Couscous Muffaletta Salad

The muffaletta sandwich is a fabulous sandwich from New Orleans. It's made on big loaves of bread, with meats and cheese and an astoundingly good "olive salad", which is olives and picked vegetables that are chopped fine, mixed with oil and vinegar and spices and then spread right on the sandwich. This olive salad is also great with bread and melted cheese... on pizza... on baked potatoes... on broiled fish... yeah, it goes with everything.


Anyhow, this recipe translates the fabulousness of the muffaletta sandwich to a cold salad via couscous. The texture is a nice mix of starch, cheese, meat, and crunchy tangy vegetables. Perfect for a nice summer pot-luck picnic or barbecue.

You need:

• 1/4 pound genoa salami (substitutes: any Italian-style salami)


• 1/4 pound prosciutto (substitutes: any raw cured ham; black forest ham)


• 1/4 pound mortadella


• 1/4 pound provolone cheese (substitutes: havarti, mozzarella)


• 1 cup stuffed manzanilla olives (substitutes: any green, pitted olives)


• 1 cup Italian mixed pickled vegetables ("garden mix")


• 2 cups dry couscous


• 1 tsp salt


• 1/4 cup olive oil


• 1 tbsp oregano


• 1 tsp garlic powder


• 3 tbsp white vinegar (or, for a little more zing, use some brine from the pickled vegetables or olives

Do these things:

1. Add salt and 2 cups boiling water to couscous
. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with fork. Transfer to large mixing bowl; allow to cool during steps 2 - 3.

2. Dice meats and cheese (1/4" pieces).


3. Drain and chop the olives and mixed vegetables into irregular small pieces (approx 1/4").


4. Mix chopped meats, cheese, vegetables, and spices into couscous.


5. Drizzle oil and vinegar over couscous while simultaneously mixing them in.


6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve cold -- best left overnight to let the flavours marry a little.