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Make the Olive Salad at least 1 day in advance.
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Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or up to 2 weeks in advance.
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Remove from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
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4
(Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.)
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5
Make the Basil Spread.
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In the bowl of a food processor or blender, place the garlic and basil and process on high while adding the olive oil in a steady stream.
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Continue to process until well blended.
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Season with salt, to taste, and set aside until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
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(The basil spread can be made up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, with a thin film of oil over the top to prevent discoloration.
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Allow to come to room temperature before using.)
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Light the grill or preheat the broiler.
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If using the broiler, arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer on 2 lightly greased or nonstick baking sheets.
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Lightly brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the olive oil.
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Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
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Grill or broil in batches, until the slices are tender, lightly browned, and have released most of their moisture, about 10 minutes total.
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(If you do this on nonstick baking sheets, the slices should brown on both sides without needing to be turned.)
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Remove from the oven and keep warm until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
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When you are ready to assemble the sandwiches, slice the bread in half horizontally and spread the bottom half with some of the Basil Spread.
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Reserve any leftover spread for another use.
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Divide the eggplant slices evenly among the bottom halves of the sandwiches and top each sandwich with half of the sliced provolone and half of the sliced mozzarella.
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Finally, top each sandwich with about 1 cup of the Olive Salad, and then place the top of the bread on top.
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Press lightly, cut each sandwich into quarters, and serve.
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1 quart large pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and slightly crushed
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1 1/2 cups large Greek black olives, drained and pitted
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1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
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1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
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1 cup pickled cauliflower, drained
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1/4 bunch celery, sliced diagonally
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2 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced diagonally
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1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained and left whole
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1/3 cup cocktail onions, drained
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1/4 cup small capers, drained
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6 cloves garlic, minced
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1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
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1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
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1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
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Combine all ingredients in a large non-reactive bowl and mix well.
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Place in a non-reactive jar (preferably glass) and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.
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The salad should be made at least 24 hours before using and only improves with age; it can keep for up to 2 months in the refrigerator.
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*Cook's Note: Muffulettas are traditionally made on special round, seeded Italian breads made specifically for this purpose.
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The breads are rustic in texture and not too thick (about 2 to 2 1/2 inches high).
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If you cannot find a similar type of bread, you could either use a seeded Italian baguette cut into 6-inch lengths for 1 person (in which case you would need 4 of these portions for this recipe), or you could partially hollow out 2 thick round Italian breads or cut portions out of the middle to make the breads less thick.
