Although I have never been to New Orléans, I have always wanted to try the legendary Muffuletta sandwich. With no vacation plans in the near future, I decided to make my own Muffuletta sandwich. The process started yesterday with preparation of the olive salad, the key component of this Louisiana specialty.
The sandwich features a hearty salad of olives, capers, carrots, peppers, olive oil and spices. It is best prepared the day before, or at the very least a few hours in advance.
A traditional style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated olive salad, mortadella, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone. The sandwich is sometimes heated to soften the provolone. I wasn’t going for absolute authenticity because you can’t buy Serrano ham in this little town. I used what I could get my hands on, and settled for close to the original. I bought Black Forest ham, soppresata, peppered Genoa salami, mortadella, and provolone cheese. I made homemade bread shaped in a floured brotform.
I loved this sandwich. Michael wouldn’t try it because of the olives, peppers, and other “green” things. He has no idea what he missed. The best part if the sandwich is said to be even better eaten the next day. This gives the olive oil dressing time to soak into the bread.
I already know what I am having for lunch tomorrow. I don’t even need a ticket to New Orléans!
Ingredients
- For the olive salad:
- 1 small jar giardiniera mix (chopped)
- 1/2 cup Greek pitted kalamata olives or ripe black olives (chopped)
- 1 cup green olives (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano flakes
- 3 small jarred roasted bell peppers (chopped)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes or hot chili oil
- 2 tablespoon capers (chopped)
- 4 pepperoncini peppers (stems removed, chopped (optional))
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup olive oil
- For the sandwich:
- 1 round loaf Italian bread (10 inches in diameter)
- 4 slices peppered Genoa salami
- 4 slices thinly sliced ham
- 4 slices mortadella
- 3 slices provolone cheese
- 2 slices swiss cheese
- Olive salad (amount to taste)
Instructions
- For the olive salad:
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate over night or at least five hours.
- For the sandwich:
- Cut the bread round horizontally. Tear out a little of the soft bread in the middle to accommodate the olive salad. Spread as much of the olive salad as you like on the bottom slice of bread. Don't skimp on the dressing. It is a big part of the sandwich! Top with the sliced meats and cheese, finishing with the provolone. Place the sandwich under a hot broiler just until the provolone melts. Remove from broiler and top with more olive salad if you like. Place the top of the bread on the sandwich and squish it down to force the juice into the bread. Cut the sandwich into big wedges and serve. You can also wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate to eat the next day.