If you’ve been lucky enough to visit New Orleans (and aren’t a vegetarian), you probably had this classic sandwich made with Italian meats, cheeses, and an olive salad.
The muffuletta sandwich was invented in 1906 by the owner of Central Grocery, a Silcilian immigrant named Salvatore Lupo. It quickly became a favorite among French Quarter locals and visitors alike. Central Grocery continues to serve muffulettas according to Lupo’s original recipe.
Central Grocery’s muffuletta is on a large, round, loaf of Italian bread…falling somewhere between foccacia and sourdough. Then it is layered with capicola, genoa salami, mortadella, emmentaler and provolone. The final ingredient, and the real star of the sandwich, is the olive salad made with olives, celery, cauliflower and carrots.
In the cold-cut department, we only really like leaner cuts like genoa salami, prosciutto, turkey, etc. So in my version, I cut out the capicola and mortadella. I also added sliced pepperoncini for some heat. This is a great antipasta sandwich… highly recommended.
The California Muffuletta
Ingredients
2 round sourdough rolls, sliced in half
Dijon mustard
olive tapenade
6 pepperoncini, sliced thin
genoa salami, sliced thin
deli turkey breast, sliced thin
fresh mozzarella, drained and sliced in rounds
1. Toast the rolls cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Spread the mustard on the top of each roll. Spread 2 tblsp of tapenade on the bottom of each roll. Sprinkle on the sliced pepperoncini. Layer with turkey, salami, and mozzarella.
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