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Hello again, food friends, I hope you did not go hungry without me for the last couple of weeks! But in case you did, I decided to make something on the simpler side so you can chow down fast and relieve the searing hunger pains you’ve been suffering since I last posted.

I realized I’ve been making a lot of dishes with a more Eastern flair (lots of curry, coconut marinades, lima beans, rice), so I opened up one of my fave recipes sites, Cooks.com, and decided to whip up the first thing I saw on their homepage.

What I found is actually perfect for the upcoming months! This sandwich, which the site calls a Muffalatta Olive Salad Sandwich, will be great to take on a picnic and escape the blinding heat I know you’ve been suffering through the last couple of weeks. And it’s not served hot, which is always a plus at 101 degrees. Those fancy pants folks in Italy eat these on the Mediterranean, so why shouldn’t we?

To make this tasty treat, you will need:

For the olive salad

• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 c. chopped green stuffed olives
• 1 c. chopped oil cured black olives, (pitted)
• 4-5 pepperoncini, minced
• 1/2 c. roasted red peppers, chunks
• 1 c. olive oil
• 3 tbsp. fresh parsley
• large pinch red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. each oregano and basil
• 2 tbsp. white wine or balsamic vinegar

(With all this stuff, you should probably not make it on your actual picnic and do it in the safe confines of the kitchen!)

Sandwich fixins

• 1 large round loaf bread
• 1/3 lb. salami, thinly sliced
• 1/2 lb. Provolone, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, sliced in circles
• 1/2 lb. Havarti cheese, thinly sliced
• 1/3 c. Prosciutto or Capicola ham, thinly sliced

Remember, this recipe is for one massive sandwich that you can probably share. But if you want to make more than one, just multiply all the ingredients by the number of sandwiches you want to make.

To put together the festive salad that goes into the sandwich, basically mix all the above ingredients together and let it sit covered in the fridge overnight so the flavors will get all nice and mingly. I ALWAYS recommend using balsamic vinegar when given a choice, as it is particularly incredible. I left out the pepper flakes too, since I am a wuss, but my boyfriend would have gladly eaten something with a little more spice, so have at it if you can handle the hear! Same goes for pepperoncini. Don’t be worried about finding some fancy schmancy Muffalatta olives, as far as I can tell that title just refers to the mixing of the different types of olives. And it also sounds like one of the spells from Harry Potter, which is always a nice element to have in a dish.

Now here comes the fun part. I know this article says I am learning to make a sandwich, but really, this is so much more! For each person you would like to enjoy your culinary creation, slice your round of bread in half horizontally and scoop out some of the center. Drizzle the oil that has collected in your salad into the opening, using a LOT on the bottom half. For a snack, you can always dip the removed portion of bread into some oil to tide you over while you cook. Damn, that sounds GOOD!

Now layer the salad, cold cuts and cheese over and over until you are out of everything. Considering the amount of meet required, that might be a while! This thing could end up being HUGE, so if you want to cut back for dietary or economic reason, feel free! I cut out a lot of the ham, but I am always very wary of leaving out ANY cheese, so those were all in mine. It turned out great, so don’t hesitate to put your own magic touch on the thing.

Now, open VERY wide and enjoy!

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