New Orleans Muffuletta

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Sharp serrated bread knife
• •Heavy weight for pressing (cutting board or cast iron skillet)
• •Airtight container for olive salad

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the olive salad

   Combine the chopped green olives, kalamatas, giardiniera, and capers in a large bowl. Add the minced garlic, parsley, oregano, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pour the olive oil and vinegar over everything and stir until the vegetables are coated and glistening. The mixture should look loose and oily, not dry.

   Chop the olives and giardiniera by hand, not in a food processor. You want irregular pieces with texture, not a paste.
2. 2

   Let the salad marinate

   Transfer the olive salad to a jar or airtight container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Two or three days is better. Stir it once or twice during this time. The flavors deepen considerably with rest, and the oil becomes infused with garlic and herbs. This step is not optional. A fresh olive salad produces a lesser sandwich.

   The olive salad keeps refrigerated for up to two weeks. Make a double batch and you'll have muffulettas on demand.
3. 3

   Prepare the bread

   Slice the muffuletta loaf horizontally through its equator, creating two round halves. The bread should be at room temperature. If the crumb seems dense, use your fingers to pull out some of the interior from both halves, creating shallow wells to hold more filling. Don't discard the crumbs; save them for breadcrumbs.

4. 4

   Apply the olive salad generously

   Spoon a thick layer of olive salad onto the bottom half of the bread, spreading it to the edges. Use about one-third of your salad here. Don't drain the oil; you want it to soak into the bread. Spoon another generous layer onto the cut side of the top half. The bread should glisten.

   The oil from the olive salad is not excess liquid to be avoided. It's the sauce. Let it soak in.
5. 5

   Layer the meats

   On the bottom half, over the olive salad, layer the Genoa salami in overlapping slices, followed by the capicola, then the mortadella, and finally the ham. Each layer should extend to the edges. The total thickness of meat should be about an inch. These are cold cuts, not deli slices shaved thin for volume. You want substance.

6. 6

   Add the cheese

   Cover the meat with overlapping slices of provolone, creating a complete layer. The cheese acts as a barrier between the meat and the olive salad on the top half, preventing the sandwich from becoming unwieldy. Provolone's sharpness cuts through the richness of the meats.

7. 7

   Close and press

   Place the top half of the bread, olive salad side down, onto the assembled sandwich. Press down firmly with both hands. The sandwich should compress to about three inches tall. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. Place a heavy cutting board or cast iron skillet on top.

8. 8

   Let the sandwich rest

   Refrigerate the weighted sandwich for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight. This resting period is when the magic happens. The olive oil seeps into the bread, the flavors meld, and the layers bond together. A muffuletta that hasn't rested is just a pile of ingredients. One that has rested is a unified whole.

   For picnics or tailgates, the sandwich can rest in a cooler for up to six hours. It only improves with time.
9. 9

   Slice and serve

   Unwrap the sandwich and transfer to a cutting board. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut into wedges as you would a pie, typically four to six portions. The layers should hold together, the bread should be soft but not soggy, and every bite should contain meat, cheese, and olive salad in proper proportion. Serve at cool room temperature.

Chef Tips

• •Central Grocery slices their muffuletta into quarters and wraps each wedge separately. This makes for easier transport and portion control at picnics. A whole muffuletta feeds four hungry people or six who are pacing themselves.
• •If you can't find muffuletta bread, a round focaccia about ten inches across works beautifully. Ciabatta or a good Italian round loaf will do in a pinch. Avoid anything crusty like a boule; you need bread with give.
• •The traditional meat combination includes mortadella, which brings a mild, smooth contrast to the sharper salami and spicy capicola. Don't skip it. That said, I've seen versions with soppressata, prosciutto, and even Italian roast beef. Use what your good Italian deli offers.
• •Some folks add a layer of marinated artichoke hearts to the olive salad. This is not traditional but I won't argue with anyone who tries it.
• •For game day, make the muffuletta the night before. It travels beautifully in a cooler and can sit at room temperature for a couple hours without concern. This is a sandwich built for portability.

Advance Preparation

• •The olive salad must be made at least 24 hours ahead and improves for up to 3 days. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
• •The assembled, wrapped sandwich can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before serving. This extended rest deepens the flavors.
• •For transport, keep the sandwich wrapped and weighted in a cooler with ice packs. Slice just before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 333g)