Muffuletta Panzanella

The OG Muffuletta is an unbelievable sandwich that originated in New Orleans from the Sicilian immigrant community. It’s hearty, brineyl, flavorful, and, tbh, perfect.

PANZANELLA ASSEMBLY:

Ingredients: 

• Olive salad (recipe above)

• One boule or loaf of sesame bread

• ¼ lb mortadella 

• ¼ lb salami 

• ⅛ lb swiss cheese (block, not sliced)

• ⅛ lb fresh mozzarella cheese 

• 1 romaine heart, shredded or finely chopped into ribbons

Tear your bread and leave it out overnight to stale. The following day, toss the torn pieces of bread in olive oil, then bake in the oven at 350* until the pieces start to brown and become fragrant (mine took about 20 minutes). 

To assemble the salad, cube the swiss, tear the mozzarella, slice or rip up the meats then plate how you wish. Top with your sesame croutons then drizzle the olive salad over the top of everything. This should serve about 8 people. 

REMIX: make this into a pizza! Hear me out, leave out the sesame bread and buy some store-bought pizza dough. Stretch your dough into about a 10” circle or a rectangle. Drizzle with olive oil, cover in garlic confit (if you have it), and the mozzarella and salami. Bake at 500* until the crust looks golden brown with dark spots and the cheese is melty and bubbly. Meanwhile, mix the olive salad with the shredded lettuce and cubed swiss. Remove from oven, top with mortadella, olive/lettuce salad, swiss and devour. 

OLIVE SALAD:

Ingredients: 

• ¾ c green olives pitted 

• ¾ c black olives pitted 

• ½ c giardiniera 

• 2 tsp capers 

• 1 garlic minced 

• 1 tbs celery thinly sliced 

• 1 tbs carrot diced

• 1.5 tsp Italian parsley 

• 1.5 tbs dried oregano 

• 1.5 tsp green onion (½ green onion) 

• 1.5 tbs red wine vin 

• ¾ cup EVOO 

Preparation: 

Chop all ingredients to your preferred size; I like a fine dice here so that the mixture becomes almost like a chunky salsa/ sauce for the rest of the salad. Combine everything in a bowl and let the flavors marry in the fridge for as long as you can (at least one hour, but up to a couple of days). Let the mixture come to room temp before assembling the Panzanella and serving.