Oh, wait… you’ve been wondering that, too, haven’t you?
Sorry for the abundance of radio silence lately, folks. Just when I thought life couldn’t get much more hectic… it did. The next 30-60 days are going to be positively insane. But, all for a good reason! We’ll be packing up and relocating to the Midwest!
We’re excited for the change of scenery, the change of pace, the change of jobs… leaving us generally excited even if we’re also positively overwhelmed with all that needs to be done between now and then (and we’re still not even sure when “then” is!).
Of course, along with an interstate move comes the need to begin clearing out all of the perishable items from the kitchen. There’s a fridge and freezer full of goods that just can’t make the trip with us. And so begins some really creative cooking! Stay tuned for other crazy and creative concoctions focused primarily on clearing out what’s already lingering in our kitchen without having to buy too many additional items to clutter up a kitchen that we’re supposed to be cleaning out.
So… here’s how it starts. There’s one lonely ball of pizza dough in the freezer. There’s a stray jar of giardiniera in the pantry. And there’s a half-used jar of pepperoncini in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but this screams muffaletta pizza to me! Throw in some green olives from my husband’s eternal refrigerator stash and cheese and deli meats that can be used later in the week for sandwiches and we’ve got what I call a winning combination! (By the way, I encourage you to take all sort of liberties with this one… use as much or as little of each of the elements as makes you happy and… if you’re unable to find some of the meats in your local grocery store, switch it up with regular salami, ham, or canadian bacon.)
Muffaletta Pizza
pizza dough (either homemade or storebought - pre-cooked should work fine, too)
2 cloves garlic
1 16 ounce jar giardiniera, drained
1/2 cup green olives, drained
1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained
6-8 slices capocollo ham
6-8 slices sopressata
6-8 slices provolone cheese
1/3 small red onion
olive oil
Place a pizza stone in your cold oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F or according to your favorite recipe/package directions.
While the oven preheats, finely mince the garlic. Coarsely chop the giardiniera, olives, and pepperoncini. Thinly slice the onion and separate into rings. Set it all aside.
If using fresh pizza dough…when oven and pizza stone have pre-heated, press out dough, sprinkle stone lightly with cornmeal and slide on pizza dough. Cook for 5-6 minutes until crust is mostly cooked. Remove from oven.
If using pre-cooked dough… proceed directly to next step.
Drizzle crust with olive oil. Layer on garlic, meats, giardiniera, olives, pepperoncini, and red onion. Cover with provolone slices.
Return pizza to oven to cook until cheese is melted, bubbly and brown - another 7 or so minutes.
14 responses so far ↓
Judith // May 10, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Ooh, how exciting! I did an on-the-interstate move in a rental car to the Midwest this time last year (actually, tomorrow will be exactly a year) from North Carolina to Iowa. My favourite part was buying a bunch of new, matching kitchen stuff. Welcome (in advance) to the region!
Gretchen Noelle // May 10, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Too funny, I had just thought this morning it had been ages since I remembered a post from you! Good luck on the upcoming move!
Kate // May 10, 2008 at 3:29 pm
We ate really strange food when we were cleaning out our fridge/pantry last month - but I don’t think anything we ate was as fantastic looking as this!
RecipeGirl // May 10, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Sounds positively exciting! The pizza sounds good too. I was just thinking that I needed to go through my freezer and make a list before we head off on vacation this summer.
Good luck w/ the move!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) // May 10, 2008 at 8:43 pm
What a fun idea for a pizza! And the move will be fun, too — after it’s all over. We did an interstate move many years ago, and I have vivid memories of driving from New Jersey to Boston with an oversized ficus plant hanging out the window!
Deb // May 11, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Congrats on the move! How exciting and I look forward to hearing and seeing where you are locating! 10 years ago I relocated from Ohio to Key West. Lots of work, buy oh so fun!
I love pizza’s made that way with whatever is in the fridge. They can become very creative and your sounds and looks very successful!
nina // May 12, 2008 at 2:28 am
Holy crumbs, this is a new name for a pizza for me, but it sure looks good.!(even at 8 in the morning)
Susan from Food Blogga // May 12, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Muffaletta pizza should be just the trick to calm any jitters about moving. Best of luck to you!
farida // May 13, 2008 at 12:47 am
Kitchen cleanout is one of my favorite things to do
It is a great way to use things that have been sitting there unused for ages. for me, sometimes the resulting food is good sometimes aweful 
Your pizza looks great!
Dana // May 13, 2008 at 9:39 am
Ah, yes, I remember cleaning out the refrigerator when I moved last year — and I was only moving 10 minutes away! Such the process. Best of luck with the move! I love mufalettas, so this is right up my alley.
Aran // May 14, 2008 at 1:27 pm
I have been seeing a lot of thin crust pizzas around… it must be Spring? It makes me want to make some on my outdoor grill.. and muffaletta…? Nope, I’m not vegetarian today!
grace // May 16, 2008 at 4:47 am
i’ve never had a genuine muffaletta sandwich, and after eating in pizza form, i probably won’t need to! yes, they’re neat-looking, but this is downright gorgeous! nice cleanout, and good luck with your moving preparations!
Susan at StickyGooeyCreamyChewy // May 17, 2008 at 11:34 pm
This sounds like a great (and tasty) way to clean out the kitchen! Good luck with all of the moving details. It sounds exciting!
Aparna // May 20, 2008 at 7:36 am
We are just settling in after a move, so I know what you are talking about. Good luck and you will need it.
So many things to get done and then all the unpacking when you get there. But look on it as adventure and you’ll have lots of fun.
Take care.
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