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New Orleans Muffuletta

Wednesday, February 1st, 2012

This was written by Andrea, a Formato Family person.

Ok, so Mardi Gras is just around the corner, February 21st, and if you know me, you know I’m preparing for the feast day commonly known as Fat Tuesday!  You might also know that Mardi Gras is also known as Fat Tuesday, but, did you also know that one of the great delicacies of Mardi Gras is the Muffuletta Sandwich?  And, you guessed it, the greatest American city to celebrate Mardi Gras is home to this deliciousness:  New Orleans!

And, if you’re like me, you’re brave enough to visit Naw’Leans, but not brave enough to actually visit during Mardi Gras.

Thanks to Formato Brothers, I don’t need to travel farther than my kitchen cupboard to enjoy the taste of Mardi Gras all year long!  So according to legend, the Muffuletta sandiwch originated at the Central Grocery in New Orleans back on Decatur Street in early 1906.  The true sandwich starts with a 10″ round loaf of Italian bread filled with all the Italian fillings you can imagine:  salami, cheese, ham, and most importantly, olive salad — and, oh, by the way, NEVER heat or toast the sandwich!!!  It must be served at room temp or you’ll be disowned by the family.

And, this is the easiest recipe ever:  just all all ingredients til your heart’s content!

Here’s how I would create my Formato Brothers Muffuletta (layer each item):

1 – 10″ round Italian bread (if you can’t find round bread, just use regular Italian), cut into the top and bottom
6 oz sliced provolone cheese
6 oz sliced salami
6 oz sliced Italian ham
4 Tablespoons of Formato Brothers Muffuletta Spread (regular or Hot will work)

Cut sandwich into quarters, serve, enjoy!

Ok, so one more thing:  I’m actually going to New Orleasn in a few months (like I said, not brave enough to actually go during Mardi Gras), but, I’m going to track down and visit the original Central Grocery on Decatur Street and post the pics on Facebook (formatobrothers.com).

If you “like” the picture, then go ahead and  “like” the Facebook page (formatobrothers.com).  Look for the $5.00 discount code available there.

Click on Recipes for Chicken Muffuletta Sandwich, Crispy Mufuletta Raviolis, Meatless Eggplant Meatballs made with Muffuletta Olive Salad.  Come back to our Blog page for a New Orleans update once Andrea returns from her trip there.

Posted in Cheese, Formato Brothers Muffuletta Olive Salad, Olives, Salad, Sopressata | No Comments »

The Formato Brothers Omelet

Monday, February 28th, 2011


Many thanks to Gary Marino for submitting this recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • dash of ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup shredded Havarti cheese
  • 3 heaping tablespoons of Formato Brothers Hot Giardiniera
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped breakfast sausage

Preparation:

Beat eggs and milk in small bowl with fork or wire whisk until yolks and whites are well mixed.  Heat butter in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until butter is hot and sizzling. As butter melts, tilt skillet to coat bottom with butter.  Add chopped red pepper and hot giardiniera to pan.  Stir the mixture and add ¼ cup of chopped breakfast sausage. Cook until sausage browns, season with pepper.  Pour eggs into skillet.  While rapidly sliding skillet back and forth over heat, quickly stir eggs with a fork to spread them continuously over the bottom of the skillet as they thicken. When they are thickened, let stand over heat a few seconds to lightly brown bottom of omelet.  Do not overcook… Sprinkle with cheese over omelet and fold in ½.  Note that the omelet will continue to cook after being folded.  Tilt skillet and run a spatula under edge of omelet, then jerk skillet sharply to loosen omelet from bottom of skillet and serve over a slice of whole wheat toast.

Enjoy…..

Posted in Cheese, Formato Brothers Giardiniera, General, Recipes | Comments Off

Four Cheese Pizza

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

You can either buy a pizza crust from the supermarket or go online and get a recipe from your favorite chef or cook book.

Place crust on a pizza tray and sprinkle Antica Italia Olive Oil Infused with Garlic.  Use a pastry brush and coat the surface evenly.
Cut thin slices of mozzarella cheese and place them randomly on the crust.
Sprinkle pieces of Goat cheese on ¼ of pizza.
Sprinkle Blue cheese on ¼ of pizza.
Sprinkle shredded Cheddar cheese and on ¼ of the pizza.
Spread 1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese over the entire pizza.
Add a little salt and pepper and then a quick drizzle of the garlic infused olive oil.

Bake in oven at 400 degrees foe 12 minute or until you see that the crust is brown.

A delicious alternative to a tomato based pizza.

Buon Appetito!!

