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By Root 165 0

inside the bread, making sure to do both halves. You will have a little olive paste left over; set it aside for the vegetables. Start stacking the roasted vegetables inside the bottom half of the bread. I like to keep the colors together; it looks nicer when you cut it that way. Season each layer with salt and pepper. Alternate every third layer with mozzarella and then a little of the olive tapenade. Stack the vegetables in a slight pyramid formation so the top will fit. Continue layering the vegetables and cheese until the loaf is full and all the vegetables have been used. Cap the sandwich with the top half of the bread and press it slightly. Place the muffuletta on the center of a very big piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over the top to cover and then twist the ends really tight to compress the sandwich. When ready to eat, slice the sandwich like a pie with a serrated knife.

Clambake

2 hours

Beach clambakes are a blast. They make me think of Annette Funicello, who I still find very attractive. Anyway … Lobsters, clams, and corn all steamed in seaweed: For me, it’s the perfect summer party. Even if you can’t get to the beach, you can still pull off a great clambake in your own backyard. Be sure to ask your fish guy for some seaweed. Lobsters come in crates packed with this stuff, so he should be able to give you some. Parboil the lobsters to kill them first before putting them on the grill. Alternatively, you can just split the bodies down the middle to kill them and skip the boiling step.

Serves 4 to 8

4 lobsters

5 pounds seaweed

12 new potatoes

4 ears corn

2 kielbasa sausages, halved lengthwise

2 dozen littleneck clams

2 dozen oysters

Lemon wedges, for garnish

Melted butter, for dipping

Preheat your grill until it’s fairly hot. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Parboil the lobsters for just 3 minutes and then remove. To start the outdoor clambake, spread a thick layer of seaweed directly on the hot grill rack. The potatoes and corn go down first since they will take the longest to cook. Arrange the potatoes and corn on the seaweed in a single layer, then cover them with more seaweed. Put the lobsters on top, along with the kielbasa; cover with more seaweed. Spread the clams on top and cover with another layer of seaweed. Finally, set the oysters on the top, and blanket them with a thick layer of seaweed. As the seafood cooks, the juices will drip down and flavor the corn and potatoes. Cover the entire bake with a burlap bag that has been soaked in water; it traps in the seaweed steam and bakes the food. Cover the grill. Cook until the clams open and the lobsters are bright red, about 1 to 1½ hours. Keep a bucket of water handy and check the burlap periodically to make sure it stays wet. Serve with lemon wedges and melted butter.

Grilled Salmon

with Watermelon

and Black Olive Salad

1 hour

The black olive and watermelon are a perfect salty-sweet yin-yang that goes great with the grilled salmon. This is a very crisp, refreshing dish for a summer cookout—like a cool drink of water. This vinaigrette is good on almost anything, so save any that is left over and use it within the week.

Serves 4 * Makes 1 cup vinaigrette

Salad

4 cups cubed seedless watermelon

½ cup kalamata olives, pitted

½ red onion, sliced thin

1 large bunch arugula, trimmed

Vinaigrette

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon cumin seed

½ teaspoon fennel seed

1 teaspoon sugar

¼ cup sherry vinegar

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salmon

4 salmon fillets, 6 to 8 ounces each, skin on, about 1 inch thick

Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the salad, toss the watermelon, black olives, red onion, and arugula together in a bowl. Put it in the fridge to chill. The contrast of a cold salad with the hot salmon is really refreshing.

To make the vinaigrette, toast the spices in a dry skillet over low heat for 1 minute, until they smell fragrant; shake