Description
Savory layers of classic italian muffuletta sandwich beckon with Mediterranean charm. Hearty olive salad, premium meats, and provolone cheese create a robust flavor profile you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
Meats:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) thinly sliced mortadella
- 4 ounces (113 grams) thinly sliced salami
- 4 ounces (113 grams) thinly sliced capicola
Cheeses:
- 4 ounces (113 grams) thinly sliced provolone cheese
- 4 ounces (113 grams) thinly sliced mozzarella cheese
Olive Salad and Additional Ingredients:
- 1 cup green olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)
- 1 cup black olives (pitted and coarsely chopped)
- 1/2 cup giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables, drained and coarsely chopped)
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers (chopped)
- 1/4 cup capers (drained)
- 1/2 cup celery (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 large round Italian sesame seed bread (about 10 inches in diameter)
Instructions
- Craft a vibrant olive medley by combining green and black olives with giardiniera, roasted red peppers, capers, celery, and minced garlic in a spacious mixing bowl.
- Drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar over the mixture, then sprinkle with oregano and red pepper flakes. Crack fresh black pepper to enhance the flavor profile.
- Thoroughly blend the ingredients, ensuring even distribution. Seal and refrigerate for a minimum of 60 minutes, allowing flavors to intensify and marry.
- Carefully slice the round bread loaf horizontally, creating two even halves. Optionally hollow out excess interior crumb to maximize filling capacity.
- Generously spread half of the prepared olive salad across the bottom bread surface, creating a robust flavor foundation.
- Artfully layer cured meats and cheeses: arrange mortadella, salami, capicola, provolone, and mozzarella atop the olive salad.
- Distribute the remaining olive salad over the meat and cheese layers, ensuring complete coverage.
- Crown the sandwich with the top bread half, applying gentle but firm pressure to compact the ingredients.
- Encase the entire sandwich in plastic wrap, then place under a weighted skillet for 30 minutes to compress and meld flavors.
- Unwrap, slice into wedges with a sharp knife, and serve immediately or store chilled for up to 24 hours for optimal taste development.
Notes
- Let the olive salad marinate overnight to deepen and intensify the flavor profile, allowing herbs and spices to fully blend.
- Press the sandwich firmly to compress ingredients, creating a dense, compact texture that helps meld the flavors together seamlessly.
- Slice the bread carefully to maintain structural integrity, ensuring each bite contains a perfect balance of meats, cheeses, and olive salad.
- For a lighter version, swap full-fat cheeses with reduced-fat options and use leaner cold cuts to decrease overall calorie content without sacrificing traditional taste.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Rolling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 850 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 1300 mg
- Fat: 65 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 40 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg