If you have ever
been to New Orleans, then you know that the food is as much of an attraction as
are the sites. I loved every bit of what I had to eat from the beignets, to the
soft-shelled crabs, to the pralines, and the iconic Muffaletta sandwich. The
Muffaletta is a New Orleans original dating back to the early nineteen
hundreds. Essentially it is a round loaf of bread, hollowed out and filled with
meats, cheeses, and a deliciously tangy olive salad. It is one of my favorite
sandwiches and I am thankful that a café down the street serves a darned good
one.
I'm always looking for ways to inject New Orleans flavors into everyday foods,
so when I spotted this recipe for Muffaletta
Pasta Salad on Allrecipes, I had to give it a try. The original recipe
didn't quite make it for me, so I changed it up a bit, adding thinly sliced
rings of pepperonicini for some zing, and a bit of creamy Italian salad
dressing to make it darned near perfect. It serves equally well as a side dish
or main meal, and it's tough to stop eating this one.
Muffaletta Pasta Salad
1 pound rotini pasta (I used Farfalle)
5 ounces tapenade
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (6.34 ounce) package Melissa's
artichoke hearts,
drained and quartered
8 ounces sliced salami, cut into thin strips
8 ounces sliced baked ham, cut into thin strips
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, drained
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cubed
4 ounces provolone cheese, cubed
2 whole pepperoncini,
sliced into thin rings
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons creamy Italian salad dressing
Cook pasta according
to package directions for al dente. Drain and run under cold water to cool.
Mix tapenade into
pasta and season with pepper. Add artichoke hearts, salami, ham, olives,
mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, pepperoncini, red bell pepper, and parsley
to pasta mixture and toss to coat. Transfer salad to a serving bowl and stir in Italian salad dressing. Serve immediately.
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