Boxcar Muffuletta

I made my favorite sandwich to support my favorite team. Who Dat?!

Every time I make it down to New Orleans, getting a muffuletta is a must.. Actually, it’s more like eating as many muffulettas as possible. What better way to soak up all the Sazerac? The muffuletta, for the uninitiated, is quite possibly the best sandwich ever. This crescent city sandwich is about the size of a moon itself and I’ve only ever been able to eat a quarter piece before getting absolutely full. While they come in different varieties, the basics of the sandwich include several Italian deli meats, a rustic Italian-style seeded bread, and mozzarella and provolone cheese. Of course, the real factor that makes the sandwich is the olive salad – a beautiful blend of olives and pickled vegetables that bathes the meats and cheese in a dressing of pure deliciousness.

While I’m far from the French Quarter, I decided to make my very own muffuletta to support the Saints as they (butt-clenchingly) beat the Eagles in the NFC Divisional Round.

Time You Need

  • ~1-2 hours resting
  • ~20 minutes prep
  • Yields: the best sandwich in the whole fucking world

What You Need

Olive salad:

  • ½ cup black olives
  • ½ cup green olives
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
  • 1/2 cup pickled spicy giardiniera
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 leaves of fresh basil
  • 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
  • ½ tsp lemon juice

Sandwich:

  • 1/2 pound sliced Genoa salami
  • 1/2 pound sliced provolone
  • 1/4 pound capicola
  • 1/2 pound sliced smoked mozzarella
  • 1/4 pound mortadella
  • 8 to 9 inch round rustic loaf (boule) — focaccia, ciabatta, or ideally muffuletta bread.

What You Do

  • In a food processor, add all the ingredients for the olive salad. Lightly pulses into evenly blended. Put olive salad in an airtight container and let it rest in the fridge for 1-2 hours (or more) to let the flavors mix.
  • Once the time is up, take the bread and horizontally halve it. Spread half the olive salad on the bottom half. Feel free to mash it in there so the bread soaks up the flavor. Also don’t be afraid to remove some of the bread to make more room for the olive salad fillings. Just tear out some of the fluffier top pieces. 
  • Then starting layering the salami, provolone, then capicola, then mozzarella, and finally the mortadella.
  • Spread the last of the olive salad over the top of the meats and cheese and form the sandwich with the second half of the loaf.
  • Press gently to compress the sandwich. *optional* you can wrap the muffuletta in plastic and set something heavy on it (like a cast iron pan) to really condense the sandwich.
  • *Also optional but highly recommended* Line a baking sheet with foil and grease, then preheat the move to 400 and toast the sandwich for about 20-25 minutes.
  • Cut into quarters, serve and laissez les bon temps rouler.
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