaha, Nebraska who got the munchies during a poker game and asked for corned beef and sauerkraut on his sandwich. Or was it first put together at Reuben's Delicatessen in New York City? There are conflicting accounts that you can read about by clicking here.

And I first tried a Reuben Sandwich at Los Angeles' premier Jewish Delicatessan, Canter's Restaurant.

A Ruben Sandwich is stacked with Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, and Russian Dressing. Sour to the nth degree, Sauerkraut ignites rich Corned Beef and pungent Swiss Cheese on Rye Bread into an explosive flavor bomb.

I've based summer parties on the Corned Beef Sandwich that featured a Rueben Sandwich. What takes these sammies over the top is that they are grilled in butter...sooo gooood.

The main meaty ingredient is slices of Corned Beef. I make my own and it couldn't be easier. 

All you have to do is low-boil the Corned Beef until tender. It takes about 3 to 4 hours. Of course, you could do it in an Instant Pot in an hour. See my Easy Corned Beef Recipe video below. 

I get my Corned Beef during St. Patrick's Day holiday week. It's half-priced and you can freeze the packages for Summer Sandwiches. It's okay to use sliced cooked Corned Beef from your favorite delicatessen. 

The other main ingredient, Sauerkraut, is cheap any time of the year. Cans and jars of Sauerkraut show up at my local 99c only Store all the time. I usually store a few cans for Baseball Season as I like Sauerkraut on my Hot Dogs. 

Swiss Cheese is not so cheap but I only buy it when I make Corned Beef Sandwiches. You could substitute any favorite cheese, like the mix below.

I get Rye Bread from the discount bin at my local Ralphs supermarket. The Rye loaf may be a few days old, but when you toast it you would never know it. I get cheap bargain bin bread all the time for Toast in the morning, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, and Garlic Bread. 

I've found plain sliced Rye Bread, Marble Rye, and a delicious Wheat/Rye for half-price in the bargain bin.

You don't find Russian Dressing easily, but you can make your own by mixing mayo and ketchup together, simple enough. 

However you slice it, my Ruben Sandwich is one you will make throughout the year.

Reuben Sandwich - Video              Play it here. The video runs for 2 minutes and 24 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• Corned Beef - a few slices.
• Swiss Cheese - one or two slices.
• Sauerkraut - drained. I get mine from a can or jar. Add as much as you like, usually a couple tablespoons.
• Rye Bread - 2 slices for a sandwich. I've made this sandwich with sourdough, so any favorite bread is good.
• Butter - 1 teaspoon per sandwich.
• Russian Dressing - a mix of 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of ketchup.

Directions

For a simple Corned Beef Recipe just simmer a raw Corned Beef covered in water for about 3 to 4 hours until it is tender. 

Check the water level every hour or so and add more if needed. A package of uncooked Corned Beef should have directions as well. My Easy Corned Beef recipe with text and photo illustrations is here.

Slice the cooked Corned Beef. You can make your sandwich with as much as you like.

Use drained Sauerkraut. Shake out Sauerkraut as you remove it from the can or jar before adding it to a sandwich, (or the bread will get soggy.) 

You will probably have leftovers, so store extra Sauerkraut with liquid in the refrigerator.

Heat a frying pan or stovetop grill. Add 1 teaspoon of butter to brown the sandwich. Okay to add more butter to suit your taste. Spread melting butter to about the size of sliced bread.

Assemble the sandwich on the frying pan or grill. I like to have the Swiss Cheese against the bread, either on the top or bottom bread slice, so the cheese melts.

Now stack the sandwich any way you like. Add Sauerkraut, Corned Beef, a smear of Russian Dressing, and finally the second slice of bread.

It usually takes a couple minutes for each side of the sandwich to brown, depending on how hot the pan is. Peek under the bread as it browns to check on the desired doneness.