Traditional Muffuletta

Hello bloggers! Welcome to a brand new edition of Everyday Meals! Today's meal originated down South. Louisiana, to be exact. The reason I chose this meal is because I did my time living in Louisiana. I can appreciate the fine art of humongous sandwiches. That's exactly what this dish is: a giant sandwich. I know, sandwiches for dinner? Not many people think this qualifies as a dinner meal. I beg to differ, only because this sandwich IS so big. You really won't need anything to accompany it. Just a little note though. This sandwich makes 8 servings! Now, before I spoil what the meal is, let's get into the kitchen, strap on those aprons and make ourselves a HUGE sandwich!

Muffuletta

You will need:

• 1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives, crushed
• 1/2 cup drained kalamata olives, crushed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped pickled cauliflower florets
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 1 tablespoon chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained
• 1/4 cup marinated cocktail onions
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 (1 pound) loaves Italian bread
• 8 ounces thinly sliced Genoa salami
• 8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham
• 8 ounces sliced mortadella
• 8 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces sliced provolone cheese

Are you ready?

1. To Make the Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. 
2. Mix together and transfer the mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). 
3. If needed, pour in more oil to cover. 
4. Cover the jar or container and refrigerate overnight. 
5. To Make the Sandwiches: Cut the loaves of bread in half horizontally;, then hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for the filling. 
6. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts of the olive salad, including oil. 
7. Layer the bottom half of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. 
8. Place top half on each loaf and cut the sandwich into quarters. 
9. Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours. 
10. Enjoy!

When you finally see just how big this sandwich is, you can truly appreciate it. This dish is not for the faint of heart. It's a beast. I hope to see you again for more fun recipes. Happy blogging to all! <3