Recipe

Vegetable Muffuletta

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Photo by Anitalectric

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Fair Food
Chef
Anitalectric's Notes: I lived in New Orleans for one year. One memory I will never forget is a huge muffuletta perched atop a deli counter in an open-air market. It was the biggest, most glorious sandwich I had...
I lived in New Orleans for one year. One memory I will never forget is a huge muffuletta perched atop a deli counter in an open-air market. It was the biggest, most glorious sandwich I had ever seen!

The traditional version comes layered with meat and cheese and an olive salad. As a vegan, the third of those is the only one I’m interested in. I love olives and am always looking for dishes that feature them. So I decided to focus on that. The result is what I served at my Smorgasburg booth a few weeks ago, where I do something different every week. This one was, by far, the most visually stunning. It prompted an amazing response. I made ten of them, and by the end of the market, only had one left for me and my husband to take home and share for the week!

The special thing about this recipe is that it evolved with a lot of help from food52. I posted a question on foodpickle and an answer from Sam1148 inspired the addition of artichokes to the olive salad, and the trick of adding bread to the remoulade to help hold the sandwich together. Both of Sam’s tricks worked brilliantly and demonstrate how useful foodpickle is not just to home chefs in distress, but to chefs looking for inspiration in moving an existing recipe forward. Thank you, Sam1148!

This dish travels well, so it is great for summer picnics.

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Serves 8

Vegetable Muffuletta Sandwich:

1 12" round loaf of bread, or two 8" round loaves (Italian, sourdough, whole wheat, etc.) Ask a question about this ingredient

2 pounds mushrooms, sliced Ask a question about this ingredient

2 carrots, cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler Ask a question about this ingredient

8 ounces spinach leaves, rinsed and dried Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup pitted green olives, chopped fine Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup pitted black olives, chopped fine Ask a question about this ingredient

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped fine Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup parsley, chopped fine Ask a question about this ingredient

3 tablespoons thyme, chopped fine Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons oregano, chopped fine Ask a question about this ingredient

1 lemon, juice and zest Ask a question about this ingredient

salt and pepper, to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

celery root remoulade (recipe below) Ask a question about this ingredient

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Toss the mushrooms with ¼ cup of the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast for 15-20 minutes until tender and browned around the edges.
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To make the olive salad, combine the olives, artichokes, parsley, herbs, lemon & remaining olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Cut a circle into the top of the bread about 1” in from the sides. Use the knife to cut underneath it and pry it off in one piece. (Like cutting lid into a jack-o-lantern). Scoop out the bread, leaving about 1” layer on the bottom and sides. Tear two cups of the bread into small pieces. Save the rest for another use, such as making breadcrumbs.
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Add all the olive salad to the scooped out bread, and press down on it to form an even layer. Repeat with the carrots, spinach, mushrooms and remoulade. By the time you add the remoulade, the toppings should be piled pretty high. Replace the lid of the bread and squish downward to make everything fit. Wrap the loaf tightly in a few layers of plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
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Serve sliced into wedges, chilled or at room temperature.
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Celery Root Remoulade:

1 cup mayonnaise (or vegenaise) Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup celery root, shredded Ask a question about this ingredient

3 stalks celery, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

3 green onions, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup prepared mustard Ask a question about this ingredient

3 cloves garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons paprika Ask a question about this ingredient

1 tablespoon prepared horseradish Ask a question about this ingredient

salt and pepper to taste Ask a question about this ingredient

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the bread pieces reserved from part 1 and toss to coat.
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7 Comments on Vegetable Muffuletta

Anita is a vegan pastry chef & founder of Electric Blue Baking Co. in Brooklyn.

added 9 months ago

Thanks for the comments! It was a lot of fun to make, and I hope that people will have fun with the recipe and put their own twist on the fillings.

Navegante added 9 months ago

Very creative! Never thought a vegan muffuletta was possible or that it would look so delicious!!! Great recipe.

hardlikearmour added 9 months ago

This looks amazing. Your remoulade is pure genius.

sdebrango added 9 months ago

Great sandwich! muffaletta is delicious and I do love this no meat version.

SKK added 9 months ago

Love this!

aargersi added 9 months ago

I love muffaletta too and this sounds like a terrific version - and one that won't weigh you don like the meat and cheese kind does (delicious, but heavy, you know?)