Olive Salad or Olive Spread for muffuletta

Ingredients:
1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, crushed
1/2 cup drained kalamata olives, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup roughly chopped gardiniera
2 tablespoons drained capers
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped carrot
1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained
1/4 cup marinated cocktail onions
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:
1. To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, gardiniera, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, 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.

Chase, This recipe is for the World Famous Central Grocery Muffulletta in New Orleans.

I adjust some things to make this sandwich but it's at best when followed directly.

Here is a link that might be useful: A little history and a recipe

All my muffaletta-related recipes:

MUFFALETTA BREAD

Ingredients

Starter

1/2 cup water
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
or European-Style Artisan Bread Flour
1/8 tsp instant yeast

Dough

All of the starter
3 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
or European-Style Artisan Bread Flour
1 cup water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp instant yeast

Directions

The Starter: Mix the starter ingredients together till smooth, cover, and let rest at room temperature overnight.

Preparing the Dough: Combine all of the dough ingredients and mix and knead them together -- by hand, mixer or bread machine -- till you've made a soft, somewhat smooth dough; it should be cohesive, but the surface should still be a bit rough. Allow the dough to rise, covered with lightly greased plastic wrap, for 3 hours, gently deflating it and turning it over after 1 hour, and then again after 2 hours.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly greased or floured work surface. Shape the dough into a 14-inch round, making it as smooth and evenly round as possible; a rolling pin may help here. Place the dough on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover it gently but fully with lightly greased plastic wrap, and set it in the refrigerator to rest and rise overnight.

Next day, remove the loaf from the refrigerator, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, still covered, while you preheat your oven to 425F. Brush the top of the loaf with 1 egg white whisked together with 1/2 cup water (you won't use all of this wash), and sprinkle it heavily with sesame seeds. Bake the loaf for 25 to 30 minutes, until it's a deep, golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.

OLIVE SPREAD
(for muffaletta sandwiches)

(To be made the day before)

Ingredients

3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives,
finely-chopped
1 cup pitted Kalamatas, finely chopped
1/2 cup roasted sweet red peppers, cut into chunks
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbs white wine vinegar

Directions

Mix all the ingredients and let stand overnight. Need not be refrigerated for the
first night.
OLIVE SALAD
(for muffaletta, salads, pasta and more)

Makes over a gallon

Ingredients

1 gallon large pimento stuffed green olives,
slightly crushed and well drained
1 quart jar pickled cauliflower, drained and sliced
2 small jars capers, drained
1 whole stalk celery, sliced diagonally
4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
1 small jar celery seeds
1 small jar oregano
1 large head (several cloves) fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 jar pepperoncini, drained, left whole
1 pound large Greek black olives
1 jar cocktail onions, drained

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or pot and mix well. Place in a large jar and cover with 1/2 olive oil and 1/2 vegetable oil. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Allow to marinate for at least 24 hours before using.

MUFFALETTA
(the sandwich)

Serves four timid dieters or two hearty eaters.

Ingredients

1 round loaf Italian bread (preferably a "muffaletta" loaf)
1/4 pound mortadella, thinly sliced
1/4 pound ham, thinly sliced
1/4 pound Genoa salami, thinly sliced
1/4 pound Mozzarella cheese, sliced
1/4 pound Provolone cheese, sliced
1 cup olive salad with oil

Directions

Split a muffaletta loaf or a loaf of Italian bread horizontally.

Spread each half with equal parts of olive salad and oil. Place meats and cheeses evenly on bottom half and cover with top half of bread.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator with some weight on top.

Cut in quarters.

NEW ORLEANS-STYLE ITALIAN SALAD

Serves 8

For the salad:

8 cups crisp lettuce of assorted types
(should include romaine), torn into bite-sized pieces
2 medium ripe tomatoes (Creole tomatoes preferred),
cut into wedges
1- 1/2 to 2 cups olive salad (see above)
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
16 flat anchovies
8 large boiled shrimp, peeled
8 large white or green asparagus spears,
steamed and chilled
Freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

For the dressing:

1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs mixed Italian seasoning herbs, or to taste
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Combine lettuces, olive salad, tomatoes and dressing in a large bowl, toss well.

Divide evenly on 8 salad plates. On each plate, make an "x" with two anchovies on top of each mixed salad. Top with one asparagus spear and a boiled shrimp. Make sure each plate has some tomatoes and plenty of the vegetables (including a pepperoncini) from the olive salad.

Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.

MUFFALETTA PASTA

Serves 8

Ingredients

6 Tbs olive oil
3 ounces ham, cut into short sticks
3 ounces Genoa salami, cut into short sticks
1-1/2 cup olive salad
4 cups cooked penne pasta
salt and pepper to taste
4 Tbs Parmesan cheese
1 cup provolone cheese, shredded/grated
Chopped parsley

Directions

Sauté the ham and salami in the olive oil until lightly browned.
Add the olive salad and the penne pasta and cook until the pasta is heated through.

Transfer the ingredients to a serving plate and garnish with the remaining ingredients.

Joe

Joe, thank you so much for sharing your muffuletta bread recipe. I've been looking for one for a long time. I can't wait to try it.

Thanks everyone....based on your recipes I know I can get it right. Luckily I bought several of the jarred ingredients last year but never got around to making it. So I have the gardiniera , pickled onions and pepperoncini on hand. Otherwise I'd be out of luck trying to find them up here in God's country!

Joe that Pasta recipe is on my short list!

Sharon, I have made Giada's recipe and it is wonderful! It doesn't use the jarred items you have, but it's delicious!

Here it is:

Mufulettas
Source: Giada DeLaurentis

1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/3 cup olive oil
10 large pitted green olives, chopped
1/3 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup chopped roasted red bell peppers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) round bread loaf (about 7 inches in diameter and 3 inches high)
4 ounces thinly sliced ham
4 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
4 ounces thinly sliced salami
4 ounces sliced provolone
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 ounces arugula leaves

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.

My note: *These are delicious, and even better the next day!

Linda

Thanks again everyone! Those who posted and those who sent emails with Weed's original recipe...which, for the record, is the one Alexa posted. Thanks Alexa

The olive relish is done and resting. Now I recall why I don't do this sandwich often.......

Karen , we went to Central Market when we're in NOLA, great place.... but that recipe is one he!! of a lot of olive relish! LOL