Muffuletta Pizza

I'm challenging myself to cook New Orleans (N'awlins) style dishes that I love.  I grew up in Cajun land, Louisiana about an hour away but never really learned to prepare many of the specialty meals that my hometown region is known for.  That ends now! 

One of my favorite things to eat in New Orleans is a Muffuletta sandwich.  Most people hear of the famous shop, Central Grocery, located in the French Quarter where these gigantic sandwiches are sold most often.  Now the neighboring grocery markets and restaurants carry their own signature stamp to this recipe too. 

I decided to try a twist on the muffuletta and make it into a pizza instead, especially since I didn't have the right bread to make the sandwich.  I loved it!  So did my family visitors who joined me for dinner over the weekend.  We all couldn't get enough of this olive salad inspired meal! 


Mandy's Muffuletta Pizza
(Makes Two Pizzas)

(Important Note:  This requires a day of marinating.  Therefore you'll need to prepare your olive salad one day prior to serving the pizza.)


For the olive salad (made the day before):

1 cup of chopped green olives with pimientoes
1 cup of choped black olives (Calamatas)
1/2 cup of roasted sweet red peppers, diced
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of chopped pepperonci 
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar (I used rice vinegar since that's what I had on hand)
2 tsp of dry Italian seasoning mix (or use half an envelope mix)





For the pizza: 2 thin and crispy pizza crusts (or use 6 mini pizza crusts like I did)
5-6 slices of salami, cut or torn into pieces
5-6 slices of ham, cut or torn into pieces
5-6 slices of pastrami, cut or torn into pieces
5-6 slices of provolone cheese, cut or torn into pieces
1/2 cup of reduced fat shredded cheese variety, such as mozzarella or cheddar


Mix all the ingredients of the olive salad in a bowl.  If you used the jar olives and marinades like I did, then drain some of the excess oil from them before mixing.  Place olive salad in a storage container and put into the fridge overnight. 






The next day, place your thin and crispy pizza crust on a baking pan that has been lightly greased with cooking spray.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, place the olive salad that has been marinating overnight.  Stir.  Add in the cut up (or torn) pieces of ham, salami, pastrami and provolone cheese.  Mix well so that the marinade covers the meat and cheese.  Spoon the muffuletta mixture over your pizza crust.  Top with the 1/2 cup of shredded cheese of your choice, sprinkling it all over.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pizza is lightly browned around the edges of the crust.





Cut each pizza into 6 or 8 slices.  Enjoy! 

Note:  Although I didn't have enough left over to freeze, I believe that you can take any leftovers from this pizza and freeze it for a later time.  You may need to drizzle a bit more olive oil on it when reheating in the oven though.


What is your favorite New Orleans inspired meal?  I'm looking for more recipes to try in the future.  Any ideas for me?

My "Big Easy" Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I grew up an hour from New Orleans for the first eighteen years of my life.  Later, after college, I worked right in the heart of downtown NOLA and lived in the suburbs for three years. 

When you live near the "Big Easy," you pick up a few things about its culture.  Known best for its food, music and fun, the city is one of a kind.  Like the nickname suggests, in New Orleans typically everything is slower, simpler and easy-going. 

That's not the case, however for a busy mom or parent dealing with young children.  We don't always have time to cook and slave all day in the kitchen making a roux from scratch.  Moms like me can't just hop on the street car to head downtown for jazz music and second line dancing.  But I can play my Mardi Gras music and boogie down on my dirty floors while I make a "cheater" roux and let my slow cooker do the rest of the work for me.

Dat's right!  You heard me!  I made myself a cheater version of the good stuff! 



Here is my "Big Easy" (meaning "easy" for no-hassle) gumbo recipe:





Mandy's "Big Easy" Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
(Serves 8 to 10)

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
1 pound (14 oz or two links) of precooked turkey sausage, chopped into small pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of Instant Roux
3 cups of cool water
3 cups of chicken broth
1 can (10 oz) of tomato soup
1 can (10 oz) of diced tomatoes and green chilies (such as Rotel)
1/2 tbsp crushed bay leaves
1/2 tbsp thyme
1/2 tbsp oregano
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp Cajun seasoning (salt mixture)


(Cook's Note: For this recipe, you will need a large stove pot and a slow cooker.)

Generously grease a large pot with cooking spray.  Throw in your chopped onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic.  Sautee on medium high for about seven minutes or until veggies are soft and lightly browned.  Add in two cups of cool water and 1 cup of the instant roux mix.  Stir swiftly with a wooden spoon or whisk making sure all of the "roux" is dissolved and no longer lumpy.  Continue cooking on medium high for about fifteen minutes until the roux thickens, darkens and blends with the veggies.  Don't be afraid if it looks really dark, like this:




It looks like a scary dark color here but it will lighten up in color once you add the tomatoes, broth and other seasonings.  Don't worry!  Continue stirring it on occasion throughout that fifteen minutes, adding water if you need to so it doesn't stick to the pot.

While your roux is cooking and you're not stirring, chop up your chicken and sausage into small pieces.  Then place them into the bottom of a slow cooker.  Sprinkle your Cajun seasoning over the chicken and sausage pieces.  Once your roux has simmered for its course, add it to the slow cooker, on top of the meat. 

Pour in your chicken broth and additional 1 cup of water.  Add the tomato soup, diced tomatoes with chilies, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, garlic and onion powders.  Mix well.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.  (Yesterday I cooked mine on high for two hours and low for two hours and it came out great!)





Check the consistency in case you need to thicken or liquify it more.  Taste it to see if has enough seasoning or spices for your family.  My husband called this recipe "very flavorful and full of spices without being too spicey."  I call that a perfect blend!  :-)

Serve hot over cooked rice in bowls.  Freeze any leftovers in heavy plastic containers for up to four months.  For best results, reheat on stove in a large pot, adding water if needed. 


(Cook's Note: A gumbo is a great mix of whatever you want to throw in it.  You start with that "roux" and then start placing different things in it.  I didn't have any seafood in my freezer so I went with chicken and sausage.  Try mixing it up and blending different flavors in your gumbo.  Let me know how it turns out! )