Italian Olive Salad

Italian olive salad is one of the indispensable ingredients of muffuletta, which is among the most popular sandwiches originated from New Orleans. This salad with an Italian flavor is one of the important reasons for the distinct taste of the above said sandwich. Other than its use in muffuletta, this salad is also perfect with pepperoni, salads, pasta, panini or as a pizza topping. Due to the immense popularity of this salad, there are various brands of ready-made Italian olive salad, available in the market and even salad mix are readily available. Even though, you can use store-bought olive salad, homemade ones are always preferred. You can easily prepare it at home, if you know the right method.

Italian Olive Salad Recipe

In general, it can be said that this salad is a blend of olives, vegetables, herbs, spices and olive oil. At least two types of olives - black and green, are used in this salad. Other ingredients include carrots, capers, cauliflower, celery, garlic cloves, oregano, baby corn and pimento. The following is one of the basic recipes for preparing this salad. As per this recipe, you can make around one gallon of this salad.

Ingredients

• Pimento stuffed green olives (large size) - I gallon
• Large black olives (pitted) - 1 pound
• Giardiniera - 1 pound
• Pepperoncini (left whole) - 1 jar
• Capers - 2 small jars
• Celery seeds - 1 small jar
• Pickled baby corn - 1 pound
• Oregano - 1 small jar
• Pickled cauliflower - 1 quart jar
• Cocktail onions - 1 jar
• Fresh garlic - 1 large head
• Carrots (large) - 4
• Celery stalk - 1
• Freshly ground black pepper - 1 teaspoon
• Olive oil - as required

How to Prepare

Once you are ready with all the required ingredients, start with draining the green olives, pickled carrots, capers, giardiniera, cocktail onions and baby corn. The next step is to chop the olives, cauliflower, celery, baby corn and carrots. Peel and mince the garlic. Take a large bowl and combine all the ingredients and fill them in a clean and sterilized jar. The next step is to add enough olive oil (around half cup) to coat the ingredients. Some people use equal amounts of olive oil and vinegar, especially, red wine vinegar. After adding olive oil, secure the jar tightly and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours before serving. This Italian olive salad can be served after a few hours of refrigeration, but, a longer period of refrigeration is always preferred. You can also add grated cheese or lettuce slices to this salad, just before serving.

The above said is one of the simplest and easiest Italian recipes to prepare this salad. However, you may also add many other ingredients in the recipe like marinated artichokes, basil, thyme and pepper flakes. If you do not like pimentos, then, replace it with chopped red or green bell pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.