Muffuletta (Italian Stuffed Sandwich)
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Olive Salad:
1 1/2 cups chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 cup chopped ripe olives
2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
3 anchovies, drained and chopped
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Sandwich:
1 (8- to 10-inch) round loaf artisan bread
Sesame seeds
10 ounces thinly sliced mortadella
10 ounces thinly sliced ham
10 ounces thinly sliced Italian salami
10 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese
Instructions:
In a medium bowl, combine the olives, capers, anchovies, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic and oregano. Cover and refrigerate, 2 to 4 hours.
To assemble the sandwich, cut the loaf of bread in half horizontally. Remove some of the soft inside bread from both the top and the bottom, leaving a 3/4-inch-thick shell.
Brush the inside of the top and bottom bread halves with the excess marinade from the bottom of the olive salad bowl. Stir the olive salad and spoon half onto the bottom round of bread.
Shingle the mortadella slices over the olive salad. Repeat with the ham, salami and cheese. Spoon the remaining olive salad over the cheese and top with the top round of bread. Wrap the sandwich tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and refrigerate, turning occasionally, at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
Cut the sandwich into wedges before serving.
