Muffaletta Sandwich

1 10- inch loaf of round Italian bread use Muffaletta bread if you can obtain it, but Italian is great

½ pound sliced capicola or use deli ham, or both!

½ pound sliced mortadella

½ pound sliced salami

½ pound sliced provolone cheese

Instructions:

FOR THE OLIVE TAPENADE MIXTURE:

Mix together the olives, giardiniera, roasted red peppers, shallot, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil and oregano in large bowl.

ASSEMBLE THE MUFFALETTA:

Slice the loaf of bread in half lengthwise and scoop out part of the interior to make room for the olive-pepper salad. Save the scooped out bread for another use if you’d like.

Lay the bread slices down with the insides facing up. Spread the olive tapenade mixture evenly over the bread slices.

Layer the bottom slice with capicola, mortadella, salami and provolone cheese. Top with the other half of bread.

Wrap the entire muffaletta sandwich with plastic wrap and set a pan or other weight over the top of the sandwich to lightly press it down. This will let the bread soak up some of the tapenade juices and build a lot of flavor. Set aside for 1 hour. Unwrap the sandwich, slice it into 8 triangular pieces and serve.