Monster Muffaletta Recipes

Steps:

• Cut the loaves in half horizontally. Drizzle some of the olive salad liquid on the bottom halves. Dividing everything by two, layer the cheese, mortadella, genoa, capicola and then the Olive Salad on top. Cover with the top halves, and then cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve to the masses.
• Add the black olives, green olives, olive oil, roasted red peppers, capers, vinegar, crushed red pepper and sugar to a food processor and pulse until uniform but still coarse, about 10 times. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Steps:

• Divide the bread lengthwise. Scoop out some of the dough-y interior and reserve for another use.
• Combine the olives, oil, pickled vegetables, red peppers, parsley, vinegar, garlic and Italian seasoning in a bowl. Spread half of the olive tapenade on the bottom half of the bread. Layer the salami, provolone, capicola, mozzarella, mortadella and the rest of the olive tapenade. Top with the other half of the bread and wrap the entire loaf in plastic wrap. Top the wrapped sandwich with a cast iron pan and set aside to rest for 1 hour. To facilitate easy cutting, skewer the muffaletta with 4 skewers and cut into 8 even triangles.

Steps:

• At least a day before serving- Cut bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for the filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts of the olive salad, including oil.
• Top the bottom half (over the olive salad) with layers of the meats and cheeses in any order. I like to layer a meat, then a cheese.
• Put the two halves together and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for several hours or preferably overnight; this allows the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread. I turn the loaf over several times while in fridge so the oil evenly soaks both top and bottom of sandwich.
• To serve- cut into serving sizes; this sandwich is so fat you may need to put toothpicks in it to hold it together! It is extremely filling; a little bit goes a long way. Easily serves 8-10 hungry people.

Steps:

• To make the olive salad: combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl; stir well to combine; cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to allow flavors to blend.
• Bring to room temperature before using.
• To make the oregano onions: separate onion rings and place in a mixing bowl, add in remaining ingredients and mix well.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
• To make the sandwich: all ingredients should be brought to room temperature before assembling the sandwich.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Slice the loaf of muffaletta bread in half horizontally; place bread on a baking sheet and heat in the oven for 5 minutes or until lightly toasted.
• Remove bread from oven; evenly distribute slices of mozzarella cheese on the top half and evenly distribute slices of provolone cheese on the bottom half.
• Return the bread to the oven and bake 5-7 minutes or until the cheese is softened but not melted; remove from oven.
• On the bottom half, layer the meats, beginning with the Genoa, then the mortadella, the capicolla, and finally the ham.
• Press down lightly on the meats to creat a level surface and spoon on the olive salad.
• Add oregano onions and drizzle with olive oil, if desired.
• Cover with top half of bread; slice into quarters and serve immediately.