Every year at World Food Championships, we are given a specific sandwich that we must re-create with a personal spin. The idea is to put everyone on an “even playing field,” and to see what we can do with a structured assignment. In the past, sandwich contestants have been tasked with making everything from a traditional Cuban Sandwich to the Gulf Coast favorite, a Shrimp Po’Boy. This year’s structured build was a Muffuletta sandwich, a New Orleans staple, but with a twist. We were to make a Muffuletta on ciabatta, thus creating the “Ciabattaletta.”
Unlike past years when I was familiar with the assigned sandwich, I’d never even tried a muffuletta. Yes, I’d heard of it, and I knew the basics, but I’d never actually eaten one. So, I began researching and sampling. Unfortunately, the sandwich seemed rather straightforward and simple, but I knew that I needed to put my spin on it, so I went with what I know–Latin/Caribbean/Cuban food.
Having grown up in and around Tampa, where the first Cuban settlement in the continental US is located (Ybor City), I knew that I wanted to create a Cuban-inspired sandwich, and the Cubano Muffuletta was born.
Ingredients
- Olive Salad Pickled Veggies
- 12 oz. ale (we used Big Top Brewing’s Key Lime Wheat)
- 1/2 c. key lime juice
- 1 TBSP minced garlic
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1/8 c. salt
- 1 large onion-sliced
- 1 medium bell pepper-chunked
- 1 c. carrot shreds
- Olive Salad
- 1 c. green olives with pimentos
- 1 c. kalamata olives
- 1 c. roasted red peppers
- 3 TBSP crushed garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 c. key lime juice
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1/4 c. orange juice
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Meat
- 1 lb. thinly sliced sweet ham
- 1 lb. thinly sliced roast pork
- 1/2 lb. thinly sliced salami
- 1/2 lb. thinly sliced Swiss cheese
- 6 ciabatta rolls
Instructions
- Olive Salad Pickled Veggies
- Bring ale, key lime juice, garlic, sugar, and salt to a boil.
- Add onions, bell pepper, and carrot shreds, cover, and remove from heat. Allow veggies to sit in pickling liquid for at least 30 minutes.
- Olive Salad
- In a food processor, add green & kalamata olives, red peppers, crushed garlic, salt, key lime juice, olive oil, orange juice, oregano, cumin, and pickled veggies (drained). Pulse until combined, but not pureed.
- Allow mixture to sit and rest for another 30 minutes.
- Afterwards, drain liquid from salad, but reserve it.
- To build sandwich, brush the inside of each roll with salad liquid. Spoon a healthy portion of olive salad to the bottom roll.
- On the bottom roll, layer 2 slices of ham, 2 slices of pork, 2 slices of salami, and 2 slices of cheese. Then, add another 2 slices of salami, 2 slices of pork, and 2 slices of ham. Finally, spoon a healthy portion of olive salad to top and close with the top roll.
- Press slightly to allow juices to soak in.
- Cut sandwich in half and serve.
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