Posted in Antica Italia Garlic Flavored Olive Oil, Cheese, Olive Oil, Pelago Seasoning, Recipes | Comments Off

Award Winning Formato Brothers Spicy Italian Chili

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

We are so excited about this recipe.  For the first time ever we entered it in a Chili Cookoff contest & won first prize!  We’ve never entered any contests before, so this was exciting & fun for us.  We competed against 19 others & received a fantastic trophy to acknowledge our efforts.  Woo Hoo!   Thanks to our friend & food consultant, Sam Manfer, for his assistance, & also to our family for helping us with the behind-the-scenes work to make this happen.   Click on the link below the recipe to see how this wonderful chili is made.

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Msgr. John Urell, Sam Manfer, Carl Formato, Patricia Bates (CA Assembly), Robert Ming (Mayor, Laguna Niguel CA) – May 29, 2009

Ingredients:
2 medium sized yellow onions, finely chopped
Antica Italia Extra Virgin Olive Oil (evoo)
1/2 red pepper, finely chopped
Celery, finely chopped to make 1 cup
2 Tblsp Formato Brothers Hot Pepper Spread
1 lb hot or spicy sausage
2 cans (6 oz each) tomato paste (with or without seasonings)
3 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz with or without seasonings)
1 can black beans (15 oz) drained & rinsed
1 can kidney beans (15 oz) drained & rinsed
2 Tblsp Alessi Sea Salt
1 Tsp ground black pepper
1 Tblsp garlic powder
2 Tblsp oregano

  1. Saute the following in Extra Virgin Olive Oil (evoo):  onions, red pepper, celery (no leaves), 2 Tblsp Formato Brothers Hot Pepper Spread.
  2. Split the sausage casing lengthwise; remove casing.  Use the back end of a knife to scrape the casing to remove the sausage.  Use a spatula to break the sausage into manageable little pieces.
  3. Add the sausage to the saute pan while vegetables are heating.  Cook over low heat until sausage is almost cooked.
  4. Stir in 2 cans tomato paste.
  5. Transfer all to a large pot.  Add 3 cups water.
  6. Stir & simmer on a low flame.
  7. Drain & rinse black beans & kidney beans.  Add to mixture in large pot.
  8. Add diced tomatoes.  Stir all together & cook a little while longer.
  9. Add the following in this order:  sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, oregano.
  10. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes.  Add a little water as needed to adjust consistency to your liking.
  11. Serve in cups or bowls with or without garnish, as desired:  more chopped onions, Reggiano, Parmesan, Cheddar or Manchego cheese.  Whatever cheese you find in your refrigerator will work.
  12. Serve with a crisp green salad, some crusty Italian bread, a glass of red wine, such as Cabernet or Pinot Noir, & enjoy a flavorful, delicious meal.  Buon Appetito!  This may be made a day before serving & then reheated.

Click on the link below to see Sam & Carl in action in the kitchen preparing this chili.

Award Winning Spicy Italian Chili

Posted in Cheese, General, Olive Oil, Peppers, Recipes, Sea Salt, Tomatoes | No Comments »

Sam’s Chicken Broccoli Bake

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

1 pkg Pillsbury Grands Home Style
2 boneless chicken breast (without skin), cut up pieces, not cooked
1 Tsp EVOO
1 large onion
1 red pepper, chopped into 1/4″ pieces
1 Tsp Formato Brothers Hot Pepper Spread (of, if you dare, add as much as you like)
1 Tsp salt
1 Tsp pepper
1 Tblsp garlic powder
1 Tsp oregano
1 box Green Giant Broccoli & Cheese Sauce

  1. Use 1/2 pkg of Grands & form into a ball of dough.  Roll to create a square shape & place in glass 9″ square baking dish.  Form up the sides about 1/2″.  It is not necessary to grease the pan.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Bake bottom for 12-15 minutes until slightly browned.
  3. Select a large frying pan for the following steps.  Wet the pan w/ EVOO.
  4. Saute the following:  cut-up onion, red peper, Formato Brothers Hot Pepper Spread, salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano.
  5. Add to chicken pieces.  Cook until slightly tender.
  6. Scoop chicken mixture atop pre-baked bottom pie crust.
  7. Bake for 15 minuts.
  8. While this mixture is baking, cook the Pillsbury Broccoli Cheese mixture in microwave, as per package instructions.
  9. Add it to the top of the prebaked mixture.
  10. Sprinkle a little of the Formato Brothers Hot Pepper Spread (or to your taste) on top of the chicken mixture.
  11. Use 1/2 pkg of Home Style Grands & form into another ball of dough.  Roll dough to create another square shape & place atop the mixture.
  12. Bake for 20 minutes.
  13. Wait 15 minutes for flavors to blend a little more.  Then serve this very colorful & enticing dish with a crisp salad for a flavorful & healthy meal.  Buon Appetito!

Posted in Cheese, Chicken, General, Peppers, Recipes, Veggies | No Comments »

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