Muffuletta Pizza

The first time I ever had that classic New Orleans sandwich, the muffuletta, I was working as a cashier at Sunshine Grocery in Nashville. The store had a wonderful deli that offered all kinds of sandwiches and other lunch possibilities. We were allowed, for our lunch, to choose any cold foods in the store, including any pre-made sandwiches from the deli. During the summer, one of my favorite lunches was fruit, bread, and brie cheese. However, one day, I sampled a muffuletta (ours were all vegetarian) and loved it! I've been a fan of the sandwich ever since.

When my sweetie got home from work yesterday, she'd not really eaten lunch. I told her that "I had a cookie" doesn't count. So, in honor of our honeymoon in New Orleans coming up, I whipped up a muffuletta pizza. With a green salad and some fresh fruit (we've been pretty partial to melon this summer), it's a simple & yummy meal. If you're vegetarian, you can just leave out the meats---and maybe add some extra olives! And if you have olive haters, well, perhaps make one for them with just the cheese & meats.

Muffuletta Pizza

1/2 c. finely chopped celery    

1/4 c. chopped Castelvetrano olives (you can use regular green olives, as well)

1/4 c. capers

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 oz. diced ham

3 oz. diced salami

2 c. mozzarella

Pre-baked pizza crust (I used a thin crust this time)

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix everything but the crust together. Spread on the crust and bake 13-15 minutes. Serves 4-6.