creole – A cook named Rebecca

These New Orleans Muffuletta packages are the perfect addition to your Holiday party or for that matter, any day of the week and make ahead is a must! How easy is that to have a sandwich you make in advance?

I’m always looking for something to throw together for a party, or to take to a party. Christmas is so much fun because many families have themes for their meal. Why not have a New Orleans themed meal? Serve this beautiful sandwich with some delicious gumbo, some charbroiled oysters like you get from Dragos in New Orleans? I love a New Orleans themed party! Add some southern fried catfish battered in Zatarains! Add some spicy remoulade! Oh, and don’t forget my New Orleans BBQ shrimp which I need to make! It is the perfect dish to add to your New Orleans themed party. Here’s the link: https://the2spoons.com/love-this-easy-barbecue-shrimp/ which will become a favorite in your home!

I love the foods of New Orleans. I had never had one until the 1980’s. Ever since then, I have tried to duplicate it! Loaded with flavor from the essential Olive Salad, Italian meats and cheese, these little packages are perfect. Of course, you don’t have to cut them like I did as you can cut them into triangles, squares, what ever suits you. The bread is round, so cutting it like a pie is the easiest and the least wasteful.

I made the bread for this recipe because I have a hard time finding a round loaf of bread. The bread recipe is really easy and forgiving if you can’t find a round loaf. You can buy on line, which I have before, but I decided to try my hand at making it and it turned out perfect.

On the final rise of the bread, I brushed the top with an egg wash and added sesame seeds.

You have to have the Olive Salad! it just makes the sandwich. I have made the olive salad before, but this time I was able to find it jarred at my favorite HEB in Waco. I bought the Central Grocery brand. If you can’t find this at your local store you can get it online. Here’s a link for you: https://www.amazon.com/Boscoli-Olive-Salad-32-oz/dp/B001HBRDVU/ref=pd_sbs_325_t_0/133-4875131-2190557?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B001HBRDVU&pd_rd_r=8f4ff348-6069-4d6c-839e-a56bd0abd8d7&pd_rd_w=3dDon&pd_rd_wg=Mny0E&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=SVVQ772J8T892Y1DQZSH&psc=1&refRID=SVVQ772J8T892Y1DQZSH.

It is good stuff and makes the sandwich. If you can’t purchase, it’s easy to make. I’ll share the recipe for the Olive Salad in the recipe.

If you can’t find olive salad, here’s the ingredients:

1 cup pimento-stuffed olives (1 cup) sliced plus 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar.

1 cup chopped giardiniera (pickled Italian vegetables) plus 1 tablespoon of liquid from the jar.

2 tablespoons drained capers, plus 2 teaspoons of liquid from the jar.

3 ounces pitted Kalamata olives (1/2 cup), sliced

2 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Pinch of dried thyme

Pinch of crushed Red Pepper

1/2 dup extra-virgin olive oil

**In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients and let stand for 1 hour.

Did you know that Central Grocery created the sandwich in 1906? Here’s a little history:

“The muffuletta sandwich is said to be created in 1906 at Central Grocery Co. on Decatur Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., by its delicatessen owner Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant.^[4][5] Another Italian-style New Orleans delicatessen, Progress Grocery Co., originally opened in 1924 by the Perrone family, claims the origin of the muffuletta is uncertain.^[6]

The traditional-style muffuletta sandwich consists of a muffuletta loaf^[7] split horizontally and covered with layers of marinated muffuletta-style olive salad,^[8] salami, ham, Swiss cheese, provolone, and mortadella.^[9] Quarter, half, and full-sized muffulettas are sold.^[10]^[11]

The signature olive salad consists of olives diced with the celery, cauliflower and carrot found in a jar of giardiniera, seasoned with oregano and garlic, covered in olive oil, and allowed to combine for at least 24 hours.^[12]”

Love A New Orleans Muffuletta

Want to add a little more New Orleans to your meal? This sandwich would be perfect served with a cup of Louisiana Gumbo! Here’s the link on my blog for a delicious gumbo, which I love so much! https://the2spoons.com/shrimp-okra-andouille-smoked-sausage-gumbo/.

Shrimp, Okra and Andouille Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Love A New Orleans Muffuletta

Can’t wait for you to try this recipe!! Enjoy!

