Living It Up in Louisiana

Our Staycation continues and brings us to a state close to home.  Louisiana is a state with many claims to fame.  It is the biggest producer of crawfish in the world, supplying approximately 91% - pretty impressive!  It is also home to the city of New Orleans and Mardi Gras - a fun place to look forward to visiting!  Louisiana is also known for its jazz, Cajun and Creole influence, and most importantly - it's food.

Louisiana has many food specialties which made it difficult to decide what to cook!  I would have loved to make beignets where chad would have liked pralines.  I would have liked to make a King Cake (including the baby) and Chad would have liked a Gumbo or Ettoufee.  We decided to go with a lunch that makes us both happy...

New Orleans Muffaletta:

1 jar giardiniera salad (sometimes known as olive salad) 
1 lb loaf Sourdough bread
4 ounces genoa salami, thinly sliced
4 ounces cooked ham, thinly sliced
4 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
4 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced

Start with a loaf of crusty Sourdough bread.

A day before serving- Cut the top off of the loaf.  Then, hollow out some of the excess bread to make room for the filling. 

Get out the giardiniera jar and a bowl.

Next, get out your immersion blender or a food processer.

Pour the salad in the bowl.

Chop well.

Here's what the texture should look like when you are finished.

Spread the giardiniera salad (including oil) on the top and bottom half of the bread.

Next, add the pepperoni,

Salami,

Ham,

Cheese.

Cover with the top half of the bread.

Tightly cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate overnight with a can or two on top; this allows the flavors to mingle and the salad to soak into the bread. 

To serve- cut into serving sizes; this sandwich is so fat you may need to put toothpicks in it to hold it together! It is extremely filling; a little bit goes a long way. Easily serves 8 hungry people.  We enjoyed ours on paper plates at the pool!


Spicy Cajun Boiled Peanuts:

3 lbs raw green peanuts, in shell
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce
3 jalapenos
water - enough to cover peanuts
Place peanuts, salt, hot sauce, and jalapenos in a 12-quart Dutch oven.

Cover with water and bring to a boil; decrease heat and simmer 2-3 hours or until tender.

Drain peanuts, and store in zip-lock plastic bags in refrigerator for up to a week.  Or, take the bag with you and devour in a matter of minutes!