Things have been pretty busy here at Mortadella Head lately. Our catering division has really been growing.
I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to people who are planning parties and events. What I’ve learned is that everyone wants to make sure their event is perfect.
They want to make sure that the food is good and there is plenty of it.
My job is to make it happen.
Here are some of the most common questions I get asked when planning a catering event.
What type of events do you cater?
At Mortadella Head we cater all types of events. We do birthday parties, anniversaries, business lunches, weddings, confirmations and funerals.
We cater big events and small events. We recently put together a nice selection of snacks for a backyard cocktail party.
If you have any questions about your next party you should give me a shout.
I’d love to help you put something fun together.
What type of food do you suggest for my event?
This question comes up a lot. People really want to make sure that they have food that everyone will love.
Depending on the event and the time of day, here are some of the things I suggest.
Pizza
Pizza is always a crowd pleasing solution. Especially our pizza.
Our sauce is always homemade. We went to Rome to learn how to make our pizza dough. It’s pretty special.
It takes 72 hours to complete. It’s a cold fermentation process that creates a lot of flavor and the perfect texture.
Chicken Parm
A good rule of thumb is to have some chicken parmesan. We pound out our chicken breast so it’s thin and crispy when we fry it. It gets smothered in our homemade tomato sauce and lots of cheese.
It’s the perfect main course for any event with a couple good side dishes.
Cold Cut Sandwiches
Sandwich trays are always a good idea. Everyone loves a well crafted sandwich. People think making their own sandwiches is fun.
Sandwiches don’t need to be kept warm. You can leave them out at room temperature and they will be perfect.
Charcuterie Board
A good selection of cured meats and cheeses makes everyone happy. Add some pickled vegetables, jams and nuts. It’s a great way to give people the ability to try new things.
How much food do I need to order?
There are a lot of factors when answering this question.
What type of party is it?
Who are you serving?
How many children?
How many adults?
Today I’m going to spend some time talking about how much sandwich meat you’ll need per person.
I’ll give you some general guidelines that you can use with a large group of people or just a few friends.
You want to make sure you have enough food for everyone without having pounds of deli meat leftover.
How To Build Your Own Cold Cut Platter
Catering isn’t cheap. If you want to spend a little bit of your own time, you don’t have to spend a lot of money.
Here are some simple steps to building a great cold cut platter. When you’re done reading this article you’ll know how much meat you need.
Step 1
Figure out how many people you’ll be serving.
Step 2
Decide what type of cold cuts you want to serve on the platter. You want to choose a combination of delicious deli meats that will make great sandwiches.
I suggest roast beef, turkey breast and ham.
There are lots of hams to choose from when you step up to the deli counter. Black Forest Ham is always a safe bet.
If you want Italian cold cuts try mortadella, capicola and salami.
The right combination of meat is important.
You also need to put some cheese slices on the platter. I usually get a combination of American cheese, provolone and Swiss.
Step 3
Order your cold cuts. Head out to your local grocery store. Ask the deli man to slice everything really thin. As thin as possible.
Don’t feel funny demanding the thinnest! It’s important.
Make sure you use fresh sliced cold cuts. Avoid the pre-packaged deli meats. Pre-sliced meats are never thin enough and the quality isn’t the best.
How much deli meat do you order? My general rule of thumb is 6 ounces of deli meat per person.
This amount of meat will let people make themselves a really nice sandwich.
If the sandwich platter isn’t the main course you can go with a smaller serving size. I suggest 4 ounces of meat per person if the sandwiches are a side dish.
How to Make A Great Sandwich
I recently rolled out our newest sub that I think is great.
It’s called the Ultimate Combo.
I think it’s the perfect sandwich. It checks all of the boxes.
If you want to make the ideal sandwich try this at home.
Here’s what you need to make the ideal sandwich:
Roll
You need a great sub roll. It should be crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Depending on where you’re from it might be called a hero or a hoagie roll.
Whatever you want to call it, make sure you get a nice one.
Cold Cuts
This sub calls for 6 ounces of meat. Get 3 ounces of turkey and 3 ounces of ham. It’s a lot of meat.
This one is for big eaters.
Make sure you get it sliced super thin. Ask the deli guy to shave it for you.
Vegetables
Get some iceberg lettuce and shred it thin.
Slice some fresh tomatoes pretty thin too.
We also want to slice an onion really thin.
As you can see, slicing everything thin is important when making the perfect sandwich. That’s how you achieve the best experience in sandwich eating.
It sounds crazy, but it’s really true.
Condiments
We’re going to put mayo, hot pepper relish, olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper on this sub. It’s the perfect combination of flavors!
A small amount of the hot pepper relish is perfect. It won’t be too spicy, but adds loads of flavor.
The Key To Making A Great Cold Cut Sandwich
If there’s one thing I can’t stress enough, it’s that you really have to slice your cold cuts thin. As thin as possible!
At Mortadella Head we slice hundreds of pounds of meat every week. I make sure that the individual pieces of meat are paper thin. So thin that you can see through it.
I always ask people what they love about the sandwiches we make at Mortadella Head. I love getting feedback so I can use it to improve everyone’s experience.
Recent research that I’ve compiled prove that slicing the cold cuts thin is the best way if you’re trying to make your guests happy.
This goes for sandwiches, cold cut trays or even a snacking platter.
Why I Slicing Cold Cuts Thin Important
When you slice your cold cuts thin, they taste better. For some reason it feels like it melts in your mouth. The thin sliced luncheon meats combine better with the cheese and condiments on the sandwich.
When you slice your cold cuts thin they get nice and fluffy. When you pile the thin shaved cold cuts in the bread it looks impressive…like there’s a pound of meat piled between the slices of bread.
The portion sizes of your sandwiches will look bigger than they actually are.
Good luck with your event!
