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Muffuletta Salad with Olive Vinaigrette

Source of Recipe

From "Once Upon A Chef: Weeknight/Weekend" by Jennifer Segal


Recipe Introduction

"This salad was inspired by Flavors of the Southern Coast: Cooking with Tommy Bahama, a gorgeous coffee-table cookbook I picked up in Longboat Key, Florida, where my parents spend the winter. Based on the famous muffuletta sandwiches sold at Central Market in New Orleans, the salad is a bowlful of exciting flavors and textures. There are fresh vegetables—juicy tomatoes, crisp celery, and peppery arugula—along with briny olives, deli meats, cheese, and homemade croutons. It's a fun salad filled with classic New Orleans flavor. Try it!"

List of Ingredients

For the olive vinaigrette:
â—¦ 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
â—¦ ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ ½ cup good-quality green olives, coarsely chopped
â—¦ 1 small clove garlic, minced
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon sugar
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:
â—¦ 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
â—¦ 4 cups 1-inch cubed good-quality Italian bread (from 1 loaf)
â—¦ 1 ½ cups grape tomatoes, halved (from 1 pint)
â—¦ 4 celery stalks, thinly sliced
â—¦ 4 ounces sliced Genoa salami or capicola, thinly sliced into bite-sized strips
â—¦ 6 ounces sliced ham or mortadella, thinly sliced into bite-sized strips
â—¦ 8 ounces sharp Provolone, diced
â—¦ 5 ounces baby arugula
â—¦ 1 tablespoon sesame seeds


Recipe

Make the olive vinaigrette:
In a large salad bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, olives, garlic, salt, sugar, and pepper.

Make the salad:
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick pan. Add the bread cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until golden outside but still somewhat soft inside, 5 to 6 minutes.

To the vinaigrette, add the tomatoes, celery, salami, ham, Provolone, arugula, sesame seeds, and toasted bread. Toss until evenly coated, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Let the salad stand for about 5 minutes to allow the bread to absorb some of the dressing, then serve.

Serves 4