Party casserole with baguette, salami and peppers Recipe
The party casserole with baguette, salami and peppers is a homemade version of the famous Polish “zapiekanka from a street stall”, but baked at home on a whole tray. It’s perfect for an evening with friends, a match or board games – everyone can just grab their portion with their hand. The flavour is a combination of crispy bread, stretchy cheese and bold salami with colourful peppers.
This is a homemade version of the street-style zapiekanka, but baked on a whole tray – ideal for when you’d rather have a “stall zapiekanka” in your slippers in front of the TV than stand in a queue at the station. The combination of crispy baguette, spicy tomato sauce, bold salami and stretchy cheese gives an effect that’s hard to beat with an ordinary baked sandwich. Colourful peppers add freshness and a hint of sweetness, so the whole thing isn’t just heavy and cheesy.
Chef's tips
Don’t scoop out too much of the soft crumb from the baguettes – you need it to soak up the sauce and hold the toppings, otherwise everything will fall off. Grate the cheese on the coarse side of the grater and spread it in an even but not overly thick layer, because too much will make the centre rubbery before the edges brown nicely. If you’re making a larger batch for a party, assemble the casseroles in advance and put them in the oven only 10–15 minutes before guests arrive so they’re really hot and crispy.
How to serve
Serve them straight from the oven with bowls of garlic sauce and hot ketchup for dipping – perfect for a match night or a series marathon. To drink, light beer, a light red wine or simply chilled cola with ice cubes in glasses all work well. For a bigger house party, you can add a simple salad with iceberg lettuce and cucumber to cut through the richness of the casseroles.
Ingredients
- baguette medium-sized - 2 pieces
- salami in slices - 150 g
- pepper red or yellow - 1 piece
- yellow cheese grated - 200 g
- tomato paste - 3 tablespoons
- ketchup mild or spicy - 2 tablespoons
- garlic finely chopped or pressed - 1 clove
- dried oregano - 1 teaspoon
- hot paprika or more to taste - 0.25 teaspoons
- rapeseed oil for greasing the baking tray - 1 tablespoon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (top and bottom heat). Lightly grease the baking tray with oil or line it with baking paper.
- Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 2–3 shorter pieces to make handy portions.
- In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste, ketchup, garlic, oregano and hot paprika. If the sauce is very thick, you can add 1–2 tablespoons of water.
- Wash the pepper, remove the core and seeds and cut into thin strips or small cubes.
- Cut the salami slices into halves or quarters so they’re easier to distribute evenly.
- Place the baguette halves on the tray, cut side up. Spread each portion with the prepared tomato sauce, right up to the edges.
- Arrange the salami pieces on the sauce, then sprinkle with the chopped pepper.
- Generously sprinkle everything with grated cheese, trying not to let too much cheese fall onto the tray (it burns easily there).
- Put the tray into the preheated oven and bake for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned and the baguette edges are crispy.
- After removing from the oven, leave the casseroles for 2–3 minutes so the cheese can firm up slightly and not run off when cutting. Serve immediately.
Storage
Leftover pieces taste best reheated briefly in a hot oven so the bread crisps up again. Store cooled slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day before reheating.
