Hello again. This, my friends, is the sunrise over a meandering Mississippi River, mother of all waterways. The first time I saw it, I was so moved that I burst into my own interpretation of "Old Man River" and embarrassed my husband. We were in New Orleans visiting our darling sister-in-law, Michelle, last spring. I took this photo from the Hilton window one early morning. Wow, huh? My feelings about New Orleans are, like this place, complex and I may go into it another time. I have another mission in mind for this blog. Oh. There is one more thing I'd like to say about it. Some people named Macias came here and helped in the founding of the city some hundreds of years ago. Cool, huh? We all have roots that go deep in the earth, you know.
Back to my point; don't laugh, but my purpose is to tell you not about something we saw or heard or felt. It's to tell you about something we ATE. Seriously.
Have you ever heard of a Muffaletta sandwich? Well, I never had and neither had Dan. We're open to new culinary sensations, so one day, as we strolled through the French Quarter around lunchtime, we decided to give them a try. We were so glad that we did! It's Italian meats with a breath-takingly delicious kind of olive salad on ciabatta bread. In the jargon of our distant youth, we scarfed them up. I later found the recipe online that seems to follow what we happily sank our teeth into that day. And guess what? I have it right here. Of course I'm going to share it with you-all. The only thanks I require is that you let me know that you tried it.
Muffaletta Sandwich
1 loaf good Italian bread
1 cup olive mix (see below)
1/4 sliced ham
1/4 sliced mortadella
1/4 sliced salami
1/4 sliced provolone
(You can actually use bologna or whatever kind of meat you prefer. I didn't add mortadella or salami cause I'm trying to eat stuff that will actually help me live longer, as opposed to killing me off. So I went light on the meat and heavy with the olive mix.)
Slice bread in half horizontally. Spread half with olive mix then layer on meats and cheese and cover. Ideally, this should be wrapped in plastic wrap and left for a half hour or so in order to enable the juices to soak the bread, making it juicier. Slice and serve.
Olive Mix Salad
3/4 cup pimento-stuffed olives
1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup giardiniera (pickled vegetables)
2 large pepperoncini
3-4 pickled onions
2 Tablespoons capers
1 med. garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
a couple of grinds of black pepper
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Drain ingredients. Place them in food processor and chop. Don't turn it into paste! Just chop into small pieces. Let flavors meld a full day before use. Can keep in the refrigerator for months.
This stuff is so good. I wonder how it would taste with some pasta and olive oil?
That's it, a culinary delight from a non-chef. Bon appetit!
