New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich
The traditional layered sandwich of Italian cold cuts and cheeses with a piquant olive salad.
Say it three times quickly - Muffaletta! Isn’t it fun to say? Who cares what it means, except that it refers to an American sandwich created in New Orleans with thick soft bread and several layers of cold cuts and cheeses complimented by spicy olives!
“This legendary sandwich, a New Orleans staple, was invented at one of the city’s oldest markets, the Central Grocery. Sicilian immigrants working at the nearby farmer’s market would buy salami, ham, cheese, olive salad and Muffuletta bread (the soft round loaf that the sandwich takes its name from) and eat them separately. The owner of the grocery suggested they cut the bread and combine all of the various antipasti inside like a sandwich, and the Muffuletta sandwich was born.”
If you enjoy Jersey Mikes’ or Jimmy Johns’ sandwiches with layers of Italian cold cuts, cheeses with a bit of piquant peppers and some vinegar, not forgetting the olives - my husband is a fiend for olives - you’re sure to enjoy this behemoth of a sandwich. All this is packed within a round loaf of special Mufaletta bread, a light airy loaf, though you could choose other Italian breads such as Focaccia or Ciabatta. This is a particularly easy and fun bread to make and then you can say three times in a row - “I made Muffaletta bread!”
New Orleans Muffaletta Sandwich
3/4 cup pitted mixed oil-packed olives
1/2 cup giardiniera (Italian-style pickled vegetable salad, see notes)
1/4 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon capers, roughly chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 large muffuletta-style loaf (see notes)
1/3 pound thinly sliced sweet soppressata (5 1/3 ounces; 151g)
1/3 pound thinly sliced mortadella (5 1/3 ounces; 151g)
1/3 pound thinly sliced capicola (5 1/3 ounces; 151g)
1/3 pound thinly sliced provolone cheese (5 1/3 ounces; 151g)
-Combine olives, giardiniera, peppers, parsley, capers, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to chop until no pieces larger than 1/2-inch remain. Transfer to a bowl. Add olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine. For best results, let olive salad rest overnight before continuing to next step.
-Cut muffuletta loaf in half horizontally with a long serrated knife and spread each cut surface generously with olive salad, making sure to include the juices when spreading. Layer half of the soppressata on the bottom half of the loaf, followed by half of the mortadella, half of the capicola, and half of the provolone. Repeat layers with remaining meat and cheese.
-Place the top of the loaf over the sandwich ingredients and press down gently to compress. For best flavor, wrap tightly in waxed or parchment paper or plastic and let rest for 1 hour before serving. Cut into triangular wedges to serve.
Serves 2 - 3
Notes:
Giardiniera is a pickled vegetable mix that can be found in Italian delis or jarred in supermarkets. If unavailable, it can be omitted. Substitute 2 to 3 seeded and stemmed pepperoncini in its place. Muffuletta rolls are difficult to locate outside of New Orleans. If unavailable, use ciabatta or focaccia in its place, or any good bread with a relatively soft crust. It is very easy to make your own Muffuletta Bread if you are comfortable working with yeast. Following is a recipe:
MuffAletta Bread (1 Loaf)
1 cup lukewarm water (110 F)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp) (1/4 ounce)
3 cups bread flour, approximately
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Sesame or poppyseeds
-In a small bowl, combine water and sugar. Stir in yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5-10 minutes.
-In a food processor, combine 3 cups flour, salt and shortening. Add yeast mixture. Process until dough forms a ball, about 5 seconds. Stop machine, and check the consistency of dough. It should be smooth and satiny. If dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing just until blended. If dough is too sticky, add more flour, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time, processing just until blended. Process 20 seconds to knead.
- Lightly oil a large bowl. Place dough in the oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat all sides. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours (or use the bread-proofing setting on your oven).
-Lightly grease a baking sheet. When dough has doubled in bulk, punch it down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into a round loaf about 10" in diameter, and place on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle top of loaf with sesame seeds. Press seeds gently into the surface of the loaf. Cover very loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 1 hour.
-Place rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove plastic wrap. Bake loaf in center of preheated oven, for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 375, and bake another 25 minutes. The loaf is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool completely on a rack before slicing.
Layers of Italian meats, cheeses, olives - a charcuterie sandwich!
An easy, soft yeast dough to create the perfect Mufaletta bread.
A Muffaletta Sandwich for a crowd!
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
*If you don’t care for the strong taste of Mediterranean olives, you can use American canned olives instead, for a lighter flavor. For less heat, omit the Giardiniera. Mustard and mayonnaise could be used as condiments with this sandwich as well.
*You can use any variety of Italian deli meats or cheese you prefer.
