New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich with Olive Salad

Why you’ll love it

• Big, bold flavor: salty cured meats, mellow cheeses and a bright, briny olive salad in every bite.
• No cooking required: just chop, layer, wrap and press.
• Made for a crowd: one loaf cuts into 8 party wedges and is even better after it rests.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the olive salad (about 3 cups)

• 1 cup (150 g) pitted green olives (pimento-stuffed or Castelvetrano), roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (75 g) pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (75 g) giardiniera (Italian pickled vegetables), drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup (40 g) jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 celery rib, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp capers, drained
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

For the sandwich

• 1 round seeded Italian loaf, 9 to 10 inches (23 to 25 cm) across (muffuletta bread or round sesame bread, about 1 1/2 lb / 680 g)
• 4 oz (115 g) thinly sliced Genoa salami
• 4 oz (115 g) thinly sliced deli ham
• 4 oz (115 g) thinly sliced mortadella
• 4 oz (115 g) thinly sliced provolone
• 4 oz (115 g) thinly sliced Swiss cheese

Step-by-step method

1. Make the olive salad. In a medium bowl or glass jar, combine the green olives, Kalamata olives, giardiniera, roasted peppers, celery, capers, garlic, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper and vinegar. Pour in the olive oil and stir well. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight (2 hours at minimum if you are short on time).

2. Warm the salad. Take the olive salad out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before assembling, so the olive oil turns liquid again, and stir it well.

3. Prepare the bread. With a serrated knife, cut the loaf in half horizontally. Pull out a little of the soft crumb from both halves, leaving a shell about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick. This makes room for the filling and keeps the sandwich from being too bready.

4. Add the first layer of olive salad. Spoon half of the olive salad, with plenty of its oil, over the bottom half and spread it to the edges. Brush the cut side of the top half with a few spoonfuls of the oil from the salad.

5. Layer the meats and cheeses. Layer the salami, provolone, ham, Swiss cheese and mortadella over the olive salad, folding the slices so they fit the round loaf and cover it evenly to the edges.

6. Close the sandwich. Spread the remaining olive salad over the mortadella and set the top half of the bread on top. Press down firmly with your hands.

7. Wrap and press. Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap. Set it on a plate, place a heavy skillet or pot on top and let it rest 1 hour at room temperature (or up to 6 hours in the refrigerator), so the bread soaks up the oil and the layers set.

8. Slice and serve. Unwrap and cut into 8 wedges with a sharp serrated knife. Serve at room temperature.

How to know it is done

After pressing, the sandwich should feel compact and a little flatter, and the cut sides of the bread should look darker where the olive oil has soaked in. When you slice it, the layers should stay neatly stacked and the wedges should hold together without the filling sliding out.

Tips for the best result

• Use a sturdy, crusty round loaf; soft sandwich bread turns soggy under the olive salad.
• Make the olive salad the day before: the flavors blend and the garlic mellows overnight.
• Ask the deli to slice the meats and cheeses very thin; thin slices layer evenly and make cleaner wedges.
• Do not skip the pressing time. It is what turns a stack of ingredients into a true muffuletta.

Variations and substitutions

• Warm muffuletta: wrap the assembled sandwich in foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese melts.
• Store-bought shortcut: use 2 cups (about 480 g) jarred New Orleans-style olive salad instead of making your own.
• Different meats: swap the ham for capicola or add thin slices of pepperoni.
• Cheese swap: use mozzarella instead of Swiss for a milder flavor.
• Vegetarian: replace the meats with grilled eggplant, zucchini and extra roasted red peppers.

Make ahead

The olive salad keeps up to 2 weeks in a covered jar in the refrigerator and gets better with time, so you can make it several days ahead. The assembled, wrapped sandwich can be refrigerated up to 24 hours; let it sit at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing so the oil softens and the flavors wake up.

Storage and reheating

Wrap leftover wedges tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days. Eat them cold or at room temperature, or warm them wrapped in foil in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes. The muffuletta does not freeze well, because the bread and olive salad turn soggy when thawed.