This salad plays so nice with pizza
Get the sharp, rich flavours of muffuletta without the meat
At first glance, you’d think a muffuletta, that famous New Orleans sandwich piled with cold cuts and a spicy olive salad, simply isn’t for vegetarians.
At least not in its most traditional form.
And yet, even in the place that invented the sandwich, Central Grocery, you can order one without the meat.
For those of us whose favourite parts of a muffuletta are the olive salad and the soft sesame bread that gives the sandwich its name, it makes perfect sense. Without the bread?
Not the same thing, obviously. But this salad from Southern vegetarian authors Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks spoons the same sharp flavours — from marinated olives, vegetables and cheese — onto a bed of romaine lettuce.
It’s from their Low-Carb Vegetarian Cookbook (Rockridge Press, 2020), and when I made it for a small, socially distanced dinner party on my backyard terrace recently, it got devoured.
I know Burks and Lawrence wouldn’t mind because they’re two of the friendliest people in the business, but I added plenty of carbs back to the meal by serving the salad with pizza.
The combination was just perfect.
MUFFULETTA SALAD
3 cups (750 mL) pitted spicy mixed marinated olives (such as green, black and kalamata), drained 2 cups (500 mL) small cauliflower florets 2 large celery ribs 1 medium carrot, peeled 12 pickled pepperoncini, drained and stemmed 7-oz. (200-mL) jar roasted red peppers, drained and thinly sliced 3 medium Roma tomatoes, diced 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cubed provolone cheese 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup (250 mL) extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup (250 mL) white vinegar 1 tbsp. (15 mL) Creole mustard 2 tsp (10 mL) dried Italian seasoning blend 6 cups (1.5 L) chopped romaine lettuce
In the bowl of a food processor, using the slicer blade, slice the olives, cauliflower, celery, carrot and pepperoncini. (You can do this by hand if you don’t have a food processor.)
Transfer the sliced vegetables to a 3-quart non-reactive container.
Add the red peppers, tomatoes, cheese, garlic, oil, vinegar, mustard and Italian seasoning.
Toss well to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the mixture marinate. (It’s best to make it at least 1 day before serving so the flavours meld.)
To serve, use a slotted spoon to scoop the marinated vegetables and some of the marinade onto the romaine.
Serves: 8 Make Ahead: The salad, before serving on the romaine, needs to marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Storage Notes: The marinated vegetables can be refrigerated — separate from the lettuce — for up to 4 days before serving. Leftovers that include the lettuce will get soggy.