Muffuletta Cooks Illustrated Recipes

MUFFALETTA WITH OLIVE TAPENADE

Steps:

• Divide the bread lengthwise. Scoop out some of the dough-y interior and reserve for another use.
• Combine the olives, oil, pickled vegetables, red peppers, parsley, vinegar, garlic and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Spread half of the olive tapenade on the bottom half of the bread. Layer the salami, provolone, capicola, mozzarella, mortadella and the rest of the olive tapenade. Top with the other half of the bread and wrap the entire loaf in plastic wrap. Top the wrapped sandwich with a cast iron pan and set aside to rest for 1 hour. To facilitate easy cutting, skewer the muffaletta with 4 skewers and cut into 8 even triangles.

MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 14 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. , Cut bread in half horizontally; carefully hollow out top and bottom, leaving a 1-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Spoon half the olive mixture over bottom half of bread. Layer with salami, ham, mortadella, Swiss and provolone; top with remaining olive mixture. Replace bread top. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into 8 wedges.

MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• Make the olive salad by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside to marinate.
• Assemble the muffuletta by slicing the loaf of bread horizontally into 2 large pieces, with the top piece 2/3 the size of the bottom piece. Hollow out the top piece by removing the soft bread inside, leaving 1/2 inch of bread near the crust. Spread half of the olive salad on the bottom piece. Begin layering the meats, starting with the soppressata and adding 1/4 of the provolone cheese between each layer of meat except for the last.
• Spread the remaining olive salad on the last layer of meat and top with the hollowed bread. Press down lightly and let sit at least 10 minutes. To serve, slice into 6 or 8 wedges. It will keep for several hours in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic.

MUFFULETTA (COOK'S ILLUSTRATED)

Steps:

• For the olive salad, mix everything together. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
• To make the sandwich: Drain olive salad, saving the marinade. Cut the bread in half horizontally and remove most of the soft interior. Brush both inside pieces of the bread with the reserved marinade.
• Place half of the olive salad in the bottom half of the hollowed-out bread. Top it with the cold cuts. Put on the rest of the olive salad. Put top half of bread on top of it all.
• Wrap in plastic wrap. Put it between two dinner plates. (It might work best to turn the top plate upside down, depending on if the plates have any curvature to them or not.) Put 2 or 3 heavy cans on top of it to work as weights. (Mufuletta is pressed-down sandwich). Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
• To serve, unwrap and cut into wedges.

MUFFULETTAS

Steps:

• Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cut the top 1-inch of the bread loaf. Set the top aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread some of the olive and roasted pepper mix over the bread bottom and cut side of the bread top. Layer the meats and cheeses in the bread bottom. Top with the onions, then the arugula. Spread the remaining olive and roasted pepper mix on top of the sandwich and carefully cover with the bread top. You can serve the sandwich immediately or you can wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator a day before serving.
• Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.

MUFFALETTA

Steps:

• Whisk together the mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard and honey in a large bowl. Add the onion, olives, peppers, parsley and oregano; toss, and season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Slice the bread in half and pull some of interior from the top half. Spread some of the olive salad on each half. You will probably have some salad left; it holds well in the refrigerator.
• Layer the meat and cheese on the bottom half, alternating layers of each meat with thin layers of cheese. Cover with the top half, press gently, slice, and serve.

REAL N'AWLINS MUFFULETTA

Steps:

• To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight.
• To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer 'bottom half' of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace 'top half' on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters.
• Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.