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| From Nola Cuisine |
This is my version of the Olive Salad for the NOLA Cuisine classic sandwich, The Muffuletta! My friend Tom and I always make at least one stop at the Central Grocery on Decatur during a visit to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. You can grab a Muffuletta Sandwich at CG, a beer in a Go-Cup from the liquor store down the street, then sit up on the Riverwalk to watch the barges roll by on the Mississippi; or just flop out in the street like a common Hobo, depending on how hungry you are.
Back to the recipe, I would make this at a few days ahead, it improves with age. Use good quality olives, Hey, good quality everything, right! I’m fortunate enough to have a great Italian market, about a mile from my house called Ventimiglia’s. I also make my own Roasted Red Peppers, I find the jarred variety mushy, plus they’re super easy to make; recipe follows. This Olive Salad Recipe makes enough for one Muffuletta and a few Bruschetta (recipe follows):
Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe
1 1/2 Cups Green Olives, Pitted
1/2 Cup Calamatta Olives (or Black) Pitted
1 Cup Gardiniera (Pickled Cauliflower, Carrots, Celery, Pepperoncini)
1 Tbsp. Capers
3 each Fresh Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/8 Cup Celery, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Italian Parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Fresh Oregano (When I have it in my garden) or 2 tsp. dried
1 tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Roasted red peppers (Recipe follows)
1 Tbsp. Green Onions, thinly sliced
Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground pepper To Taste (salt may not be necessary)
Crush each olive on a cutting board with your hand. Combine all ingredients. Cover with:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil about 1 – 1 1/2 Cups
Put into a bowl or jar, cover and let the flavors marry for about one week.
Roasted Red Peppers
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Place 2 Red bell Peppers (remove the blasted sticker!) on a baking sheet, place in the oven. In 15-20 minutes flip it over. Leave it in the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, place in a container and cover with plastic wrap. Let stand for about 10-15 minutes, this makes the skin come off more easily. Uncover and remove all of the skin, stem and seeds, careful they’re hot! Refrigerate. Great in a number of dishes, Paella, Jambalaya, Sauteed Chorizo or Andouille, Olive salad, you name it.
Olive Salad Bruschetta
Slice a Baguette into 3/4 inch thick slices on the bias, Pop them under the Broiler until they’re golden brown. Break a Garlic clove in half and rub it onto the slices. Top with generous heaps of Olive Salad with plenty of oil & liquid. Serve immediately.
Related Posts:
Central Grocery Muffuletta
My Muffuletta Sandwich Recipe
My Muffuletta Bread Recipe
Chargrilled Pizza with Olive Salad
Here is a pic of my Muffuletta:
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| From Nola Cuisine |
Be sure and check out my ever growing Index of Creole and Cajun Recipes which links to all of the recipes featured here!
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How long do you think this last? Would you put it in the frig ~V~ counter Top? Can this recipe be canned? I can’t wait to try this! Matter of fact I’m going to make it this week-end! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
the muffeletta recipe we use is similar to your but we add mortadella. Also when we have wanted a quick and easy to carry version we have used pistolettes. Good when you want to feed people at an outing like a parade or a picnic. The bread is the killer though and its almost impossible to find away from NOLA.
Hi Nola,
I appreciate you sharing your wonderful recipes.I love vegetables and I have been craving for olive salad.I hope you can help me. After making the jarred olive salad do I store it in my pantry or in my refrigerator and how long can the jars sit on the shelf. I would like to make several jars of this wonderful olive salad this weekend and I would like to know the preparations before I start.
Down yonder from Texas, Yvonne W.
What wine would you serve with the Muffuletta Sandwich that includes the Olive Salad.
Dee
To answer Dee, I would try either a Portuguese Vinho Verde or a Pinot Grigio…
How do you store the olive salad
I like the idea of a light fruity (but not sweet) wine like Pinot Grigio with this, however, this is one of the most peasant of Italian peasant foods. Beer goes GREAT with this and if you make a bit spicier, pairing it with Chianti makes a fantastic picnic lunch.
As for storing the olive salad, it’s best used as soon as possible. If you must save it for later, put it the fridge. Just know that the olive oil will coagulate and you’ll want it to get back to room temp before you use it. It should be good for up to two weeks (actually longer, but why let it just sit there–you know you want it).
Aren’t pimentos different than bell peppers? Aren’t they a cherry pepper?
PLEASE – do NOT rinse roasted red peppers under water – you rinse away a lot of the smokey flavor you worked to develop.
also i find it easier to just put peppers directly on the burner of the stove and char on all sides, then put in a covered bowl or plastic bag
can the olive salad be canned for future use say for taking on a two month vacation with not a real kitchen. We love this recepie on almost any sandwich.
My husband and I loooooove this olive salad – with the Muffaletta or just on some bruschetta or good hearty crackers. We made a double batch and jarred some and gave it away and kept lots of it – it stayed well in the fridge for several weeks. We make it in a food processor to speed the process – it doesn’t look as pretty but it still tastes delicious.
This olive salad is the BOMB! I threw some chopped artichoke hearts in cuz I had them. I will always keep a batch of this in my fridge for the rest of my days. Really, really good.
Hmmmm, maybe on a burger….
Pizza Bob (before his untimely death), of the Pizza Den on University Ave. in Oxford Mississippi made the best Muffuletta in the world, but toasted in his pizza oven until the cheese was all gooey. This sandwich was like a generous piece of heaven and after 20 years still the best thing I ever ate. (I think they may still be making those but I haven’t been back to Oxford in years.)
There’s a lot of opinions out there about muffalattas, including spelling, but I agree completely with everything you say, this is the perfect muffaletta.
Great site. Cannot believe I am just now finding you. Content is excellent and the writing understandable. What is the best way for me to follow your posts. I use facebook, twitter and email. Great olive salad recipe!