Drain the brined ingredients. Roughly chop the cocktail onions, giardiniera mix, and banana peppers. Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside while preparing the rest of the sandwich. The longer it sits, the better!
For the New Orleans Muffuletta Sandwich:
Slice the loaf of bread in half to make a top and bottom for the sandwich. Hollow out some of the bread on the top half, so it won’t be too tall to fit in your mouth.
Drizzle some of the olive salad juice on the bottom half of the loaf. Layer the ham, provolone, salami, and swiss cheese on the sandwich.
Top the meats and cheeses with a generous portion of olive salad and add the bread top. Or live adventurously... Fill the hollowed-out bread top with salad, place the bottom half over it, and FLIP! Cut into pieces and serve.
Notes
I try to select a giardiniera mix that is prominently red peppers and cauliflower.Also, select a round Italian loaf of bread with a dense texture. Soft french loaves won't hold up to the weight of the filling.The olive salad will make twice as much as you need for one big sandwich. You can either make two sandwiches and serve more guests, or save the rest for later. It’s great as a green salad topper or with an antipasto platter. I just like to make a large batch, rather than have extra half-empty jars in the fridge!