It’s Lent, and those who are Italian, Catholic, from Chicago, or a combination of the three, might be seeking out their favorite pepper and egg sandwiches right now.
The pepper and egg sandwich can be a simple utilitarian meal for those who want some kind of protein in their French bread on those meatless Lenten Fridays. Scramble the eggs, toss in some sautéed peppers, and they’re done.
But in the right hands, whether at home, in a neighborhood restaurant, or local beef joint, the pepper and egg can be a crave-worthy sandwich year round.
Whether sausage or red sauce or mozzarella belongs on a pepper and egg sandwich is debatable. But it is definitely not created by scraping half a Denver omelet into some buttered wheat toast. It should be on French bread. It must contain peppers – green bell, yes, but there are places that mix in yellow and red. From there, it can be topped with a little giardiniera.
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“Pepper and egg sandwiches are an old school Italian sandwich,” said Frank Gatto, owner of Gatto’s restaurants in New Lenox, Orland Park, Tinley Park and Downers Grove. He serves the sandwiches year-round.
Gatto said he likes to “keep the dish traditional and simple,” which means eggs, peppers, salt and pepper, parsley, grated Romano and Parmesan, or as he says, “the little things make a big difference.”
Tony’s, 7007 S. Pulaski Road, Chicago, and Nick’s, several locations in Burbank, Palos Heights, Tinley Park, Homer Glen and Romeoville, serve the sandwich with tiny pieces of pepper mixed in. The sandwiches are on the menu all year, along with the house specialties – beef, in Tony’s case, and ribs at Nick’s.
Vincenzo Santoro, who owns Frankie’s Beef and Pasta in Oak Lawn and Frankie’s Ristorante in Tinley Park serves them year round, too, made to order. Santoro said his version is made the way he grew up eating sandwiches on a farm in Calabria. When money was tight and chickens were plenty, egg sandwiches were a great alternative to meat dishes.
Santoro said during Lent, he’ll serve 400 to 500 a day at his two restaurants. They’re a fork-and-knife version, served open face, almost like a frittata with sliced peppers over a French roll. And like a frittata, he’s been known to add other ingredients as well, like asparagus, potatoes and rapini.
The deli at Rubino’s Italian Imports, 16635 South Oak Park Ave., Tinley Park, serves pepper and egg sandwiches during Lent only. Manager Mario Garripoli says that it’s not for lack of demand.
“We make it as we go,” Garripoli said. That slows down the deli counter while people wait for slices of green and red pepper to reach the right tenderness before being tossed with the eggs and topped –if the customer asks – with giardiniera.
Duke’s, 8115 S. Harlem Ave., Burbank, and Pop’s, 14 locations including Palos Heights, Orland Park, Lockport, Homewood and Mokena, also start scrambling eggs during Lent.
Santoro advises people find a spot to sit down and eat them fresh, when they taste best.
It also doesn’t hurt to know a good Italian grandma.
Paige Fumo Fox is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.