Prep: 40mins | Additional: 1 day | Total: 1 day | Servings: 8 | Yield: 8 servings
These giant sandwiches were invented in New Orleans, here in Sicilian Deli, a century ago. What sets this meat and cheese sandwich apart is the hot, tangy olive salad. A true muffuletta should be made from Italian oven-fresh bread topped with sesame seeds. Make sure to use the best quality available ingredients; it does make a difference. If you’re going through all the trouble making the olive salad, then consider doubling the recipe, so you’re going to have some extra hanging around when you get the craving of another muffuletta, and it will last for at least one month.
Ingredients:
1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, crushed
½ cup drained kalamata olives, crushed
(2) cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup roughly chopped pickled cauliflower florets
2 tbsp drained capers
1 tbsp chopped celery
1 tbsp chopped carrot
½ cup pepperoncini, drained
¼ cup marinated cocktail onions
½ tsp celery seed
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
¾ tsp ground black pepper
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup canola oil
(2) (1 pound) loaves Italian bread
8 oz thinly sliced Genoa salami
8 oz thinly sliced cooked ham
8 oz sliced mortadella
8 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
8 oz sliced provolone cheese
Directions:
To Make Olive Salad: First, you’ll need to combine green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and canola oil in a medium bowl. Add and mix and transfer the mixture into a glass jar (or another non-reactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Then cover the jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight.
To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Then spread each piece of bread with equal amounts of olive salad, including oil. Add and layer ‘bottom half’ of each loaf with ½ of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella, and Provolone. Replace ‘top half’ on each loaf, cut the sandwich into quarters.
Serve it immediately, or wrap tightly, then refrigerate for a few hours. It will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.
Note:
For real muffuletta, use round bread loaves.
Nutrition Facts:
Per Serving: 987.3 calories; fat 62.8g 97% DV; cholesterol 97.3mg 32% DV; sodium 3464.9mg 139% DV; protein 41.4g 83% DV; carbohydrates 63.2g 20% DV.
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