Mufaletta Sandwich Recipe

Behold the glory of the mufaletta sandwich!

This monster is meant to be party food--by which I mean, sliced and shared, preferably with a cold beer, whilst playing a stirring game of billiards. (Wash your hands before taking your next shot).

Ingredients:
A round loaf of a rustic french bread.
olive tapenade (purchased, or make your own by dicing up olives, garlic and olive oil into a paste)
sliced sandwich meats such as turkey, salamie, mortadella, beef--whatever you like but remember this is an Italian sandwich)
sliced red onions
sliced cheese such as swiss or provolone
leaves of fresh spinach and/or lettuce; some basil would be nice

Directions: Slice the top off a large round of french bread. Reach inside and pull out the center portion of the bread, so that the crust is hollowed out. (NOTE: Save this interior bread for panzanella salad!)

Spread tapenade on the bottom of the interior of the loaf of bread. Now layer the meats, cheeses, onions and greens, alternating colors and flavors. Finish with another generous spread of tapenade. Return the "lid" of bread to the loaf.

Slice the loaf in half, exposing the layered sandwich interior. Then slice into individual servings or allow your guests to help themselves.

Messy. Good. Mufaletta.

Comments

[Ed Bruske]

Gorgeous sandwich, Andrea. Really--a piece of art.

[Kalyn]

What a gorgeous mufaletta. I remember eating this many times in New Orleans (before my South Beach Diet days!) The olive relish is what makes it, in my opinion. Just delicious.

[Andrea]

It is purty, ain't it? Thanks for the comments. I agree, Kalyn, the olive tapenade is a huge part of the success of this sandwich.

And the onions.And the bread. And the salamie.

Is it lunch time yet?

[cakegrrl]

Wow Andrea! That sandwich looks terrific, especially the tapenade lining the bread...that would be my favorite part. Great post. :)

[Amy]

My husband would love this. Maybe I will put it together the next time he hosts his group's monthly card night. Thanks for the idea!