I couldn't find a general recipe section so I'm posting this here...
Since tomorrow is Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras (the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent) I thought I'd create a New Orleans classic for dinner. The muffuletta is a signature New Orleans sandwich with olive salad, cappicola, Swiss and Provolone cheese, hard salami, soppressata and mortadella. While it’s easy to replicate at home, it’s difficult to find muffuletta bread outside of NOLA so I made my own.
At my grocery store the cost for the ingredients, including the olive salad components, was about $20 which is not bad for four meals (or two if you’re really hungry).
1 ten-inch muffuletta loaf
1/4 pound hard salami (about six slices) $7.49/ #
1/4 pound Mortadella (Italian cured pork sausage) (about six slices) $7.99/ #
1/4 pound Cappicola ham (dry cured pork shoulder) (about six slices) $9.99/ #
1/4 pound Provolone cheese (about six slices) $7.99/ #
1/4 pound sliced Swiss cheese (about six slices) $5.99/ #
1/4 pound Soppressata (Italian dry salami) (about six slices) $12.99/ #
Sliced Peperoncinis, optional
For the Muff salad:
3/4 cup olive salad (I use Guiliano brand or you can make it homemade)
3 tablespoons sliced black olives
1 1/2 tablespoons rinsed capers
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (you don’t need extra virgin)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Combine the black olives, capers and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse until somewhat smooth but not puréed. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the olive salad mix, vinegar and olive oil. Stir well to combine. Add the parsley, basil and pepper. Stir. Allow the salad mix to blend at room temperature for two to four hours.
Slice the bread in half lengthwise. Remove some of the interior bread so there is room for the meat and olive salad. Layer both sides of the bread with the olive mixture (spoon in some of the remaining oil to make the bread moist). Put in the mortadella, soppressata, capicolo, provolone, Swiss and salami in alternating layers. Top with sliced peperoncinis (if desired).
Assemble the sandwich and wrap with plastic film or foil. (I used a Tuscan-style Boule because I couldn’t find any muffuletta bread in New England.) Compress the sandwich between two heavy skillets and let it rest for two hours before serving so all the olive oil and juices get into the bread.
(Now there are a couple of options… some say the Muff should be served at room temperature; others suggest it should be toasted on a Panini press or heated in the oven wrapped with foil… your choice! Traditionally, the Muff is served at room temperature.)
Olive salad with added ingredients
Spread into bottom of the muffuletta loaf
Provolone added
Then some mortadella
Then some Swiss
Then some salami
More olive salad on the top half of the loaf
Pressed with a cast iron deep skillet
Ready to eat!
Laissez les bons temps rouler