New Orleans Muffuletta

Print Recipe

Course: Appetizer, dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: American, cajun, creole

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

For the Bread

1 cup water 110 degrees
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 oz pkg active dry yeast
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable shortening like Crisco
1 tsp sesame seeds

To assemble the Muffuletta

1 large Round Muffuletta Bread from the recipe above or store bought
1 Jar Olive Salad ( I used Central Grocery Salad – see the link in the post)
1/4 lb sliced fresh Mozzarella
6 oz sliced capocollo or prosciutto
1/4 lb sliced Genoa Salami
1/4 lb sliced mortadella
1/4 lb sliced mild provolone cheese

Method

For the Bread

Add warm water to a measuring cup and stir in the sugar. Stir in the yeast and set aside for 5-10 minutes or until foamy.
While the yeast is developing, add the bread flour, salt, and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a hook attachment.When the yeast is foamy, add it to the flour mixture and knead the dough on low to medium speed until the dough is fully incorporated and the dough is soft and smooth.
Lightly oil a medium bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, flipping it over once or twice to lightly coat with oil. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and put in a draft free space until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.When the dough has risen, punch it down and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a 10" diameter round loaf and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl and lightly brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and set aside in a draft free space to rise a second time until almost doubled in size, about one hour.
Place rack in the center of oven and preheat to 425°. Bake loaf in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, thenreduce the heat to 375° and continue baking for 20-25 minutes or until golden.Let loaf cool before slicing.

To assembly the Muffuletta

Open the bread on a work surface. Spoon the olive salad on both sides of the bread and spread evenly. Arrange the mozzarella slices on the bottom half of the bread, then top with the capocollo, Genoa salami and mortadella. Arrange the provolone cheese on the top half of the bread, covering the olive salad completely. Carefully close the sandwich. Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic and let stand for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Cut the sandwich into 8 pieces and serve.

This Shrimp Creole is a little different than others because it doesn’t start with a roux and it is made with really ripe fresh tomatoes ripened on the vines. It’s a little spicy and sweet loaded with fresh herbs. I used San Marzano tomatoes because that’s what I had that was really ripe and I needed to use them, but you can pretty much use any tomato. I will say that San Marzano tomatoes are sweet which go perfectly with the sweet shrimp. A Brandywine tomato or other heirloom tomatoes would be excellent!

With still getting so many tomatoes from my garden, this is another great dish using them. What’s better than vine ripened tomatoes?

This recipe starts with the Creole or Cajun holy trinity, or onions, celery and bell peppers, with an addition of lemongrass. You can get lemongrass in the produce market or in Asian markets and even comes in a dried powder form. If you’re not familiar with lemongrass, here’s a link to explain: https://www.thespruceeats.com/all-about-lemongrass-2216499

Love This Fresh Tomato Shrimp Creole with Louisiana White Rice

This recipe will feed 6 to 8 with the 5 pounds of shrimp, but you can easily adjust for your purposes.

I hope you try this recipe! It’s easy and delicious! If you love New Orleans food as much as I do here’s another recipe I think you’ll enjoy: https://the2spoons.com/delicious-louisiana-seafood-gumbo/. This Louisiana Seafood Gumbo is equally delicious!

Shrimp Creole

Print Recipe

Course: Appetizer, dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: creole

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

5 lbs jumbo Louisiana or wild American shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh lemongrass (substitute 1 tsp powdered or 1 tsp lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil
3 mediuim onions, diced
10 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 bell pepper, red, green or yellow seeded and diced
5 pounds overripe tomatoes or other tomatoes peeled and chopped (Brandywine or other heirloom would be good if you can find)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
leaves from 2 branches fresh basil, torn
pinch of sugar
6-8 cups Louisiana White Rice

For the Louisiana White Rice (for 8 cups)

2 tbsp chicken fat, extra virgin olive oil, or butter
1 medium onion, minced
3 cups long grain white rice
6 cups chicken stock (homemade if possible, otherwise a good brand)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt

Method

Put the shrimp into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper, then mix in the lemongrass. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a large deep skillet over moderate heat. Add the shrimp, stirring and tossing them with a spatula. Sauté until they turn pink, about 2 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside while you make the sauce. Into the same skillet with the oil and shrimp juices, put the remaining ¼ cup oil and the onions, garlic, celery, and bell peppers and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and when the sauce comes to a simmer add the bay leaf, allspice, and red pepper flakes. Simmer for 10 minutes .Add the shrimp back to the skillet along with the basil and mint. Cook for a minute or two. Season with salt and pepper. If the sauce tastes too tart, add a little sugar to balance the flavor. Remove the bay leaf. Serve over steamed Louisiana white rice.

For the Louisiana White Rice (for 8 cups)

Put the fat, oil, or butter and the onions into a medium saucepan and sweat the onions over moderate heat until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Pour the rice into the pan and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and salt.
Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, fluff the rice with a fork, and serve.

Notes

You can fourth, half or just adjust this recipe to the amount you need. Same with the rice.