Cacique® Muffuletta
When it’s 95 degrees outside, it’s about 5-10 degrees hotter in our kitchen. So believe me when I say that I am deeply inspired by dining al fresco. Finding a cool spot outside in the shade, with a cold beverage, just waiting for the thrill of a light breeze – that’s summer living!
We just returned from N’awlings, where its hot AND humid, with a new perspective on New Orleans cuisine, from Cajun, to Creole, to good old Southern BBQ. We are excited to explore some new ideas for LatinoFoodie fusion dishes. But before we go gumbo, lets muffuletta!
A muffuletta is basically a sandwich that is layered with deli meats, cheese and pickled vegetables known as giardiniera. This recipe has two cooked components: roasted pasilla peppers and Cacique® Longaniza, a cured pork sausage. I’d recommend grilling the longaniza for extra smoky flavor, but in a pinch a frying pan on your stove top works great. All this meat and cheese gets layered into a hollowed out, round bread bowl. Tightly wrapping the sandwich will help with compacting it so the cheese and pickled veggies don’t fall out, but also in marrying the flavors of the longaniza, olive oil, garlic, and vinegary pickled cauliflower, carrots, and yellow peppers. This is an important part as you do want the sandwich to rest. The fresh and mild Cacqiue Queso Fresco’s clean, milky flavor balances the fatty deli meats, longaniza, and bite of the vinegar.
This muffuletta can come together pretty quickly, but can be made up to 24 hours in advance of your outdoor dining. So pack your shades and muffuletta, and tell your friends you’ll meet them where the breeze blows.
Note: Click the ‘Products‘ tab above to learn more about the Cacique® ingredients used in this recipe. You can find these ingredients near you by clicking the ‘Find Stores‘ tab, selecting the products you are looking for, and entering your zip code.
WHAT YOU NEED
- Olive oil to drizzle
- 3 pasilla peppers
- 1 - 10 ounce package of Cacique® Longaniza
- 1 large round bread loaf
- 4 garlic cloves, halved
- 1 - 10 ounce package of Cacique® Queso Fresco, thinly sliced or crumbled
- 1 pound assorted deli meats (salami, capicola, mortadella)
- 2 cups giardiniera vegetables, strained and chopped
- Ground black pepper, to taste
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Lightly oil pasilla peppers and place directly over an open flame (grill or stove top) and char the peppers on all sides. Place into a plastic bag, seal and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile prepare the Cacique® Longaniza. Cook longaniza in a hot skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, about 4 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels. Thinly slice and reserve.
- Return to charred peppers: Run under cold water to remove the blackened skin. Discard seeds and stems and cut into strips. Reserve.
- Cut the loaf in half horizontally. Scoop out the bread and save for another use. Rub cut garlic on the bread for flavor.
- Drizzle with olive and begin layering the ingredients inside the bottom half of the bread, alternating between deli meats, Longaniza, queso fresco, pasilla peppers and giardiniera. Drizzle the layers with olive oil, pickling vinegar and freshly ground black pepper.
- Top off with the remaining half of the bread and slowly press down, trying to keep all the ingredients inside the bread. Tightly wrap the entire muffuletta in 3-4 layers of plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
