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Muffuletta

Source of Recipe

From "Saveur: The New Classics"


Recipe Introduction

"Salvatore Lupo, who opened Central Grocery in New Orleans in 1906, created the muffuletta for the Sicilian farmers selling their goods at the French Quarter market. (The name derives from muffuliette, a Sicilian colloquialism for soft rolls.) At Central Grocery, they use their famous olive salad - brimming with green niçoise olives, black Kalamata olives, roasted peppers, and banana peppers, all marinated in red wine vinegar - to dress deli meats and cheeses in this irresistible sandwich."

List of Ingredients

For the Olive Salad:
◦  1¼ cups coarsely chopped cauliflower florets
◦  ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
◦  ½ tsp dried oregano
◦  ½ tsp dried thyme
◦  2 small carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
◦  2 small ribs celery, thinly sliced
◦  ¾ cup chopped pitted green niçoise olives
◦  ½ cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
◦  ½ cup chopped roasted red peppers
◦  ¼ cup jarred sliced banana peppers, drained
◦  2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
◦  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Sandwich:
◦  1 8- to 10-inch round loaf Italian bread with sesame seeds, halved
◦  6 ounces thinly sliced deli-style ham
◦  6 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
◦  6 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
◦  6 ounces thinly sliced provolone


Recipe

Make the olive salad:
Bring cauliflower, oil, oregano, thyme, carrots, celery, and 3 tablespoons water to a simmer in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until vegetables are just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in olives, peppers, vinegar, salt, and pepper; let cool.

Make the sandwich:
Using your hands, hollow out both loaf halves; spread olive salad over bottom half. Layer ham, salami, mortadella, and provolone over salad, then top with remaining salad and top half of loaf.

Wrap entire sandwich in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to overnight, allowing the sandwich to marinate and the flavors to intermingle. Cut into quarters and serve.


Serves 4