I hosted my Gourmet Dinner Club (GDC) group in March and chose a Louisiana theme as our dinner fell during the week of Mardi Gras. Ed and I had such a great culinary adventure when we visited New Orleans in 2017 that any excuse to cook up some of their tasty cuisine is good with me.
That night, my friend, Kerry I, was a guest at GDC. She sent me a handful of recipes to review in advance to ensure that they were all safely gluten-free (yes, she’s that conscientious). All looked good but I was secretly hoping she’d make this one and she did. It was so good that I ate too much of it (and Bryn S’s yummy shrimp, mushroom and grits) during appetizers and barley had enough room for the main course that night.
Later in March I hosted my Bunco group and knew that this was the perfect time for me to make Kerry’s recipe and test it out on a crowd. I’m pleased to report that it received an equally glowing report – people couldn’t get enough of it. So instead of holding onto this recipe until next spring, I thought it best to share it with a larger group now.
Muffuletta is both the name for a Sicilian bread and the sandwich made using this bread by Italian immigrants in New Orleans. It’s typically made with Italian meats (salami, ham and mortadella) plus cheeses and an olive salad consisting of olives, celery, carrots and cauliflower. The celery, carrots and cauliflower come from an Italian relish called giardiniera. Look for this in the same section of your story where you’ll find jarred pickles and roasted peppers. If there are pickles in the version you find, don’t use them but do feel free to use any pimento peppers. All the good things in this sandwich make it into the dip minus the bread.
It’s just the right combination of savory, salty and acid to make for a great dip.
| Muffuletta Dip | Print |
- 6 ounces pitted green olives, drained
- 1 cup roasted red peppers
- 1 cup giardiniera (celery, carrots, peppers and cauliflower only), drained
- 2 garlic cloves
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 5 ounces Genoa salami, cut into small cubes
- 8 ounces shredded Italian cheese blend (Provolone and Mozzarella)
- Serve with crackers or sliced bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray 9-inch square baking dish with oil.
- Place olives, roasted red peppers and giardiniera (discard pickles if there are any) and garlic cloves in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until finely chopped.
- Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Using a fork, mix in softened cream cheese, salami and shredded cheese mixture.
- Spread mixture into prepared dish. Refrigerate until ready to bake – recipe can be made a day in advance.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Serve with crackers or sliced bread.
Source: Variation of a recipe from Grits and Pinecones
I am definitely making this one! Thanks fir sharing, Nicole.
Laura – Excellent! This dip is so good!