Poetry Saturday, Of all the things . . .

Of all the meals you can buy for money,
Give me a meal of bread and honey!
A table of grass in the open air,
A green bank for an easy-chair.



The table cloth inwrought with flowers,
And a grasshopper clock to tick the hours.
Between the courses birds to sing
To many a hidden shining string.



And neither man nor maid be seen,
But a great company of green.
Upon a hundred thousand stalks,
Talk to us it's great green talks.



And when the merry meal is done,
To loiter westward with the sun,
Dipping fingers ere we go
In the stream that runs below.



Of all the meals you can buy for money,
Give me a meal of bread and honey.
~Richard le Gallienne


Not long now before picnic season will be upon us. There is nothing I like more than for Todd and I to take ourselves off for the day with a picnic hamper and a few drinks . . . and our much loved dog of course! Some of our finest meals have been picnics laid out on the grass under a warm sun! You can picnic anywhere though . . . I've had some pretty special ones laid out on a blanket in the lounge while the rain pelts against the window glass too!

This is the perfect picnic sandwich. It is one of those sandwiches which tastes even better upon standing! I had a very enjoyable experience munching down on these with a bunch of girlfriends up on Beachy Head in Eastbourne on one warm spring day. We all munched and chatted and had a wonderful time together!



*Muffaletta*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

The perfect picnic sandwich. Layers of meat and cheese and a delicious olive relish! You do need to plan ahead with this one though as the olive relish must be made a day ahead so the flavours marinate.

1 large Loaf Italian Bread
1/3 pound Hard salami, very thinly sliced
1/3 pound Ham, very thinly sliced
1/3 pound Provolone, thinly sliced
thinly sliced ripe tomatoes
shredded lettuce

For the Olive relish:
2/3 cup of Green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
2/3 cup of Black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Pimiento, chopped
1/4 cup drained, chopped cocktail onions
3 Cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Fillet anchovy, mashed
1 tablespoon Capers
1/3 cup Finely chopped parsley
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Make the olive relish by mixing together all the ingredients in a bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

The next day, cut your bread loaf in half horizontally. Scoop out some of the insides and use to make breadcrumbs with. (You can store these in a zip lock baggie in the freezer for future use.) Layer onto the bottom slice of bread, the meats and cheese and at least half an inch of the olive relish. Layer the tomatoes and lettuce on last. Place the top piece of bread over top and press down lightly. Wrap tightly in clling film and allow to sit for several hours before cutting into wedges to serve.



Over in The English Kitchen today there is a delicious Lime Drizzle Berry Cake!