FriYAY recipe: Layered picnic rolls three ways – Mediterranean, Tex Mex & Classic

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Today’s recipe is ideal for this time of year. It’s a picnic dish that can be taken out on bike rides or to the beach during the summer holidays and each mouthful is a tasty combination of Mediterranean flavours. My picnic roll recipe is a handy option because it packs all the filling inside crusty rolls and stops some of the sogginess you often get with cling-wrapped sarnies. If you’re planning a day trip to the seaside, hiking to see a roman fort or visiting a museum but want to avoid the over-priced lunches, this is the recipe for you! Read on to find out how I made this easy picnic sandwich for my very own cycling adventure… With this layered roll it’s easy to pack up a picnic – no Tupperware or cling film required! Everything is safely enclosed within the roll so a napkin or a piece of greaseproof paper is all you need to tuck your sandwiches away safely in the basket of your bike or in a cool bag. Plus, it’s a great recipe to make if you’re taking kids out for the day during the school holidays. You can hand the little ones their very own picnic roll without worrying about the filling plopping out at first bite because each layer is tightly packed into the roll. Here’s now to #MakeItAYayDay with an impromptu picnic: Ingredients (makes 4 rolls): 4 crusty rolls, mayonnaise, salsa, pesto, hummus, thinly sliced salami, wafer thin ham, chicken slices, sliced garlic sausage, mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, guacamole, cheese or any other fillings you like!

1. Slice a ‘lid’ off the top of the crusty rolls and set aside. You can choose white or brown rolls, so long as they have a good sturdy crust to keep all the ingredients packed inside. I used a ciabatta roll for my Mediterranean sandwich, a small crusty roll for the tex mex filling (the salami was the perfect size to fill the centre!) and a crispy seeded roll for my classic ham-chicken-and-cheese roll.
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
2. Use a spoon (or your fingers, like I did!) to scoop out the dough from the centre of the roll.
3. Use the back of a spoon to spread some mayonnaise onto the insides of the roll. This will help to ‘stick’ everything together. If you don’t like mayo, try hummus or cream cheese.
   

   
   

   
4. Add a layer of ham and then spread on a small amount of salsa.
5. Continue layering up with salami, followed by hummus, chicken, pesto, sausage and cheese.
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
6. Repeat and keep packing the layers down until the inside of the roll is tightly filled. You can see each of my layers being added in my photos and I just kept adding more layers until it was completely full.
   

   
   

   
7. Pop the crusty ‘lids’ back onto the rolls and wrap in a napkin or greaseproof paper, ready to pack into your picnic basket.
8. Enjoy your picnic with a cold cup of Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE iced coffee while taking in a lovely view!
   

   
   

   
   

   

As the summer holidays are still in full swing I decided to make the most of my ‘staycation’ by heading out for a countryside bike ride with my husband this week. We wrapped up a couple of rolls and popped them into the basket of the bike before studying a map to find a leisurely route to cycle. We set a calm pace and stopped after a couple of miles when we found a lovely spot to enjoy our impromptu picnic. Of course, I was already pretty tired after a couple of miles (it’s further than you’d think!) so I really enjoyed tucking into my Mediterranean picnic roll and sipping a chilled cup of iced coffee, yum! Taking the time to appreciate the surrounding countryside (which I tend to take for granted, I admit) and we stopped at regular points along our route to enjoy the vast views of the Suffolk landscape and to check out the fields being harvested by impressive machinery. Of course, I couldn’t go out on a bike ride without a camera so I managed to capture plenty of lovely scenes to remind me of this lovely day out in the sunshine. How have you been enjoying your summer? Let me know by leaving me a comment blow or tag me in your instagram pics of days out @Cassiefairy using the hashtag #MakeItAYayDay so that I can see what you’ve been up to during the school hols. And if you try out the recipe, I hope you’ll let me know how you get on and share details of your favourite combination of ingredients too!

This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