How to make classic muffuletta sandwich
This New Orleans style game day sandwich is made with olive salad and cold cuts. (January 2023) Credit: Marge Perry
The Big Game calls for a Big Sandwich, and nothing fits the bill quite like a muffuletta. This New Orleans style cold cut and olive salad sandwich is perfectly suited for the hearty appetites worked up while sitting on a couch and yelling at the television.
Make the sandwich in advance: while it sits, the olive salad soaks into the bread. You can make the muffuletta on a big round bread, or on a long French or Italian bread. (The long bread is easier to cut in serving pieces.) Either way, after you have let it “marinate,” cut it into 2-inch pieces and secure each piece with a toothpick.
You can use whatever cold cuts you like best, though salami and provolone cheese are a good starting point.
Muffuletta Sandwich
1 (6.5-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup green pimento-stuffed olives, chopped
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) crushed red pepper flakes
1 16-ounce long Italian or French bread, halved lengthwise
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
3 ounces deli-sliced sopressata
3 ounces deli-sliced turkey breast
3 ounces deli-sliced genoa salami
3 ounces deli-sliced mortadella
5 ounces deli-sliced provolone cheese
1. Combine the artichoke hearts, olives, vinegar, oil, oregano and pepper flakes in a bowl. Let stand 10 minutes (or overnight).
2. Scoop out and discard some of the center dough of the bread. Brush the cut side of the bread with some of the olive salad liquid. Use a slotted spoon to spread half the olive mixture over the bottom half of the bread. Top with the lettuce, then layer with the sopressata, turkey breast, salami, mortadella, and provolone cheese. Spread the remaining olive mixture over the cheese and close the sandwich. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. Unwrap the sandwich and cut into 2-inch wide slices. Secure each slice with a toothpick if needed.
