Is it muffuletta or muffaletta? Seriously not sure. I tried to look it up on the interwebz. According the the Central Grocery website, who is apparently the creator of this delicious sandwich, it’s muffuletta, so yeah, that’s what I’m sticking with…

Ok, I know, this muffuletta pinwheel recipe should have been posted yesterday for Fat Tuesday, but you know, whatever, I didn’t feel like it! So you get it today instead! Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Typically, most people like to give up foods/drinks that they like to indulge in. I’ve been trying to think about what I will give up this year. I’m already about to put myself on a restrictive diet, so I’ve been trying to give up indulgent treats as a part of that! This year for Lent, I am going to give up being lazy. Ever since before the holidays, I have NOT been on a normal exercise schedule. I got so busy with school and then traveling, I let it go, and I NEED to get back to it!

Today I am bringing you all yet another delicious recipe from my friend, Amanda. Over the last few years, Amanda has spent a lot of time in New Orleans visiting her awesome boyfriend Brent, and she now has a handful of delicious New Orleans’ recipes up her sleeve! These muffuletta pinwheels are one of them. If you have never had a muffuletta, boy, you are missing out! Muffulettas are the official sandwich of New Orleans. They are made with delicious marinated olive salad (tapenade) and then layered with delicious meats like capicola, salami, pepperoni, ham, and of course, cheese! These little pinwheels are the appetizer version of this delicious sandwich and best of all, they are super easy to make!

Muffuletta Pinwheels

Makes 12-15 pinwheels

Ingredients for the sauce:

– 1 sheet puff pastry dough

– 1/4 lb. salami

– 1/4 lb. sliced pepperoni

– 1/4 lb. capicola or ham

– 4-5 slices of provolone cheese

– 1/2 cup olive salad (store-bought or make your own).*

– 1 egg + 1 tbs. water (for egg wash)

Directions:

1. Remove puff pastry from freezer and allow for it to defrost for about 30 minutes before preparing the pinwheels. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.

2. Spread the puff pastry out on a lightly-floured surface. Spread the olive salad all over the puff pastry leaving a 1/2 inch border around the edge. Then overlap and layer the meats, followed by the cheese.

3. Take one end of the dough and start rolling the dough like a jelly roll, keeping it nice and tight while you roll. If your dough gets too warm during this process, place the roll in the fridge for 10 minutes. Slice the roll into 1/2 inch-thick slices. Place each slice down on the baking sheet. Whisk the egg and water together and brush the egg wash mixture over the top of each piece. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown.


Notes:
– You can really use whatever variety of deli meats you want for this recipe. If you do not like one of the meats I listed above, then just use extra of one of the others. I would just plan to have about 3/4 lb. of meat.

– If you do not want to use puff pastry, tortillas would also work great here and you could skip the baking process!
– As for the olive salad, you can buy this at your grocery store near the pickle and olive section, or you can make your own. There are tons of recipes out there aside from the one I posted above!
– Depending on how chunky your olive salad is, you may need more or less in order to get a good amount evenly spread on your dough.