2 Roanoke Virginia Sandwiches Recipes

Greetings readers! I hope this post finds you well and that you are hungry after reading this article!

How do sandwich recipes fit in with simple fixes? Quite nicely, I'd opine. You cannot get the Torpedo anywhere, but Roanoke and the Missouri Club hasn't been served for decades. But, as these delectables are easy to fix at home, I classify them simple fixes for when you are hungry for a unique sandwich.

The sandwiches featured herein are two of my all-time favorites. We've successfully recreated the Torpedo and plan on replicating the Missouri Club soon.

The New Yorker Deli Torpedo

One of my Mom and Dad's favorite places to eat in Big Lick, I mean Roanoke, was the New Yorker Deli. We'd frequently stop for lunch on family outings to the Star City. The perennial favorite for Dad and me was the Torpedo. The Deli made the same sandwich in a larger size called the Submarine, but it was too much for one person. After I moved out, the New Yorker was on the list of things to do every time we visited Blacksburg.

Ingredients

• Bologna
• Salami
• Sharp Cheese - we like cheddar
• Onions thinly sliced
• Del Sol Peppers or equivalent* - diced a bit
• French rolls
• Coleslaw

Directions

Step 1: Get the broiler going and line a cooking sheet with foil.

Step 2: Cut the French rolls in half and arrange them on the cooking sheet.

Step 3: Cover the roll halves with the salami, bologna and cheddar.

Step 4: Broil the sandwiches until the Cheese is nicely colored.

Step 5: Top each sandwich with the onions, peppers and coleslaw, fold in half and cut.

Step 6: Garnish with a dill pickle spear and serve with potato chips and a Coors Light (or equivalent)

*Note: Apparently, Del Sol peppers only come in gallon containers! We've substituted cherry peppers from our local grocery's deli bar. The peepers should be sweet with some zing, but nothing like jalapenos or ghost peppers.

Miller and Rhoads Tea Room Missouri Club

Growing up, my Mom would take us shopping in the "Big City" of Roanoke, VA. Miller & Rhoads Department Store was a regular stop, as was Heironimus. Sitting atop M&R, the Tea Room served elegant lunches to shoppers, mostly refined Southern ladies. So, you can imagine how I stood out from the crowd. My favorite item was the Missouri Club. It's a club sandwich without lettuce or tomato, covered in a cheese sauce, the consistency of cheese fondue. It was delicious.

Once, my friends David Elliott and Bob Hardy and I went to Roanoke on our own. Mom gave me her M&R charge card for the Tea Room. All three of us had the Missouri Club. We were well behaved but received many curious stares! And, no, we didn't go wild with her credit card!

Ingredients

• Virginia Ham*
• Deli sliced turkey
• Thinly sliced tomatoes
• White bread for toast - hey, that's the original recipe, change it if you prefer.
• 4 cups medium white sauce**
• 1/2 pound grated sharp cheese ***
• 8 (1 ounce) slices of American cheese
• 16 slices of crisply cooked bacon

*Note: For the finest Virginia Ham available, click the link above for Edwards Ham. As a famous advertising tagline advises, "Accept no substitutes!"

​** When the white sauce is thickened and smooth, stir in grated cheese until melted.

*** Colby has been the most recent choice.

Instructions

1. Toast the bread and place sandwiches on individual ovenproof serving plates.
2. Assemble the club sandwiches like this: Toast, Virginia ham, about 2 tablespoons of cheese sauce, toast, turkey, Virginia ham, tomato, and toast.
3. Ladle 6 tablespoons of cheese sauce over each.
4. Top each with a slice of cheese.
5. Place under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat source until it begins to bubble and brown for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Top each sandwich with crisscrossed bacon slices.

Makes 8 servings.

Suggestion: Serve with Mustard Pickles.

Posted by philocrates at Recipe Goldmine - May 29, 2001.

Bon appetite!

I hope you try both sandwiches. Each carries a lot of memories for me from growing up!