Muffuletta sets tone.
Traditional layered sandwich includes a great olive spread
Sometimes all it takes is one dish to set the theme for an entire gathering.
That was exactly the case when I watched “America’s Test Kitchen” a few weeks ago.
They were making a giant muffuletta sandwich that looked as impressive as it did delicious. I decided it would be the star of “Italian Night” at my place.
I remember making muffuletta in college when we first got our Cuisinart food processor. But instead of making a sandwich, we put the olive spread on toasted garlic bread. So it was about high time I upped my game.
On the TV show, they made their own bread using pizza dough. I consulted my own book — “The America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook” — and saw that it called for a large round loaf of Italian bread instead.
I actually like using the bakery bread better because it saves time (especially when you’re making other dishes from scratch for a get-together).
Inside the sandwich are thick layers of mortadella, provolone cheese and hard salami. But the real star of the show is the olive spread. I love olives, and they are made even better with the addition of roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.
For a hearty side dish, I fell in love with a basil pesto farro salad. Farro is an ancient grain that tastes slightly nutty — it’s kind of similar to barley. It’s extremely versatile as a base for a salad.
You can add any oil-based dressing, vegetables and cheese that you want.
This version pairs pesto with sugar snap peas, radishes and grape tomatoes. Feta cheese adds some saltiness and tang.
For an Italian dessert, I looked to the expert, Giada De Laurentiis. I wanted to make something
more unexpected than a traditional tiramisu or cannoli. I stumbled upon her homemade hazelnut gelato and knew I had to try it.
I often make ice cream at home, so it was fun to experiment with gelato.
It’s similar to custard with the egg yolks, but it’s smoother and less airy than American ice cream.
Topped with roasted hazelnuts, it will definitely be coming back into my dessert-making rotation in the height of summer.
The best thing about this menu is that you can make it all well in advance.
Whether it’s a few hours (assembling the sandwich) or a few days (the gelato), it will make your event run that much more smoothly.
Alysha Witwicki is a retail copywriter and food writer living in Whitefish Bay. Contact her at alyshawitwicki@hotmail.com.