Olive Salad & Muffuletta Sandwich from Napoleon House

If the tedium of every day lunches has gotten you down, have I got an answer for you! If the Muffuletta sandwich (using the recipe from the Napoleon House in the French Quarter of New Orleans) doesn’t change your attitude about lunch, then nothing will. Their unique choices of meats are topped with an incredibly flavorful olive salad that is so good I could eat it with a spoon, and have. Because I was making a sandwich for one, I didn’t bother with the large round loaf, generally associated with muffaletta sandwiches, I just used a slice of rustic bakery bread, layered everything on, topped it with the olive salad, and slid it into the oven. That’s right, they bake their sandwich, unlike other recipes where they are served cold. They also use pastrami in lieu of the traditional mortadella. This inspired substitution as well as the warming of the the sandwich enhances all of the wonderful and diverse flavors making it the perfect sandwich to enjoy on a winter’s day.

Napoleon House Muffuletta

As seen in Louisiana Cookin’

 Yields: 2-4 servings

 1 (9-inch-round) seeded muffuletta bun or Italian seeded bread, halved

Extra-virgin olive oil

4 slices ham

5 slices Genoa salami

2 slices pastrami

3 slices provolone cheese

3 slices Swiss cheese

⅔ c. Napoleon House Olive Salad (recipe follows)

 Preheat oven to 350°F.

Brush bottom and top half of bun lightly with oil. Layer ham, salami, pastrami, and cheeses on bottom half of bun. Top with Napoleon House Olive Salad, and cover with top half of bun. Wrap in foil.

Bake until thoroughly heated, about 20 minutes. Unwrap, and cut in half or quarters.

 Napoleon House Olive Salad*

 1 c. pimiento-stuffed Spanish queen olives, chopped

½ c. canned chickpeas, drained and coarsely chopped

½ c. pickled vegetables, drained and coarsely chopped

⅓ c. canned artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

¼ c. cocktail onions, drained and coarsely chopped

¼ c. green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 T. capers, drained and chopped

½ t. Melissa's minced garlic

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. dried oregano

½ t. ground black pepper

 In a large bowl, combine olives, chickpeas, pickled vegetables, artichoke hearts, onions, bell pepper, capers, and garlic. Add oil, vinegar, oregano, and pepper, stirring to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Will keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

 *To make things easier on myself, I dumped all of the salad ingredients into a food processor, and pulsed a couple of times. What a time saver, and as you can see from the picture, it worked perfectly.

Yields: 3 cups

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Greek Pasta Salad

 

I have found, amongst my friends and family anyway, that olives are like cilantro; you either really like them, or really don’t. I really like them. As a consequence, I look for ways in which to use them. A Greek pasta salad seemed like a great way to combine both green and Kalamata olives along with other crunchy vegetables, and a flavorful vinaigrette. This is a tasty and colorful salad that can be served cold or at room temperature, making it an excellent addition to any meal served buffet-style.

Greek Pasta Salad

 2 c. tri-color rotini

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

1/3 c. Greek pitted green olives

1/3 c. pitted Kalamata olives

1/3 c. diced Melissa’s roasted red peppers

1 green bell pepper, diced

½ cucumber, cubed

¼ c. diced red onion

½ c. cubed feta cheese

Julienne strips of salami*

 Dressing:

⅔ c. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ c. Greek red wine vinegar

1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 t. Melissa’s minced garlic

2 t. dried oregano

Pinch dried basil

 Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

 Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

 While the pasta is cooking, Whisk together dressing ingredients; set aside.

 Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with pasta. Pour vinaigrette over all and stir to combine. Cover and chill at least three hours before serving.

 *This can be made vegetarian by illuminating the salami. Additionally, if you don’t have that on hand, consider strips of ham, or grilled chicken.

  

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