For British Sandwich Week

with The Caravan Trail

I love a good sarnie (sandwich) and when well made with quality ingredients and home-made bread, a sandwich can rival any sit-down main meal, hands down. I’ve shared many a great sandwich recipe on Lavender and Lovage, from the ubiquitous Egg and Cress sandwich beloved of British afternoon teas to the classic American Reuben Sandwich and the stunning centre-piece “Smorgastarta” (Swedish Savoury Sandwich Gateau), you will find dozens of sandwich ideas on my site to satisfy any occasion. Today’s sandwich is part of my Great Sandwiches of the World series, it’s a beast of a sandwich, similar to the French Pan Bagnat, which is my most popular recipe here, and is also a stuffed sandwich…….enter The New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich, a sandwich that will feed a crowd and is the perfect recipe to highlight British Sandwich Week.

So, what is a Muffuletta sandwich exactly, and where does it come from? According to Dana Logsdon who writes for the New Orleans Historical website, a Muffuletta “is one of New Orleans’ most iconic and identifiable dishes. Made on large rounds of sesame bread and layered with olive salad, salami, ham, mortadella, provolone and Swiss cheese; the muffaletta is clearly Italian in spirit and yet no such sandwich exists in Italy. Instead, it is the creation of Sicilian immigrants who arrived in the Port of New Orleans from the Port of Palermo in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. These new inhabitants brought with them strong customs and recipes that were joined with already vibrant local food traditions and ingredients.” The first Muffuletta sandwich is attributed to Mr. Salvatore Lupo, of Central Grocery store, who in 1906 started to fill classic muffuletto sesame bread with charcuterie, cheese and olives, and so the sandwich was born.

My recipe for Muffuletta today does not profess to be the original recipe, but uses the indisputable basic ingredients needed to make this historical sandwich, with a few added ingredient twists of my own. I’ve used a French boule, which is a crusty round loaf of bread and have made the mandatory olive salad, albeit in a looser sense than the original chopped version; as well as the essential cold meats and cheese, I have added some fresh oregano and piquant capers for an extra flavour dimension, with some excellent rosemary infused olive oil by Pomora. The sandwich was made for a midweek picnic and was served on some fabulous The Caravan Trail Festival melamine picnic flatware, as part of my ongoing collaboration with them as brand ambassador. The Festival range is a fun collection which perfectly captures the British seaside where beaches are lined with gaily painted huts and children enjoy an ice cream whilst retro camper vans are parked by the side of the road.

I was sent a starter set from the Festival Melamine range to get me going for picnics on the beach, which comprises a large melamine jug, 2 dinner plates, 2 side plates, a large salad bowl, 2 side salad bowls, 2 tumblers and some salad servers. The range is inspired by the designer Cara’s memories of family holidays in the UK,  and as a result, she recreates nostalgic patterns from caravanning in the 60’s. Capturing the essence of the Great British countryside with its wild nature walks and colourful market towns, The Caravan Trail was created. With a mix and match of patchwork prints and an explosion of jolly colours these products join Cara in her love for all things retro and take us on a trip down memory lane, and I absolutely LOVE the whole collection.

The whole melamine range is not just very pretty, but is extremely practicable for packing in a hamper for a picnic with no breakages. And as for the sandwich, it was voted a HUGE hit by all who at it, and I am planning on making it again when I next go on a beach picnic! For all my other sandwich recipe ideas, why not pop over to my Sandwich Index here: Lavender and Lovage Sandwich Recipes Karen 

Disclaimer: I receive samples regularly from The Caravan Trail free of charge, in exchange for recipe development and promotion on my social media channels. All views and opinions are my own and I choose to share this china on Lavender and Lovage, as it is a unique British designed (and British made in certain cases) company based in Staffordshire. I was not compensated financially for this recipe post. Pieces from the range can be bought here: Buy the The Caravan Trail 

How to Make a Muffuletta:

Muffuletta Sandwich

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Serves	6
Prep time	6 hours, 30 minutes
Allergy	Wheat
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party
Region	American
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A Muffuletta Sandwich is a popular sandwich originating among the Italian immigrants in New Orleans, Louisiana, using a Sicilian sesame round bread loaf, it is stuffed with ham, salami, cheese and an olive salad.

Ingredients

• 1 x round crusty loaf of bread (boule, cob or sourdough - about 6" or 15cm diameter)
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• 100g mozzarella cheese (cut into thin slices)
• 8 slices coppa (or salami)
• 6 slices provolone cheese (or provoletta cheese)
• 4 x slices smoked pork loin (or smoked ham)
• 75g pimento stuffed green olives (cut in half)
• 1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh oregano (leaves only or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (I used rosemary infused oil)
• cling-film, greaseproof paper and string

Note

A Muffuletta Sandwich is a popular sandwich originating among the Italian immigrants in New Orleans, Louisiana, using a Sicilian sesame round bread loaf, it is stuffed with ham, salami, cheese and an olive salad.

Directions

Step 1	Cut the round loaf of bread in half horizontally, and scoop some of the crumb out, to make a hollow. Keep the breadcrumbs for later, I usually freeze them.
Step 2	Drizzle the olive oil inside the bread, top and bottom and season to taste with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Step 3	Start to fill and layer the sandwich as so: sliced tomatoes, oregano leaves, capers, sliced red onions, olives, 2 slices of pork loin or ham, 3 slices of provolone cheese, 4 slices coppa or salami, the mozzarella slices and the the remaining 3 slices of provolone cheese and 4 slices of coppa.
Step 4	Place the lid of the sandwich loaf on top, pressing down to make a seal; wrap tightly in cling-film and then in the greaseproof paper tying it all up with string.
Step 5	Place some heavy weights on top of the sandwich and keep it in a cool place, such as the fridge, for up to 6 hours or until you need to serve it. Take the weights off the sandwich and unwrap the sandwich, then slice it to serve in wedges, or in thick slices.
Step 6	This is better if made several hours before serving, or even the night before. Serve with side salad and extra olives and pickles.

As this is a VERY colourful sandwich, I am adding this to Tea Time Treats which is hosted by me and Janie on alternate months, the theme this month is anything colourful!