Muffaletta
By Marge Perry & David Bonom. Layered meats, provolone and olive salad make this New Orleans-born sandwich a tourist attraction in its native city. While it is not traditional, we suggest you make yours up to a day ahead, which allows time for the flavours of the olive salad to soak into the bread.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 (6.5-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 cup green salad olives, chopped
- ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
- ⅓ cup basil leaves
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 long long Italian or French bread, halved lengthwise
- 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
- 3 oz deli-sliced sopressata
- 3 oz deli-sliced turkey breast
- 3 oz deli-sliced genoa salami
- 3 oz deli-sliced mortadella
- 2 oz deli-sliced pepperoni
- 5 oz deli-sliced provolone cheese
DIRECTIONS
- Combine the artichoke hearts, olives, basil, vinegar, oil and pepper flakes in a bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to overnight. Just before assembling the sandwich, drain the olive mixture and reserve the liquid.
- Scoop out some of the doughy part of the bread and discard or reserve for another use. Brush the cut side of the bread with the reserved olive salad liquid. Spread 1/2 of the olive mixture on the bottom half of the bread. Top with the lettuce, sopressata, turkey breast, salami, mortadella, pepperoni and provolone cheese. Spread the remaining olive mixture over the cheese and close the sandwich. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Unwrap the sandwich and cut into 2-inch wide slices to serve.