Muffuletta

I was really looking forward to trying this meal and it was really great! Super easy to make and a light meal to have when you don't want anything too heavy!

Ingredients for Olive Salad:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons water

1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 small rib celery, thinly sliced

1/2 cup small cauliflower florets

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 cup pitted large green olives, finely chopped

1/4 cup pitted black olives, finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped jarred pimiento

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (i left this out)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Put the oil, water, carrot, celery, cauliflower, thyme, and oregano in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce the heat to medium low and then simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the olives, pimiento, and salt (I left the salt out because I thought the saltiness of the olives would be enough). Cool, then add the parsley.

Ingredients for the Sandwich:

1 6 inch round Italian bread with sesame seeds (I could only find a long loaf, so I only used half)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced provolone cheese

6 ounces sliced mortadella

4 ounces sliced soppressata

Slice the bread in half horizontally, then pull out some of the inside each half to make a pocket. Brush the inside of the top half with olive oil. Pack the bottom half with the olive salad. Layer the cheese and meats over the salad and top with the remaining bread. Wrap the muffuletta very tightly with plastic wrap. Place the sandwich in a broad, shallow container and weight it with something heavy for atleast 1 hour at room temperature. Cut muffuletta into quarters and serve.

Enjoy!