My mom is one of my very best friends. We talk on the phone at least once a day...sometimes four or five times! She is an amazing mom and grandma. I had a wonderful childhood and learned so many of my passions from my mom. Cooking, gardening and mothering my own child are all special things my mom taught me. I seek advice, comfort, adventure and friendship in our relationship...and I am met with an abundance of love. So in honor of my mom...a Mother's Day Muffuletta!
Of course, this recipe began with the bread!! I searched the internet for the perfect Muffuletta recipe. I'll be honest, I was excited about a lot of them. BUT I don't care how traditional it is, I don't want carrots, celery or pickled vegetables on my sandwich. This is a combination of several recipes as well as some of my own influence. The bread recipe came from this site: http://cookingfortwo.about.com/od/soupssaladssandwiches/r/muffalettabread.htm It begins with yeast, water and sugar. Add in AP flour, Bread flour, olive oil and salt. This recipe involved a lot of rising!!! Form the dough into a ball and allow to rise for 90 minutes.
After the dough has doubled in size, you knead it for two minutes and form it into two balls.
Allow to sit for 15 minutes and then press into an 8 inch disk and transfer to a baking sheet. Prick the top with a fork all over.
Allow to rise for ANOTHER 90 minutes until doubled in size again.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
I made the olive salad and the bread the day before. I wanted the flavors of the olive salad to have time to combine. I used green olives, black olives, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini, red wine vinegar, olive oil and one clove of garlic. Chop finely and cover with plastic wrap.
The bread...oh the bread. It came out so beautiful!!
Slice the loaf in half making the bottom half much thicker...just slicing off the top.
Pull out as much of the center as possible, leaving the base of the bread intact.
Begin layering the meat and cheese. A traditional Muffuletta has Mortadella, Salami, Ham, Mozzarella and Provolone. I couldn't find Mortadella, so I swapped in some roasted chicken.
Keep alternating layers of meat and cheese, pressing each layer as you go. I used 3/4 lb of meat and 3/4 lb of cheese.
Fill the lid of the sandwich with the olive salad.
Place the halves together and wrap VERY tight with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Slice into wedges and enjoy!
Look at all those tasty layers! The olive salad made the sandwich. It was super delicious and we didn't have any leftovers :)
Happy Mother's Day to a wonderful mom. Thank you for everything you do for me!
~ Love, Kathleen
~ Love, Kathleen
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