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This hearty New Orleans-style Italian sandwich brings all the bold tastes of Central Grocery's famous creation straight to your home. The mix of flavorful deli meats, quality cheeses, and zesty olive mix creates a mouth-watering combo that actually gets tastier the longer it sits.
I stumbled upon muffuletta sandwiches during my New Orleans visit where I waited almost 60 minutes at Central Grocery. Just one taste and I was hooked - I had to figure out how to make it myself, and now it's what I always bring to get-togethers without breaking a sweat.
What You'll Need
- Black and green olives: They're the tangy foundation that makes a real muffuletta stand out
- Giardiniera: Adds a zingy crunch and true Italian touch to your olive mix
- Capers: Give tiny pops of salt that lift all the other flavors
- Top-notch olive oil: Don't skimp here as it soaks through the whole olive mixture
- Sesame-topped round Italian loaf: Delivers that genuine feel with its firm texture and seedy flavor
- Capicola, mortadella, and salami: Build up different tasty layers of cured meat goodness
- Mozzarella and provolone cheese: Cut through the salty meats with their smooth mellowness
How To Make It
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- Mix Up Your Olive Spread:
- Throw all your diced veggies together in a big bowl - green olives, black olives, giardiniera, roasted red peppers, capers, celery, and garlic. Chop everything small so your spread stays put when you bite into the sandwich. Pour in olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes, then crack some black pepper over it all. Mix everything until it's well coated. Cover it up and stick it in the fridge for at least an hour, but letting it sit overnight makes it way tastier as everything melds together.
- Put Your Sandwich Together:
- Cut your round bread sideways with a bread knife to make a top and bottom piece. If your bread's really thick, scoop out some of the inside to make room for all your fillings, but don't go too far or it'll fall apart. Spread half of your olive mix across the bottom bread piece, pressing down a bit so it sticks. Layer on your mortadella, salami, capicola, provolone, and mozzarella in thin layers that slightly overlap so you get complete coverage. Top it off with the rest of your olive mix, making sure to spread it evenly so every bite has the same great taste.
- Squish It Down and Dig In:
- Gently put the top bread half over all your layers. Wrap the whole thing super tight in plastic wrap, making sure all sides are sealed up good. Set the wrapped sandwich on a flat spot and put a heavy pan or weighted plate on top to flatten it for at least 30 minutes while it sits out. This squishing step is key - it lets all those tasty oils soak into the bread and helps everything stay together when you cut it. After pressing, unwrap it and slice it into wedges with a really sharp knife. Eat it right away or wrap it up again and chill it for up to a day to let the flavors get even better.
Giardiniera is my hidden trick in this sandwich. I learned from an old Italian lady during a cooking lesson in Sicily how her family had been pickling veggies for years, and the bright zippy kick it gives the muffuletta can't be matched. Whenever I whip up this sandwich, I think of her kitchen with all those hanging herbs and pickle jars.
Where Muffuletta Came From
Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant, created the muffuletta sandwich in 1906 at his Central Grocery store in New Orleans. He noticed Sicilian workers having trouble eating their lunch of bread, meat, and olive salad separately, so he put it all together in one handy sandwich. It got its name from the round Sicilian bread used to make it. These days, the muffuletta stands as a New Orleans food icon that shows how Sicilian and American food traditions came together, and highlights how Italian immigrants helped shape what people eat in New Orleans today.
Prep Ahead Tricks
You can make the olive mix up to a week early and keep it in a sealed container in your fridge. This not only saves you time when you're putting it all together but also makes it taste much better. The fully built sandwich can be wrapped tight and kept in the fridge for up to a day before serving, which makes it great for parties. If you want to make it even earlier, just keep the olive mix separate from the bread until serving day so it doesn't get soggy. Let your cold sandwich sit out for about 30 minutes before eating for the best flavor.
Ways To Switch It Up
Though real muffuletta follows certain rules, there are lots of tasty twists you can try. For a meat-free version, skip the cold cuts and add more cheese plus some grilled veggies like zucchini and eggplant. Can't find round Italian bread? Ciabatta or focaccia work great too. Make it spicier or milder by changing how much red pepper you put in the olive mix. Want something lighter? Try turkey and low-fat cheese instead, though purists might say it's not the same. The olive mix can also be tweaked to your liking - some New Orleans versions even throw in carrots and cauliflower.
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This sandwich brings together big flavors and different textures, and it's best shared with friends and paired with a cold drink.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → How early can I prepare the olive mix?
You can make the olive mix up to 3 days before and keep it in the fridge. Actually, making it a day ahead works better because the flavors get stronger over time.
- → Can I use other meats or cheeses?
Though a true muffuletta has mortadella, salami, capicola, provolone, and mozzarella, you can swap in other cured meats like prosciutto or ham, and any semi-hard cheeses that go well with the tangy olive mix.
- → What's a good bread option if I can't get round Italian sesame bread?
If you can't find muffuletta bread, try any firm round Italian loaf or focaccia. What matters most is picking bread that won't get mushy from the olive oil and fillings.
- → Why should I press the sandwich?
Pressing squeezes everything together and lets the bread soak up the tasty oils from the olive mix. This makes all the flavors come together instead of tasting like separate parts.
- → How do I keep leftover muffuletta fresh?
Cover any leftovers well with plastic wrap and put them in the fridge for up to 2 days. They'll often taste even better after a few hours as the flavors continue to mix.
- → Do I really need giardiniera for the right taste?
Yeah, giardiniera (those Italian pickled veggies) really makes the olive mix taste authentic. If you can't find it, you can mix pickled cauliflower, carrots, and celery with a bit more vinegar instead.