Here is The New York Times’ take on a classic New Orleans sandwich, built between slices of light, airy sesame bread, and layered thick with olive salad and cold cuts. It is among the best picnic sandwiches on the planet.

Muffuletta

Ingredients for the olive salad:
• 1 cup roughly chopped pitted green olives, preferably Bella di Cerignola
• 1 cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped peeled roasted red peppers
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup celery leaves, torn
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for assembly:
• 1 (8- to 9-inch round, 4-inch tall) loaf crusty Italian bread
• 4 ounces soppressata, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces provolone, sliced
• 4 ounces Italian deli ham, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces mortadella, thinly sliced
• 4 ounces sweet coppa (cured Italian pork), thinly sliced
• 4 ounces hard salami or bresaola, thinly sliced

Directions:
Make the olive salad by combining all ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside to marinate.

Assemble the muffuletta by slicing the loaf of bread horizontally into 2 large pieces, with the top piece 2/3 the size of the bottom piece. Hollow out the top piece by removing the soft bread inside, leaving 1/2 inch of bread near the crust. Spread half of the olive salad on the bottom piece. Begin layering the meats, starting with the soppressata and adding 1/4 of the provolone between each layer of meat except for the last.

Spread the remaining olive salad on the last layer of meat and top with the hollowed bread. Press down lightly and let sit at least 10 minutes. To serve, slice into 6 or 8 wedges. It will keep for several hours in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic.

Total time: 30 minutes, serves 6-8.

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