The Muffaletta Sandwich

A traditional-style muffuletta sandwich would consist of a muffuletta loaf split horizontally and loaded with tiers of olive salad, salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella al seasoned to perfection. Quarter, half, and full-sized muffulettas are sold.

The signature olive salad consists of olives diced with the celery, cauliflower and carrot found in a jar of giardiniera, seasoned with oregano and garlic, covered in olive oil, and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours.

Ingredients

round italian bread: 10 inch

olive salad, either a mix like I used, which I added more to, or you can make your own.

each of mortadella, salami and capicollo or meats of your choice. ( you might have extra left over): 1/2 lb

slicing provolone or a mixture of mozzarella and provolone: 1 lb

olive oil

a cup or more each of Italian black and green olives, chopped

a jar of vegetable giardiniera that has carrots, cauliflower and celery, drained and chopped

a jar of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

a jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped

fresh parsley, 1 garlic clove and fresh crunchy celery and oregano

toss everything into a bowl and mix well together with good olive oil

How To Make The Muffaletta Sandwich

1. Cut your bread horizontally and pull out some of the dense bread inside to make room for the ingredients.
2. Fill each of the two sides of hollowed bread with with the olive salad.
3. Start to layer your meats and cheeses, start with the cheese, layer the cheese over the salad and cover till the cheese and bread are the only thing visible from the top
4. Then add the meats as per your choosing after searing them on each side and laying them on the cheese to melt the cheese within too.
5. Add olive salad in between the layers if you want to add an extra crunch to your meaty cheesy sandwich.
6. When finished layering, put the top of the bread on and wrap in foil or plastic wrap to ensure an evenly wrapped and secure.
7. Compress the sandwich by weighing it down with a heavy pan filled with heavy cans. Or otherwise a heavy pan pressed down lightly
8. Let it sit for at least 2 hours before cutting but never overnight because the bread will become soggy and lose its integrity.
9. Cut into small wedges for a crowd with other snacks or lager wedges for more of a main course. 

Trivia

• The muffuletta sandwich was created in 1906 at Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, by its owner Salvatore Lupo.
• Sicilians, however, have been making various versions of the bread for centuries.

Commonly eaten during celebration days; In Palermo it is most commonly eaten on the Day of the Dead, November 2.