marianne%pansy.wv.tek.com@RELAY.CS.NET (Marianne Evans) (07/25/90)
Since it's picnic season, I thought I would share a picnic
favorite of mine.
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MUFFULETTA
from *Lee Bailey's City Foods* without permission
[These are Bailey's remarks.]
One of the main ingredients of this sandwich is the olive salad,
which is best when given time to marinate overnight, so plan
accordingly. If your picnic is spur of the moment, you could
probably substitute something like bottled mixed Italian
vegetable and olive salad, chopped and doctored a bit. I must
confess I never used it this way, but I have tasted it, and with
the addition of a little crushed garlic, anchovies and a few black
olives you would be in business.
If the mozzarella is too bland to suit you, you could substitute
something else. I've had this sandwich with a very strong provolone,
but it makes such a spicy combination that it is almost overwhelming.
That is why I like the mild cheese (and lettuce) for balance.
1-1/2 C chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives
1 C chopped black olives in oil
2/3 C good olive oil
5 T finely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 C chopped pimiento
2 anchovy fillets, mashed (optional)
1 T minced garlic
1 ts dried oregano
2 ts fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 round loaf Italian bread, 8 or 9 inches in diameter
shredded lettuced (optional)
thinly sliced tomatoes (optional)
1/4 pound thinly sliced sweet Italian salami
(such as mortadella)
1/4 pound thinly sliced spicy Italian hard salami
(such as soppressato)
1/4 pound thinly sliced mozzarella
In a glass, stainless steel or ceramic bowl, mix together the
olives, oil, parsley, pimiento, anchovies, garlic, oregano,
lemon juice, and pepper. Cover and marinate overnight.
To assemble the sandwich, cut the bread horizontally and pull
out most of the soft dough in the middle. Drain the olive salad
and brush both cut slices of the bread very generously with the
marinade. Place half of the drained salad in the hollow of one
piece of the bread. Leave a 3/4-inch rim around the outside so
the filling won't slop out when you weight it. Next put a layer
of lettuce and tomato, and continue with a layer of one of the
salamis, then cheese, and then the other salami, more lettuce and
tomato, and finally more olive salad heaped in a mound on the top.
Cover with the other half of the bread.
Put the loaf in the refrigerator and cover with a small plate, on
which you put several pounds of weight (unopened cans, etc.). (Wrap
the sandwich securely before doing this.) Let it rest until you are
ready to pack it in your picnic basket, at least 30 minutes. Cut
it into wedges before packing.
Serves 4 or 5