Muffalettas are a staple of New Orleans cuisine and have made their way to menus all over the country because of their popularity. Traditionally this sandwich is made on a large round bun with savory meats, cheeses and a healthy portion of chopped olive salad.
I ordered a Muffaletta sandwich earlier this year when I was on the Gulf Coast and they asked if I wanted the olive salad on the sandwich or on the side~ This got me thinking that I wasn’t the only one who isn’t really a fan of olive salad, a little is okay but sometimes these sandwiches are really loaded with it. I took their suggestion of having it on the side. [The white stuff was risotto, the green is the olive salad]
I really didn’t miss the olive salad but did miss the contrast of tangy vegetables and spicy meats so I came up with my own tasty spread for my version of this sandwich, Muffaletta “Pie.”
We had this to celebrate the end of Mardi Gras season, and I made an extra large, over the top version, just because that’s what Mardi Gras is all about, too much everything!!
This sandwich made on a large sour dough round loaf will yield 4-8 servings.
Cut the top 1/3 of loaf off and using your fingers, gently hollow out the bottom forming a shell
Transfer crumbs to a sheet pan and toast at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Cool and freeze for later use as casserole toppings etc.
Roast 1 head of garlic at 400 for about an hour and let cool. Squeeze garlic out onto bread shell and spread around with your fingers, kinda like finger painting.
Drain about 3/4 cup of Wickles pickle relish thoroughly on paper towels. Wickles brand has a little kick to it which makes it more interesting than plain sweet pickle relish
Cut 2 slices of a large sweet onion and quarter. Quarter 4-5 red pepper rings and add to shell on top of garlic.
Top with chopped red and yellow peppadews. Peppadews are a sweet piquante pepper from Africa. They are quite a treat and good in so many dishes. I use them in salads a lot. I buy mine at Fresh Market from the antipasto bar.
Put the drained and dried peppadews and Wickles relish on top off vegetables in the bottom of the bread shell, and start layering the meats and cheeses.
Add a layer of salami, 10-12 large round slices, a layer of Havarti sandwich slices [2 broken to fit] and a layer of pepperoni. I love to make things with pepperoni, it always feels like I’m dealing cards when I’m laying it out!
Top pepperoni with 2 slices Gouda cheese, pressing down gently with each layer. Top with 3-4 slices of deli ham
Spread the inside of bread bowl lid with your favorite mustard [ I like Honeycup, it’s sweet and a little spicy]
Place lid on top. Doesn’t it look all innocent sitting there? One would never guess it is full of so many goodies!
Wrap the sandwich with foil, covering all the edges, so nothing leaks out~ this will also keep your bread from getting too hard~
At this point you can refrigerate bread for several hours until baking.
Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Cut loaf in half and then in wedges, like a pie, to serve.
For appetizers you could cut it into even smaller pieces, or squares, using a tooth pick to hold each section together, and a very sharp knife.
You can also serve this without baking, and it would make a great dish for tailgating or picnics
These Mardi Gras chips from World Market were not only festive, but delicious!
Here’s the recipe:
MUFFALETTA PIE
Ingredients
- 1 large round loaf French Italian or sourdough bread
- 10-12 large slices salami [ I use Boar’s Head hard salami]
- 16 slices pepperoni [ I use Hormel]
- 3-4 large slices deli ham [ I use Publix Virginia Ham]
- 2 sandwich slices Havarti cheese [ I use Cracker Barrel]
- 2 sandwich slices Gouda [ I use Cracker Barrel]
- 1 large head garlic
- 1/2 red pepper sliced and cut into strips
- 2 slices sweet onion cut into 1/4s
- 3-4 peppadews chopped [optional]
- Wickles pickle relish drained well
- Honey Mustard or Dijon
Instructions
- Roast garlic in a square of foil drizzled with olive oil and salt and pepper at 400 for about an hour. Cool.
- Cut top of bread off about 1/3 of the way down and set aside. Gently remove soft interior of bottom of bread with your fingers. Reserve bread crumbs for future use.
- Spread roasted garlic over the bottom of bread shell. Top with onions, red peppers, peppadews and drained pickle relish.
- Build sandwich in layers, gently pressing down between each layer. Layer salami, Havariti, pepperoni, Gouda and ham.
- Spread inside lid of bread top with honey mustard or Dijon. Return top of bread to bread shell to enclose sandwich. Wrap tightly in foil.
- Refrigerate for several hours until baking if desired. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until hot. Let sit 5-10 minutes before cutting. Cut into pie like wedges. Makes 4-8 wedges.
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