1 9″ round loaf Italian bread with Sesame seeds
1 Olive Salad
¼ lb. Sliced Genoa Salami
¼ lb. Sliced Black Forest ham
¼ lb. Sliced Capicola (You will find in the deli as Coppa Dry Cured Pork Shoulder)
¼ lb. Sliced Mortadella
1/8 lb. Sliced Mozzarella
1/8 lb. Sliced Provolone

Cut the bread lengthways in half, spread some of the oil from the olive salad on the bottom piece of bread, add the cheese, layer the meat and then the olive salad. Cook in the oven until the cheese begins to melt. Quarter it. “You’ve just created pure heaven.”

Muffuletta Bread

1 ½ cup bread flour
¾ cups hot water
1 tsp. quick-rise yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
½ TBSP. olive oil
(some oil to oil the mixing bowl)

In a 1 cup measuring cup add the yeast to the hot water and proof it by stirring it in to activate it in the hot water, usually ~5 minutes to activate. (It will foam).

Add the water and yeast into a mixing bowl and then the olive oil, salt and sugar. Stir. Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon. With a plastic spatula roll the mixed dough onto a floured surface and knead to slightly tighten the dough. Grease the bowl and return the dough and cover with cloth towel for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the dough doubles in size.

Push down the dough with your hand or spatula, pour out onto a floured surface and shortly knead again. Oil the bottom of the pan slightly. Place the dough ball in a nonstick round pan, I use a 9” pan but a 10” pan is ideal. Oil the top of the dough and add sesame seeds. Push the seeds into the dough. Set out and let the dough rise again until it reaches the top of the pan.

Preheat an oven to 350° degrees. Bake for 35 minutes exactly, remove the bread and cool it on a cooling rack.

BTW, Muffuletta Bread is nothing more than Italian bread only made round instead of a loaf and has sesame seeds. Italia bread will have olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

As of 8/1/22

Muffuletta Olive Salad
¾ cup green Castlevetrano olives pitted and mashed with potato masher
¼ cup green Manzanilla olives w/Pimento and mashed with potato masher
1 cup Kalamata olives pitted mashed with potato masher
1 cup Gardiniera rough chopped
1 TBSP capers
3 cloves garlic minced
1/8 cup celery thinly sliced
1 TBSP Italian parsley finely chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 TBSP green onions (scallions) thinly sliced
1/4 cup roasted red peppers (roasted in oven 40 minutes at 425°)
3 TBSP red wine vinegar (equal parts white vinegar and dry red wine)
~½ cup olive oil
S&P

Mix all together.

Fagioli means beans.

Serving for 2

Soffritto
1 carrot sliced into coins
1 celery stalk sliced into coins
1 small shallot finely diced
1 TBSP olive oil
½ dry white wine

Bouquet Garni
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
½ bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
Wrap in a cheesecloth sack and tie end with string.

Dash of red pepper flakes
1 TBSP rehydrated dried Porcini mushrooms
2 cups of chicken stock (Add as needed)
S&P
1 can Cannellini beans w/juice
5 large escarole leaves washed and chopped into 1 inch strips.

In a soup pot, sauté the Soffritto in olive oil. Add the wine. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until everything is hot for serving. Remove the Bouquet Garni sack before serving.

As of 1/5/20

Serving: 2 swordfish steaks

2 slices of white bread
2 TBSP chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 TBSP coarsely chopped Castlevetrano green olives
1 TBSP coarsely chopped golden raisins
1 tsp lemon zest
9 TBSP olive oil

2 swordfish steaks

Gremolata:  Cut off the ends of the bread and cut the bread ½ inch lengthways and the ½ inch widthways and then chop to make them into large bread crumbs. Place in a bowl and add 2 TBSP olive oil and toss. In a skillet toast the bread tossing until golden brown and remove (about 5 minutes). Place in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Swordfish:  Salt and pepper the swordfish, and rub the sword fish with 2 TBSP olive oil. In a hot skillet brown the fish 4 minutes per side. Place the fish in an ovenware dish and cover with the Gremolata. In a 400° oven cook the fish and Gremolata 10 minutes exactly.

As of 1/5/20