Basic Pantry Staples ed. 15

Edition 15-Olives

Okay, so olives (black or green, or other) are great items to keep on your shelf. For one thing, if you are stuck with a potluck or food day and you have no idea what to bring, you could throw together a quick relish tray with what you have on hand in your cabinet. For another, they're great to put into a dish during the holidays (just remember to reserve some of the juice in the jar (stick it back in the fridge) or into a tupperware container in case the goodies are not all eaten during your party-then they won't dry out. You can also use them to garnish a dish, or a deviled egg. A few years ago I made several kinds of cheese ball and made into 3 balls like a snowman and used olive slices for the eyes and the "back slice" of the olive that looks like an X for buttons, a little carrot for a nose. I didnt manage to make arms but you could use pretzel rods or breadstick pieces for limbs.


Ed.15 Recipe
Muffaletta Subs

6 sub rolls (or large garlic or french bread loaf)
1 lb shaved ham
1 lb shaved salami
1 lb american, provolone or swiss cheese, shaved
1 C black olives, drained*
1 C green olives, drained
1 jar artichoke hearts in oil (6 oz) ***
1/2 T garlic salt **
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 T capers, drained (optional)

Chop the black and green olives and artichoke hearts in a food processor. Add the garlic salt, mayonnaise, and capers and process the spread until smooth. Split sub rolls; spread mixture on top and bottom of each roll. Evenly layer meats and cheese on rolls. Wrap each roll in aluminum foil and heat in a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Serves six.

* I end up using a small pre-sliced can of black olives because I like the flavor of green olives better. ** I use garlic powder because the olives are already salty enough. *** note these are artichoke hearts, not aardvark hearts, like my brother thought, yup he was like 25 at least.

You can use any lunchmeat and cheese combination you like. YOU MUST LIKE OLIVES TO MAKE THIS DISH. The flavor of the olives really goes through everything. We end up using any combination of turkey, ham, pastrami (so good) and roast beef, and usually swiss or provolone cheese. Watch out for pits in the olives. We found the artichoke hearts in the special section above olives and pickles, and it was already chopped up with garlic in a spread. This is a traditional "New Orleans" - N'awlins dish you could easily make during Mardi Gras or to warm up the house in the winter time.