Recipe: Muffaletta – An all-in-one picnic sandwich
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It makes a fabulous lunch, as all the layers mingle together you give you a mixture of flavours and textures in every tasty slice. Perfect if you are heading out for the day, and no need to take a hundred containers and cutlery either. Enjoy creating your own flavour combination stuffed with meats and cheeses, or you can easily make it vegetarian, just pile in the veggies and salad.
A suggested list of ingredients
But use your favourite deli-items or your favourite things to put on a pizza!
- Olive Tapenade or Pesto
- Rocket Leaves
- Capers
- Sun-blush/sun-soaked tomatoes
- Emmental cheese
- Sliced salami or chorizo
- Roasted peppers from a jar
- Artichoke hearts from a jar
- Grated beetroot or carrot, squeezed a little to remove excess juice
- Olives
- Crisp fried pancetta slices
- Salt and Pepper
- Olive oil
How to make it:
- Take a large round loaf like a boule or pain polka, or even a focaccia
- Slice it horizontally and scoop out most of the doughy bread from the loaf and the ‘lid’ (Tip: You can let these dry for a while and turn them into breadcrumbs for cooking with)
- Spread the base with some tapenade or pesto and then drizzle in some olive oil
- Now you can get creative, just start layering in ingredients that you love
- Maybe start with a layer of rocket or other salad leaves
- Add a handful of salty capers
- Add some juicy sun-blush tomatoes and drizzle in a little of their herby oil
- Add a handful of olives and slices of salami
- Holey cheese like Emmental works well so add a layer of that
- Antipasti from a jar gives great flavour colour and texture so put in some chargrilled peppers or artichoke hearts
- Add some freshly grated raw beetroot or carrot if you can for sweetness and colour
- Remember a few twists of pepper and sprinkle of salt as you stack your ingredients and perhaps another drizzle of olive oil for the dryer layers
- If you like a bit of crunch in your sandwich add a layer of crispy fried bacon or pancetta
- Keep alternating the layers until it is stuffed to the top, then add a bit more!
- Spread the inside of the lid with tapenade or pesto and wrap the whole loaf in a big piece of greaseproof paper or baking parchment
- Tie it with string and press it down with a plate and a few heavy tins and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to head out for your picnic or for a super hearty lunch
