New Orleans-Style Muffuletta

This quintessential New Orleans sandwich is as hearty as they come. You'll end up with more olive salad than you need, so try a dollop in salad dressing, smeared under the skin of a roasted chicken, or added to braising liquid. It's a remarkably versatile condiment, lending a complex fruity-salty flavor to everything it touches. Recipe provided by Sean Timberlake.

Ingredients

1 loaf of ciabatta, or other crusty Italian-style bread
3/4 pound assorted Italian-style cold cuts (such as mortadella, salami, and prosciutto)
1/2 pound sliced Italian-style cheese (such as provolone and mozzarella)
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Salad Ingredients:
1 cup Lindsay^® Green Ripe California Medium Pitted Olives
1 cup Lindsay^® Ripe Pitted Olives
1 tablespoon Lindsay^® Capers
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Lindsay^® Red Roasted Bell Peppers, drained
1 cup Lindsay^® Mixed Giardiniera, drained
1 to 1-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Cooking Directions

Slice the bread loaf horizontally and tear out some of the crumb, leaving hollowed-out halves. Drizzle the bread with balsamic vinegar.
Generously spread the olive salad all over the bread with a spatula, making sure you cover the bread thoroughly.
Lay the cold cuts on the bottom half of the loaf, going all the way up to, and even slightly over, the edges.
Replace the bread top, wrap the sandwich well in plastic wrap, and weight with a large book or a couple of large cans of tomatoes atop a backing sheet.
Let rest for an hour or so. Unwrap, cut, and serve.
Make the Olive Salad: Combine olives, giardiniera, capers, garlic, parsley, oregano and pepper flakes in a food processor, and pulse until chunky – you still want some texture from the olives and giardiniera, not a smooth paste.
Turn the mixture into a bowl, add the oil and vinegar, and toss to combine. Refrigerate.