MUFFULETTA SANDWICH

The muffuletta sandwich is a hearty, flavour packed sandwich that hails from New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s a glorious creation with Italian roots, often described as the ultimate deli sandwich. The name "muffuletta" comes from the round, sesame seed topped bread it’s served on a type of Sicilian bread that’s firm on the outside and soft inside.

The muffuletta was invented in the early 20th century by Italian immigrants in New Orleans, particularly by the inventor, Salvatore Lupo, who owned Central Grocery on Decatur Street. It was initially made as a portable, flavourful lunch for workers, stacked generously with marinated olive salad, cured meats, and cheeses. Over time, it evolved into a New Orleans staple, loved for its bold and tangy combination of ingredients.

My version uses a Turkish loaf, with the bread flesh pulled out, making it easier to layer in as much filling as you can. The star of the show is the flavour tapenade that cuts through the cured meats and cheeses so effortlessly, whilst also pumping up the punchy flavour of the sandwich.

MUFFULETTA SANDWICH

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MUFFULETTA SANDWICH 〰️

Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 3-4 sandwiches

4 garlic cloves

4 pickled peppers

1 table spoon white wine vinegar

2 table spoons EVOO

400gm stuffed green olives

280gm chargrilled peppers

30gm fresh basil, leaves

1 long turkish loaf

100gm sliced mortadella

150gm sliced mild Hungarian salami

100gm sliced ham

110gm sliced provolone

100gm thinly slice mozzarella

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

For the flavour tapenade, in a food processor add in the garlic, pickled peppers, white wine vinegar and EVOO and blitz on high until homogenous. Add more EVOO if it needs helps smoothing out. Add in the green olives, chargrilled pepper, fresh basil and a fair few cracks of black pepper and pulse. You don’t want to make it smooth, the tapenade should be chunky, so keep pulsing until its chunky 1cm cubed pieces.

Prep the Turkish coat by cutting open longways through the middle for a top and bottom. Remove the bread flesh from inside, keeping the crust around intact. Add half the flavour tapenade to the base, top with half the mortadella, half the salami, half the ham, half the provolone and half the mozzarella before repeating the layers one more time over. Top with Turkish loaf lid and push down gently to help everything come into contact. Cut into slices and enjoy.