Muffuletta

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pitted green Sicilian olives
• 3/4 cup pitted black olives
• 1 cup pickled giardiniera vegetables, drained
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 celery rib
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 round sesame-topped loaf, about 10 inches across
• 4 oz mortadella, thinly sliced
• 4 oz Genoa salami, thinly sliced
• 4 oz capicola or baked ham, thinly sliced
• 4 oz provolone, thinly sliced
• 3 oz Swiss cheese, thinly sliced

Before you cook

• Chop the green and black olives coarsely, leaving some texture.
• Chop the giardiniera into pieces the size of the olives.
• Peel and mince the garlic.
• Chop the celery finely.
• Chop the parsley.
• Combine the olives, giardiniera, capers, garlic, celery, parsley, oregano, black pepper and red pepper flakes in a bowl.
• Pour in the olive oil and vinegar and stir well.
• Cover the olive salad and leave it at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate it for up to a week.

Steps

1. Slice the loaf horizontally through its equator with a serrated knife.
2. Pull out a little of the soft crumb from the top half to make room for the filling.
3. Spoon half the olive salad over the bottom half and press it into the bread with the back of the spoon, letting the oil soak in.
4. Lay the mortadella over the olive salad in overlapping folds.
5. Cover the mortadella with the provolone.
6. Layer the salami over the cheese.
7. Add the Swiss cheese in an even sheet.
8. Finish the stack with the capicola.
9. Spoon the remaining olive salad over the meat, oil and all.
10. Set the top half of the loaf in place and press down firmly with both hands.
11. Wrap the whole sandwich tightly in cling film.
12. Set a heavy plate and a couple of tins on top and leave it to press for 30 minutes at room temperature.
13. Unwrap the sandwich and cut it into four wedges with a serrated knife.