Muffuletta Sandwich Dinner

Muffuletta Sandwich Dinner

Make weeknight dinner fast and easy. Here's a main course recipe and three suggestions for rounding it out into a complete meal. Find out how to effortlessly dress up starters, sides, and desserts to fit the meal's main course.

Main dish

New Orleans-Style Muffuletta

Ingredients

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pitted ripe olives 1/2 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives 1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1 16-ounce loaf ciabatta or unsliced French bread 6 lettuce leaves 3 ounces thinly sliced salami, pepperoni, or summer sausage 3 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham or turkey 6 ounces thinly sliced provolone, Swiss, or mozzarella cheese 1 or 2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

1. In a small bowl combine the ripe olives, green olives, parsley, lemon juice, and oregano. Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours. 2. Meanwhile, stir together olive oil and garlic. Horizontally split loaf of bread and hollow out inside of the top half, leaving a 3/4-inch-thick shell. 3. Brush the bottom half of the bread with olive oil mixture. Top with lettuce, meats, cheese, and tomato slices. Sprinkle tomato slices with pepper. Stir olive mixture. Mound atop tomato slices. Add top of bread. To serve, cut into six portions.

Makes 6 sandwiches

Italian-style Muffuletta: Prepare as above, except omit the olives, parsley, lemon juice, and oregano and omit step 1. Drain a 16-ounce jar of pickled mixed vegetables, reserving the liquid. Chop the vegetables, removing any pepperoncini stems if present. In a medium bowl combine chopped vegetables; 2 tablespoons of the reserved liquid; 1/4 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed green olives and/or pitted ripe olives; 1 clove garlic, minced; and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Assemble sandwich as above, spooning the pickled vegetable mixture atop the tomato slices.

Side dishes

Boston Lettuce and Crab Salad

Fill Boston lettuce cups with crab salad from the deli. Stir a bit of Cajun seasoning into crab salad for a New Orleans flavor, if desired.

Okra and Stewed Tomatoes

In a saucepan, cook frozen sliced okra in chopped stewed tomatoes. Add a dash of red hot pepper sauce.

Doughnut Sundaes

Slice cake doughnuts in half horizontally to create two rings. Place each half in a bowl and top with ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Source Better Homes And Gardens Daily Recipe Mailer

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 * Catsrecipes Y-Group