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Photo: Roberto Caruso
Muffaletta is the perfect picnic sandwich because the resting time is key—the longer it sits, the tastier it is. Like its cousin the Italian sub, a classic muffaletta stars layers of meat and cheese, and loads of crunch and flavour.
100 g green beans, trimmed
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 loaf round Italian bread, or sourdough bread
2 leaves green leaf lettuce
1 gala apple, cored and thinly sliced
150 g shaved Black Forest ham
50 g sliced cheddar
Cook green beans in a medium pot of boiling water until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 min. Drain beans and rinse with cold water. Chop beans into 1-in. pieces. Stir beans with mayo and Dijon in a medium bowl.
Slice off top third of bread using a serrated knife. Using your fingers, hollow out bottom two-thirds of bread, leaving a 1-in.-thick shell (like a big bread bowl). Save excess bread for another use.
Line the inside of the bread shell with lettuce. Top with half of the apple slices, then green bean mixture. Layer with ham, then cheese and remaining apple slices. Sandwich with bread top and press together firmly. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate sandwich for at least 1 hour, placing a heavy pan on top to compress it. To serve, slice into 8 wedges with a serrated knife.
Calories 185, Protein 9g, Carbohydrates 23g, Fat 6g, Fibre 2g, Sodium 489mg.
Originally published in the Today’s Parent June 2016 issue. Photo by Roberto Caruso.
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