Muffuletta Sandwich
List of Ingredients
(Serves 4)
For Olive Salad, Combine:
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped
1/4 cup cauliflower, finely chopped
1/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
2 T. red wine vinegar
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
1 t. garlic, minced
1/2 t. dried oregano
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
Hollow Out:
1 loaf round Italian bread, 10" diameter
Layer with Olive Salad and:
6 oz. provolone cheese, sliced
2 oz. capicollo, thinly sliced
2 oz. Genoa salami, thinly sliced
2 oz. ham, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced
Romaine lettuce
This New Orleans classic is a real "eat over the sink" kind of a sandwich. Between the chewy bread, salty meats, and tangy olive salad, you’ll be hooked from the first bite. It’s these three things that make this sandwich what it is.
The Bread: Muffuletta is actually a Sicilian word for a special round loaf of bread, baked so that the center is hollow and can be stuffed. Since a real one is hard to find in the U.S., muffulettas are usually made with a round Italian loaf you hollow out yourself.
You’ll find all kinds of round loaves of bread from regular grocery stores and bakeries: freshly baked, “brown-and-serve,” focaccia. None of them are alike, but all work great.
Just look for a loaf that is round, about 10 inches in diameter, with a fairly thick crust. The crust is important because it has to be able to soak up the olive salad marinade without turning mushy.
The Olive Salad: The olive salad is what sets muffulettas apart from most other sandwiches. It beats the britches off mustard or mayo with three distinct ingredients: green and black olives, and chopped vegetables.
Use regular pimiento-stuffed green olives for their color. But for the black olives, use Kalamatas for their taste. Plain black ones are bland. Chopped vegetables add color and crunch.
The Meats: Traditional Italian cured meats are the best for this sandwich. I found Genoa salami and capicollo at my supermarket’s deli.
Don’t worry if you can’t find the meats I’ve suggested, though. Just go to the deli of your supermarket and pick out three meats you like--get a salami and a ham, at least. Be sure to have them shave the meats real thin, too, so you can fold them over to make your sandwich nice and high.
Making the Muffuletta
Finely chop the vegetables and olives for the Olive Salad. You want a nice, uniform look. Combine all salad ingredients; set aside.
Cut the loaf of bread in half crosswise. Use a small, serrated knife to score the inside of both halves about 1" in from the crust.
Hollow the bread halves by pulling out the insides with your hands. Leave shells about 1" thick. Save the bread chunks for other uses.
Brush insides of bread shells with marinade from Olive Salad. Brush most of it in the top half, since you’ll put the salad in the bottom half.
Spoon salad into bottom half of loaf. Since you’ve brushed it with marinade, don’t spoon too much extra liquid into the shell.
Layer 2 oz. cheese over the salad. If you heat the sandwich, the melted cheese will hold the salad in place. Top with one type of meat; repeat.
Finish layering with last of cheese and meat. Top with tomato and lettuce. If you heat the sandwich, put the lettuce on after it’s warm.
Use an electric knife to cut the sandwich into four wedges. If you don’t have one, use a very sharp serrated knife. Just saw carefully and don’t press too hard--or you might squish all the filling out.
Some Like It Hot
Muffulettas can be served hot or cold. I like to heat mine up because the melted cheese helps hold everything together. Since this sandwich is so high and the olive salad is a little loose, you could lose a few fillings when you take a bite.
To heat, wrap the uncut muffuletta in a large piece of foil. Place the wrapped sandwich on a sheet pan and warm it in a 400-degree oven for 25–30 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melted. Carefully remove the foil, add lettuce, and cut the sandwich into wedges.
Recipe
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