They
really know how to make a good sandwich in New Orleans. Consider the Po Boy on page
66 and this, the muffaletta. Born in the French quarter, it
is said that its invention can be attributed to the observant eye of a grocer,
who noticed Sicilian workers buying all the constituent ingredients for their
lunch and balancing the lot precariously on their weary knees while attempting
to eat. The grocer suggested that they stuff everything into a sandwich for
ease of transporting it into their mouths, and so the muffaletta was born.
Makes
1 muffaletta for several people to share— serves about 4 (obviously the
quantities here depend
on the size of your loaf but, really,
it’s just a case of layering everything up inside the loaf)
INGREDIENTS
FOR
THE OLIVE SALAD:
5½oz (150g) pitted (stoned) black olives
5½oz (150g) pitted (stoned) green olives
2¼oz (60g) Italian pickled vegetables (giardiniera),
drained
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and patted dry
1 small red onion
4 canned anchovy fillets, drained
1 tsp dried oregano
Olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 focaccia loaf (or a muffaletta if
you’re lucky or live in New Orleans)
10 slices capicola or salami
10 slices mortadella
10 slices cooked ham
8 slices Swiss cheese
8 slices Provolone cheese
To make the olive salad, finely chop the olives,
pickled vegetables, capers, and red onion. Mash the anchovy fillets and add to the
chopped vegetables, along with the oregano. Add enough olive oil to moisten the
mixture, taste, and then season with salt and pepper.
To assemble the sandwich, cut the loaf in half
and begin by removing some of the crumb from the inside of each half to make
room for the filling. Brush the inside of the bread halves with a little of the
oil from the olive salad, then layer up the meats and cheeses on the bottom
half. Add a layer of olive salad on top, basically as much as you can fit in
without it all falling out the sides, then cover with the top half of the loaf.
Press down the sandwich lightly, to secure
everything but not squash it. Cut the sandwich into portions to serve. Serve
any leftover olive salad on the side.
