Turn Muffuletta Sandwiches Into Bite-Sized Snacks Using Puff Pastry

Sesame-crusted bread piled high with cold cuts like salami, slices of cheese, and chopped olive salad makes up the delicacy known as the muffuletta sandwich. It's a common sandwich to order in New Orleans, and your local deli might have its own version on the menu. It's a delicious sandwich, but why not wrap those flavorful ingredients in puff pastry to create pinwheels? Doing so turns the sandwich into an exciting starter to serve guests at your next party with the rest of your appetizer spread.

For some cooking inspiration, check out Tasting Table's puffed pastry muffuletta pinwheels from recipe developer Jessica Morone. "This would be great for a party or a potluck, especially because the recipe does make a lot," says Morone. In addition to the recipe making 24 servings, it also turns foods that already make it to many party snack spreads (like olives and cold cuts) into bite-sited pinwheels — no utensils required. To make your hosting duties easier, you can pull a lot of this together in advance, then bake when it's almost party time.

The olive salad is arguably the most important ingredient to pull the cheese and cold cuts together with tang and crunch. In Tasting Table's recipe, Morone makes a homemade version with giardiniera, olives, pepperoncini, capers, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. To switch it up, swap the vinegar with lemon juice for the acidity or add fresh garlic. Homemade is usually best, but you can buy the premade mixture at the grocery store or your local Italian market to make it easier. You'll find it in a jar labeled olive salad, Italian olive salad, or muffuletta sandwich spread — likely in the same aisle as the olives.

After the olive salad is spread onto the puff pastry with the cheese slices and cold cuts, Morone brushes each slice with egg wash to achieve a golden brown crunch. When they come out of the oven, you can finish them off with a garnish of parsley. Alternatively, you could add sesame seeds to the pinwheels to make them more like the bread the original sandwich is served on. To complete the dish, pair it with a dipping sauce like Dijon or yellow mustard, horseradish sauce, or olive oil mixed with vinegar and dried herbs.