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Hungry for some eegee’s? Thankfully, if you’re in greater Tucson, there’s probably one just around the corner. But what if you’re not? What if you’re on vacation and there isn’t an eegee’s in sight? Or perhaps you’re stuck at home and there’s just no way for you to make it out to the restaurant. Whatever the case may be, you can still whip up some delicious, near-eegee’s food in your own kitchen. Sure, it won’t be exactly the same, but sometimes you just have to roll your sleeves up and give it your all. You might be surprised as to just how well it ends up coming out.
It’s really just another way to refer to a sub-sandwich. Whether it is a grinder, a hoagie, a sub, or any number of words, they all refer to the same thing. An eegee’s grinder, though, uses slender, freshly baked bread, to make it easier to hold and eat without spilling everywhere. Other sandwich shops make their subs far too broad, so then you end up spilling half the sandwich on your lap.
The first step is really the bread. It’s not difficult to grab quality lunch meat, but it’s the bread that really makes any kind of sandwich stand out. It’s the same with basically any kind of tortilla or pizza restaurant. You wouldn’t go to a Mexican joint with bland, tasteless tortillas, would you? Not in Tucson, that’s for sure. Or a pizza place with inferior pizza dough? Or even an Italian restaurant with cheap, low-quality pasta? Then why would you eat a grinder with less-than-ideal bread?
Okay, so maybe you’re not able to just bake your own bread at home. If you know how to make bread, that’s perfect! But if not, that’s okay. There are ways to work around it. You’ll want some Italian or French-style bread, but don’t go for anything too crispy or crunchy. Yes, we love our crunchy French bread as much as the next person, but it doesn’t work well with a grinder. You want something that is soft. Something that you can bite into and won’t bust your jaw up in the process.
Once you have your bread, pop it into the oven for a few minutes. You’re not trying to bake it. Just heat it up. Want to get real fancy? Brush on some melted butter ahead of time, then sprinkle your favorite seasoning over top. You can use salt, red pepper flakes, oregano, garlic, or if you want to go full Chicago-dog-style on your grinder bread, break out the poppy seeds.
Once the bread is warm, pull it out of the oven and slice open the bread, but don’t cut all the way through. You want there to be a hinge. This will help keep the meat and other toppings contained. From here, lather some mayo onto the bread.
Now comes the toppings. Add on whatever you’d like! Our original grinder comes with the perfect mix of sliced ham, salami, provolone cheese, pickles, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, cut onions, spices, pepperoncini and eegee’s famous house dressing.
While you won’t find this at eegee’s, you can even slip in some potato chips, Takis, or whatever else you might like to add a bit of crunch.
When it’s all ready, slip it into the oven for just another minute to melt the cheese, and you’re ready to enjoy your own grinder sandwich.
Perhaps you want to try your hand at making some homemade eegee’s beverages? Have you ever asked yourself how are eegees made? While we can’t hand out all the trade secrets, making something similar can be a fun activity for you and the kids, and it lets your kids get creative while helping you out in the kitchen.
Now, if you want to get real fancy, you can make a real fruit syrup for this. For this you’d take one part fresh fruit (like blueberries), half part water, half part sugar, and a squirt of lemon juice, then blend it up with ice. The lemon juice is just to add a slight tartness and cut the sugar taste, so don’t go crazy. Of course, there are elaborate recipes for this online, so you can go nuts with those kinds of recipes if you’d like.
If you want something easier, pick up a flavored syrup at your grocery store. Strawberry is probably the easiest to find, but there are plenty of other options. Now, grab your ice. It’s probably easier to just pick up a bag of it at the store while you’re there, unless your fridge makes ice.
Pour the ice into a food processor or blender and run until fine. It needs to be drinkable (if you want to stop at shaved ice quality, you can let it remain a bit thicker). In the middle of pulsing your food processor, pour in the syrup. Blend it for a pulse, then taste. Continue this until you have the right amount of flavor for your liking (the syrup is strong, so you don’t need much). Then dish out the recipe and serve.
Have you tried making French fries at home but they always turn out mushy or soggy? Here’s a trick to give you crispy fries every time. Slice up your potato in the thickness of fries you want, then soak them in a large bowl of water. The water will turn a murky white/brown. Dump the water and repeat until, after soaking for a few minutes, the water is clean. This is the starch being pulled out of the potatoes (and what turns your fries soggy).
Once ready, pop the fries into the oven, evenly spaced on a baking sheet. If you have a deep fryer you can fry them first and then bake them. This gives you the ultimate, crispy French fries. Then just drizzle with ranch and bacon bits and serve.
If you are in Tucson, or if a new eegee’s just opened up next to you, you don’t need to put in all the effort to make your own food. Instead, why not let eegee’s do it for you? It’s easier, and you won’t need to buy a dozen different ingredients to make up one sandwich or batch of fries. Plus, with the eegee’s app, you can earn rewards to more eegee’s down the road! There’s nothing more Tucson than munching on a grinder and ranch fries while slurping down a delicious iced beverage from eegee’s. So, what are you waiting for? Head on out to your neighborhood eegee’s and grab some food today.
