Well, our dinner party has come and gone. Whew!
I should explain that we belong to a “gourmet” dinner group where each couple hosts a dinner once a year. There are 5 couples–I think I said earlier that there were 4 (oops).
Anyhow, we have been doing this since 1995. The dinner is based on a country or theme, and we chose Mardi Gras this year. One of the appetizers that we made was the classic Muffaletta sandwich.
The thing that sets this little delicacy apart from a regular sandwich is the olive salad. Oh, my… if you like olives… this will knock your socks off…
- 2 cans sliced black olives
- 2 cans sliced green olives
- 2 cans sliced Calamatta olives
- 1 small jar capers
- 3 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 Tbsp green onions, sliced
- 1 Tbsp oregano
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/4 cup roasted red peppers (instructions to follow)
- Enough olive oil to moisten and meld the salad (about 1/2 cup), but use your judgement.
- Drain, and chop the black, green, and Calamatta olives.
- Combine with the rest of the ingredients.
- Let sit in refrigerator for at least 24 hours.
- 24 mini Italian sliders
- Genoa salami, thin slices
- Deli ham slices
- Swiss cheese slices
- Provolone cheese slices
- Cut sliders in half.
- Place 2 Tbsp olive salad on bottom half.
- Add 1 - 2 slices Genoa salami.
- Add one slice Swiss cheese.
- Add 1 slice deli ham.
- Add 1 slice Provolone cheese.
- Add 1 slice Genoa salami.
- Top with 1-2 Tbsp of olive salad.
- Place on baking sheet and cover loosely with foil. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 15 minutes until cheese begins to melt.
Serve some of that yummy olive salad on the side!
So, our dinner party was a success once again.
The big news is, that after all these years, we are going to reduce the frequency of the dinners to twice a year. We are all getting (older) and most of us are travelling a fair bit so it’s hard to set a date.
That means we don’t have to host again until 2016. What a relief.
Inspiration Gallery at Craftberry Bush, Friday Flair Linky Party at Whipperberry
Barb,
They look and sound fantastic!
Barb, make a photo cookbook – The Yearly Dinner.
all that wonderful content …great food recipies
… fab photographs…
plus the stories behind each years theme… Priceless :)
Cheers,
Sue
I never acquired a taste for olives but Trev loves them. I always thought a dinner group would be so much fun ~ love the theme.
Oh I love olives and this sounds just really tasty. Thanks for sharing the recipe, but I would have enjoyed sharing the meal with you. I belonged to a dinner group one time and so enjoyed it. (but have to admit it is alot of work in preparation)
Love the idea of your dinner group & LOVE olives ~ your olive salad sounds amazing!
Have a great weekend Barb.
I love muffalettas! The olive spread that goes on top of it is so delicious! It would be great as a Memorial Weekend picnic food!
LOVE muffalettas! Yours looks absolutely delicious. They are such a good party food since they get better after the olive mixture has a chance to marinate into the bread. I’ve always wanted to be in a supper club. How nice that yours has been getting together for such a long time!