Muffuletta
Ingredients
- For the Muffuletta Olive Salad:
- 1 1/2 C. green olives, with pimentos
- 1 1/2 C. black olives
- 1 C. kalamata olives, pitted
- 3/4 C. pickled cocktail onions
- 1 shallot, peeled
- 3/4 C. roasted red peppers*
- 1/4 C. olive oil
- 2 Tbs. minced garlic
- 3 Tbs. sherry or dark balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbs. dried sweet basil
- 2 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. celery salt
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- For each sandwich:
- 1 lg. (12-inch) loaf of round Italian bread
- 1 1/2 C. Muffuletta Olive Salad, from above
- 6 oz. fontina cheese, sliced
- 8 oz. mortadella, thinly sliced
- 8 oz. good quality ham
- 8 oz. Genoa salami, thinly sliced
- 1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil
Directions
For the salad:
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are semi-finely chopped and well incorporated. Place in a non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (overnight is best).
For the sandwich:
Split the bread loaf in half (through the equator, leaving a round top and a round bottom. Hollow out the bread from the inside, leaving about 1/2 - 3/4 layer of bread next to the crust. Brush the lid with some of the oil mixture from the olive salad. Spread the olive salad on the bottom half of the bread and begin to layer the sandwich, starting with the fontina cheese, mortadella, ham, red peppers, and finishing with the salami. Drizzle the top of the loaf with olive oil, cap the sandwich with the top section of bread. Cut into wedges and serve immediately.
