Panonta di Miranda | How to Make Italy’s HUGE (and under-appreciated) Sandwich

This giant, spectacular, over-the-top sandwich hails from the region of Molise, where the town of Miranda still celebrates it in an annual food festival. The sandwich is made from an entire loaf of bread that is cut into multiple layers and stuffed with sausages, eggs, peppers, and pancetta. The real secret that brings it all together is the leftover cooking fat used to soak the bread.

At first glance, the panonta can seem like a comical gimmick. It’s anything but: this is a seriously delicious way to feed a crowd and there are practical reasons behind its incredible appearance.

The Humble Extravagance Behind the Panonta di Miranda

While the sandwich may seem ludicrously exaggerated, there are humble and utilitarian origins behind its unusual form. The recipe was born as a way for poor farmers, who had to work in the fields all day, to easily transport a day’s worth of food with them. They didn’t have tableware, so they ingeniously turned a loaf of bread into a container, plate and eating utensil all in one.

While the brave can attempt it, one traditionally wouldn’t eat a whole wedge like a normal sandwich. Instead one would generally consume it more as if each layer of bread is its own little sandwich or bruschetta, relying on the cooking fat soaked into the bread to blend the flavors together throughout the sandwich.

Finding the Right Bread

Below we’ve given a recipe which will work for a loaf of bread weighing 1 kilogram, about 2 ¼ pounds, which is considered the minimum size for a panonta. You’ll want a nice, round loaf of good bread (meaning the ingredients are flour, water, salt, and yeast; full stop—avoid soft breads, brioches, or “gourmet” breads with more holes and bubbles than bread), and one that’s tall enough to cut into four horizontal slices.

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Panonta di Miranda Recipe

Makes: 8 servings

Cook Time: 1 ½ hours, best made the day before

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) pork lard, if necessary (see below)
• 5.5 ounces (155 grams) cured pancetta, chopped
• 3 large bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
• Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 8 Italian pork sausages
• ½ cup (120 milliliters) white wine
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup (50 grams) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• A pinch of fresh chopped parsley
• Fresh black pepper
• One large, round, tall loaf of bread (around 2 ¼ pounds or 1 kilogram)
  

Most store-bought, cured pancetta is quite fatty, in which case you won’t need any additional cooking fat to sauté it. If, however, your pancetta has a decent amount of lean meat, start with a tablespoon (15 grams) of lard in a large non-stick pan and melt over medium-low heat. You can substitute the lard with extra-virgin olive oil, if necessary, but we recommend sticking with lard. If your pancetta is on the fattier side, skip this step and just heat the bare pan over medium-low heat.

Add the pancetta and sauté until the meat releases plenty of fat into the pan and begins to brown. With a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan to cook the peppers in.

Add the peppers, sprinkle them generously with salt, and sauté until they become tender. Depending on how much fat you have from earlier, you may need to add a little extra-virgin olive oil. When the peppers are tender, add the pancetta back into the pan and continue to cook until the peppers are very soft. Taste and adjust the salt as necessary as the peppers near completion.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the peppers and pancetta from the pan and set aside for later. Keep as much of the cooking fat as possible in the pan. If necessary (depending on how much fat you have left), add enough extra-virgin olive oil to the pan to thinly coat the bottom. Heat the fat and the clove of garlic over medium heat, then add the whole sausages.

Sear the sausages until they are browned on all sides, then add the wine and a small pinch of salt. Lower the heat, bring to a simmer, and let the sausages cook partially covered for about 15 minutes or until fully cooked through. Set aside to cool and, whatever you do, don’t discard any of the fat from the pan!

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, Pecorino Romano cheese, parsley, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk together.

Drizzle a non-stick pan (ideally around the same diameter as your loaf of bread) with some extra-virgin olive oil and heat over medium heat. When the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture, lower the heat to low, cover, and let cook without stirring until the frittata has solidified—about 10 minutes. Carefully slide the frittata onto the pan lid, place the pan upside down on top, then flip. Continue to cook for 2 more minutes, then transfer to a plate to cool down.

When the sausages have cooled down, either cut them in half or butterfly them. Carefully cut the loaf of bread into four horizontal slices. Drizzle the bottom layer with some of the leftover sausage fat, then place the frittata on top and cover with the second layer of bread. Drizzle with more fat, then arrange the sausages evenly over the bread. Cover with the third bread layer, drizzle with more fat, and spread the peppers/pancetta on top. Finally, place the final top layer of the bread into the sausage pan to soak up any remaining fat and use it to close the sandwich.

For best results, let the sandwich rest in the fridge overnight and serve the next day. If you can’t wait, try to at least give it a few hours for the fat and flavor to soak into the bread. Cut into wedge-shaped slices and serve.

Buon appetito!