Mediterranean Veggie Muffuletta Recipes

Steps:

• Combine the dressing and olive salad ingredients and stir together thoroughly; chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
• Trim the stem off the eggplant and slice lengthwise - slices should be about 1/4" thick and the skin should be left on for easier broiling.
• Arrange slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and brush with half the vinaigrette dressing; broil slices 4 to 5 inches from heat source for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, then remove from heat and set aside.
• Cut (round) loaf of bread horizontally and pull out some of the soft center to allow room for sandwich filling.
• Drain the olive salad from the dressing, reserving the dressing.
• Put half of the olive salad over the base of the loaf.
• Now create layers of broiled eggplant, half of the cheeses, half of the peppers, half spinach, half tomatoes, half lettuce, and drizzle with a tablespoon of the reserved dressing; repeat all layers, and end with a third layer of eggplant.
• Drizzle the remaining dressing (or as much as you like) with olives on the underside of the loaf "lid" and place on top of sandwich.
• Wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
• Note: some muffuletta lovers continue with the following directions - my personal preference is to do so, but it's up to you: place the filled loaf on a plate or flat pan; cover with another pan and load several pounds of weight on top (you can use canned goods, a bag of sugar, whatever you have that is heavy); refrigerate for at least 4 hours; this compresses the sandwich, marrying flavors and making it easier to cut and serve; cut into small wedges for serving.
• The flavors are best if the muffuletta is chilled for at least 4 hours and then brought to room temp before cutting and serving.

Steps:

• Whisk the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Gradually blend in the oil. Stir in the olives and roasted peppers. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cut the top 1-inch of the bread loaf. Set the top aside. Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread some of the olive and roasted pepper mix over the bread bottom and cut side of the bread top. Layer the meats and cheeses in the bread bottom. Top with the onions, then the arugula. Spread the remaining olive and roasted pepper mix on top of the sandwich and carefully cover with the bread top. You can serve the sandwich immediately or you can wrap the entire sandwich tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator a day before serving.
• Cut the sandwich into wedges and serve.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 14 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours. , Cut bread in half horizontally; carefully hollow out top and bottom, leaving a 1-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Spoon half the olive mixture over bottom half of bread. Layer with salami, ham, mortadella, Swiss and provolone; top with remaining olive mixture. Replace bread top. Wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight. Cut into 8 wedges.

Steps:

• Cut bread in half and hollow out the bottom, leaving only the crust.
• In food processor, chop gardineira, mushrooms, artichoke hearts and olives along with marinating liquid from jars.
• Spread 1/3 of the veggie mixture on the bottom of the bread.
• Layer with provolone cheese.
• Layer of roasted peppers.
• Layer of watercress.
• Layer of veggie mixture.
• Layer of feta.
• Layer of tomatoes.
• Layer of veggie mixture.
• Top sandwich with other half of bread.
• Wrap sandwich toghtly in plastic and weight or press with a heavy pan or a pan with some cans in it.
• Chill overnight.
• Slice into wedges to serve.

Steps:

• Make the olive salad by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside to marinate.
• Assemble the muffuletta by slicing the loaf of bread horizontally into 2 large pieces, with the top piece 2/3 the size of the bottom piece. Hollow out the top piece by removing the soft bread inside, leaving 1/2 inch of bread near the crust. Spread half of the olive salad on the bottom piece. Begin layering the meats, starting with the soppressata and adding 1/4 of the provolone cheese between each layer of meat except for the last.
• Spread the remaining olive salad on the last layer of meat and top with the hollowed bread. Press down lightly and let sit at least 10 minutes. To serve, slice into 6 or 8 wedges. It will keep for several hours in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic.

Steps:

• To Make Olive Salad: In a medium bowl, combine the green olives, kalamata olives, garlic, cauliflower, capers, celery, carrot, pepperoncini, cocktail onions, celery seed, oregano, basil, black pepper, vinegar, olive oil and canola oil. Mix together and transfer mixture into a glass jar (or other nonreactive container). If needed, pour in more oil to cover. Cover jar or container and refrigerate at least overnight.
• To Make Sandwiches: Cut loaves of bread in half horizontally; hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for filling. Spread each piece of bread with equal amounts olive salad, including oil. Layer 'bottom half' of each loaf with 1/2 of the salami, ham, mortadella, mozzarella and Provolone. Replace 'top half' on each loaf and cut sandwich into quarters.
• Serve immediately, or wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few hours; this will allow for the flavors to mingle and the olive salad to soak into the bread.