DELI-CIOUS !!!!

This past week at work I was introduced to a new sandwich. Not a new kind of sandwich, really just an old favorite with a new name. They call it "The New York Yankee". I guess it gets that name from the use of all the kosher meats and the deli stamp on the preparation, but ....it's a dandy sandwich, no matter what you call it. Maybe I could make my own version and call it ..."The New Yankee Doodle Dandy." (Now, that's cute!)

So anyways.....This particular heaping helping of kosher delights is a 2 inch thick stack of Corned Beef and Pastrami with Swiss cheese served on seeded Jewish rye with a slathering of good ole yellow mustard. I love Corned Beef and I love Pastami. I love Rye bread and I am definetly a mustard girl...not the mayo type. So this particular sandwich has become a lunch time favorite. I eat one half one dy and eat the leftover half the next!! That justifies the $8.00 price tag. My buddy Nathan who loves good food and appreciates not only the comforting goodness of a perfectly grilled Grilled Cheese, but delights in the flavor filled masterpiece of something as complex and exotic as a genuine N.O.L.A. Muffuletta and I were checking out the menu from that same deli a couple of days later. And, there it was, on the same page as my new favorite tried and true New York Yankee, ... the mouthwatering image of The Muffuletta that instantly gave us pause as we suddenly questioned our lunch decision. What a wonderful quandry to be in!

Now, I remember eating my first Muffuletta straight from the counter of Central Grocery on my first trip to N'awlins. It was like no sandwich I had ever eaten. It's important to note here that I am an olive nut. Black, green, purple, brined, oiled, you give me an olive and I'm all over it. And the classic Olive Salad that is essential to the Muffuletta is filled with olives and capers; those briny little buds that should be a staple in every foodie's pantry along with that garlicky, pickled taste of the Gardiniera; you know the jarred pickled cauliflower, carrots, celery and pepperoncinis. The combination of the cheeses with the deli meats, salami and hams piled high topped with the delicious salty and tangy punch of the olive salad, then squeezed tight into a hearty round bowl of bread, is just about the epitomy of deli decadence. Certainly this is not the sandwich your Mama throws together for a quick snack between meals. We'll keep the bologna around for that; This is The Meal.... The Main Course... The Entree. The Muffuletta doesn't play. It takes your taste buds dancing and makes you feel like you've just experienced something truly different and unique. Like you are somehow transformed into some kind of a fancy-pants gourmet somethin' or another. And you are raised to another level in "Sandwichdom." The Muffuletta is to sandwiches what jazz is to music. Two New Orleans originals. Cool. Like, groovy cool. Special, unique and classy. With so many different things going on and yet when you experience it all together...you end up with a delicious harmonic melody.

So, I'm on a sandwich kick this week, but I'm a little tired of forking out $9.00 to 10 bucks for a sandwich and chips. So, Geraldo took me on a shopping spree (Sam's Club...works for me!) where I stocked up on all kinds of meats, treasure cheese, olives and breads. So, I'm gonna make a batch of Olive Salad that will probably end up on all kinds of concoctions in the following days. I'm excited about getting re-acquainted with an old friend.....The Muffuletta with my new buddy Nathan.

THE MUFFULETTA

The muffuletta, a classic invented by Italian expats in New Orleans, is jam-packed with spicy cured meat, garlicky olive salad, and piles of provolone and Swiss.It's best to prepare the olive salad about a week before making the sandwich to allow the flavors to intensify. The recipe yields roughly 3 extra cups that, when stored airtight, will stay fresh for 1 month. Use leftovers as a zesty salad topping or for a delicious fish marinade.

Ingredients:

Makes 4 servings

Olive Salad:
*2 cups green olives , pitted
1/2 cup Kalamata olives , pitted
1 1/4 cups ready-made giardiniera
2 Tbsp. capers
3 cloves garlic , thinly sliced
1/4 cup celery , thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Italian parsley , finely chopped
2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
*1/4 cup jarred pimientos
2 green onions , finely chopped (about 2 Tbsp.)
Kosher salt , to taste
Freshly ground black pepper , to taste
1 3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil

**(Hey, don't fret if you only have pimiento-stuffed green olives..use them instead and leave out the jarred pimientoes.)

Sandwich:
1 (15-ounce) loaf Italian bread , preferably seeded and round (about 12 inches in diameter)
1 1/2 cups olive salad (or more, to taste)
3 Tbsp. oil from olive salad (or more, to taste)
3 ounces capicola ham , thinly sliced
3 ounces Genoa salami , thinly sliced
3 ounces mortadella , thinly sliced
3 ounces provolone cheese , thinly sliced
3 ounces Swiss cheese , thinly sliced
To make olive salad: Lightly crush olives on a wooden cutting board with the heel of your hand. Break up any large pieces of vegetables in giardiniera. Combine all ingredients in a large jar or a bowl with a resealable lid, making sure everything is immersed in olive oil. Stir, cover container tightly, and refrigerate at least 2 days (preferably 1 week). To make sandwich: Halve loaf of bread lengthwise. Spoon olive salad on one side. Spread out olives, breaking them into pieces with your hands, and gently push into bread. Coat other side of bread with oil.Layer olive-salad-laden side of bread with overlapping slices of ham, salami, mortadella, provolone, and Swiss. Top with oil-coated side. Cut loaf into four wedges; serve with Zapp's Cajun Crawtator potato chips and Barq's bottled root beer or mini screwtops of Merlot.