Filled with Prosciutto Cotto, Salami Milano and Mortadella Bologna
Serves 4-6
Layer upon layer of delicious Italian charcuterie classics, combined with creamy and sharp cheeses, fragrant basil and sweet peppers, all enveloped in rich olive tapenade.
Ingredients
400g Round Loaf – You want something with a soft crumb but sturdy crust like a Coburg or Boule.
4 Tbsps Olive Tapenade – I used a Kalamata variety.
100g Fratelli Beretta Prosciutto Cotto
70g Fratelli Beretta Salami Milano
8 Slices Fratelli Beretta Mortadella Bologna
125g (drained weight) Buffalo Mozzarella
20g Pecorino – Sliced with a speed peeler into thin slices.
30g (half a supermarket packet) Fresh Basil Leaves (approx. 20 large leaves), washed and dried.
120g Flame Roasted Peppers (approx. 2 whole peppers from a jar)
Freshly Grounded Black Pepper – to taste.
Instructions
Start by taking a sharp serrated knife and cutting off the top of your bread to form the lid of your picnic loaf – approx. 2cm thickness. Set aside.
Using a smaller sharp knife, score around the inside of the loaf leaving a 1.5cm border all around.
Use the score lines to help you start removing the soft inside of the loaf. As you get further down, continue using the sharp knife to score into the edges to allow you to hollow out the whole loaf. When you get to the bottom, use a spoon to remove any remaining bread and smooth the base retaining a 1.5cm border all around the inside.
Note: Whizz the unused bread from the inside of the loaf into breadcrumbs and store in your freezer. Try frying a handful off with a little oil, grated garlic, some oregano and some seasoning and sprinkle over pasta!
Now to start layering up all the filing. Start with Olive Tapenade. Spoon 3.5 tbsps. onto the base of the loaf and with a spoon, spread it equally all over the base and up the sides. Use the remaining 0.5 tbsp. to spread over the inside of the lid remembering to keep your 1.5cm border.
On top of the base, delicately arrange the Prosciutto Cotto slices so they overlap and fill the whole base of the loaf.
Next slice the Mozzarella into 0.5cm thick rounds and gently pat dry with kitchen paper before layering over the Prosciutto, pressing down and tearing up any remaining slices to fill any gaps. Season this layer generously with black pepper.
Next the peppers. Slice these open to flatten out and again dry with the kitchen paper. Remove any seeds that may remain and cut into large slices and layer on top of the mozzarella. Gently press everything down as you go.
Layer over the Salami slices overlapping them as you go.
