Ultimate meat sandwich

Fri, 17 June 2016

This delicious recipe is based on a New Orleans classic, the muffuletta, which is a sandwich traditionally filled with layers of deli  meats, salami and cheese. 

Serves 4

1 round, white bread loaf (about 500g, 8cm high x 18cm diameter)

150g each of cooked beef, ham and turkey slices

150g pastrami

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

OLIVE SALSA

75g pitted black olives

75g pitted green olives

50g sun-dried tomatoes (from a jar)

50ml extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

50g cornichons, chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

small handful fresh basil

SALAD

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

juice ½ lemon

1 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ tsp clear honey, (optional)

75g mixed salad leaves

12 cornichons, to serve

ESSENTIAL KIT:

Food processor

Small tray or wooden board

about 4 cans of food

To make the salsa, place the olives, sun-dried tomatoes, oil and vinegar in a food processor. Add the cornichons, garlic and basil leaves. Give everything a quick blitz so it is roughly chopped. Season to taste (the olives will probably make it salty enough). This can be made up to a week in advance and kept covered in the fridge.

Carefully slice the top off the loaf of bread (about a 2cm thick piece). Pull the bread out from inside the base and the lid, leaving walls about 1cm thick. (The discarded bread can be used for breadcrumbs, the panzella salad on page 111, the bean and tomato casserole on page 145, or saved for the ducks!) Spread two thirds of the salsa all around the inside, and the underside of the lid.

Trim any fat or sinue from the meat slices. Arrange half of the beef slices all along the bottom of the loaf, followed by half of the ham, turkey and pastrami. Spread the remaining salsa out evenly on top and then repeat the layers, this time working backwards with the pastrami first, turkey, ham and beef.

Pop the lid back on and wrap really tightly with cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 3-4 hours or overnight, with something heavy on top like a small tray or wooden board with some food cans on top as weights.

When ready to serve, remove the cling film, cut into four wedges and arrange on serving plates. Put the olive oil lemon juice and mustard for the dressing in a small screw-top jar. Screw the lid and shake vigourously. Season to taste and add the honey for a little sweetness, if you like. Arrange the salad leaves beside the meat loaf, drizzle with the dressing, add a twist of pepper and serve with a few cornichons.

Watch how it's made below: