Jamie Oliver's Muffaletta

This recipe was sent to me from a friend in Florida...its part of Jamie's food revolution - his quest to get American children to eat healthy food - good luck with that!
As Jamie says "Every child in America has the right to fresh, nutritious food. A diet of processed food is undermining the nation's health and essential cooking skills are being lost. Jamie's Food Revolution is working through the charity America Gives Back to help change the way America eats and ensure the health of future generations."

Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

MUFFALETTA

1 head of celery

1/2 a jar of  Cured Pitted Olives, drained

2 jars  artichoke hearts, drained

1/2 a jar of roasted sweet red pepper strips, drained

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large muffaletta loaf or piece of plain focaccia (approximately 8 inches by 12 inches)

good-quality extra virgin olive oil

2 large ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced

a small bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked

2 x 4 ounces balls of buffalo mozzarella

4 ounces Parma ham or prosciutto, the best quality you can afford

4 ounces smoked ham, the best quality you can afford, thinly sliced

4 ounces freshly grated provolone piccante cheese

4 ounces hot Neapolitan salami, the best quality you can afford

METHOD:

Snap off the outer sticks of the celery and put them back in the refrigerator for another time. Trim off the base, then pick off and discard any big green leaves. Pick off and reserve the paler, smaller leaves, and finely slice the pale tender core. Roughly chop the olives and place in a bowl with the celery, the artichokes and the peppers, then season with a little salt and pepper.

Slice the bread in half horizontally and open it out on your board. Drizzle with the best extra virgin olive oil you have. Spread the celery salad evenly on the bottom half, top with the sliced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, then tear the basil leaves over the top. Tear over the mozzarella, then layer up the sandwich with prosciutto, smoked ham, grated provolone cheese and salami. Put the top of the bread back on and press down firmly to squash all the fillings together. Chop into thick wedges and serve.

Get more info about Jamie's quest here:

Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/Jamie_Oliver Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/FoodRevolutionCommunity Website:http://www.jamiesfoodrevolution.com