Invented in New Orleans by a Sicilian immigrant, muffuletta (or muffaletta, as it is sometimes spelt) is one of America’s iconic deli sandwiches.
While it comes in many iterations today, the original sandwich had only four ingredients:
A round, slightly domed, sesame-topped bread loafCheese that’s easily layered such as provoloneCold cuts such as salami, ham or mortadellaOlive salad, which was typically a mélange of olive oil-laced vegetables such as cauliflower, carrots, capsicums, capers (think Italian Giardiniera).
This vegetarian muffuletta is a diversion from the original but it is no less satisfying. Rather than the cold meats, we have turned to roasted vegetables to provide the heart of the sandwich.
Butternut pumpkin delivers a lovely sweetness, eggplant is “meaty” and earthy, and the silky capsicums are fruity and bright. (ABC News: Hetty Lui McKinnon)
Butternut pumpkin delivers a lovely sweetness, eggplant is “meaty” and earthy, and the silky capsicums are fruity and bright. You could definitely substitute with other roasted vegetables — cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potato, and carrots would be excellent stand-ins.
What makes a muffuletta sandwich is not meat or cheese, but rather the olive salad. Acidic, salty and spicy, the olive salad is the power source of this sandwich. The oil and vinegar soaks into the bread, infusing every bite with a zesty punch.
A muffuletta is perfect to prep ahead when bringing a plate or heading to a picnic or the beach. (ABC News: Hetty Lui McKinnon)
Tips: To carry the olive salad, a large, uncut loaf of bread such as focaccia or ciabatta works best. If you don’t have that, individual bread rolls, a baguette or thickly sliced sourdough would work fine too.Layer as you wish but there are some tips that will give you a sturdier sandwich which won’t topple over. Start with a firm foundation for your toppings — I like the eggplant slices for this because they are fairly uniform in size and won’t fall apart — followed by the other roasted vegetables, and then the cheese. Layer the leaves last as they tend to be the unruliest addition, with a tendency to fall out and about.A muffuletta is perfect to prep ahead when bringing a plate or heading to a picnic or the beach. Because we want the bread to soak up the juices of the olive salad, it benefits from pre-preparation. If you’re travelling some distance, wrap the entire loaf up and slice it into smaller sandwiches at your destination.If you have leftovers, wrap up the sandwich in foil and store in the fridge. To reheat, place the foil wrapped sandwich in the oven and heat at 180°C for 8-10 minutes.This is easy to make vegan — just omit the cheese.
Acidic, salty and spicy, the olive salad is the power source of this sandwich. (ABC News: Hetty Lui McKinnon)
Posted 13 Sep 202413 Sep 2024Fri 13 Sep 2024 at 9:00pm