Muffuletta Olive Salad Mix

Being originally from Louisiana, I of course am familiar with the beloved Muffuletta sandwich of New Orleans. Italian bread with Italian meats and cheese and olive salad. Olive salad is made with green and black olives, and pickled veggies such as carrots, onions, celery, and cauliflower. I still recoil when remembering a lunch visit to a Louisville restaurant that claimed to have Louisiana food. We ordered a Muffuletta and it came with only a bit of olive salad mix. We asked for more. They had none. (This restaurant is no longer in business.) With leftover Muffuletta to go, we went in search of olive salad. Hmm. Not the easiest task but we did succeed. (Lotsa Pasta).

So, I was surprised, a few years later, to find olive salad at Costco, sold in two quart jars. And I bought them. Two quarts is a lot of olive salad. But, it can be used in many delicious ways.
A favorite recipe from my teenage years was to dress up canned or frozen green peas with pimento-stuffed green olives and oregano. So, now when I serve green peas, I add a little olive salad. It also makes a fine addition to an Italian Green Salad with pepperoni and mozzarella. I suppose you could throw a bit on a pizza.

I am enjoying a weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) fruit and vegetable box again this year. Organic, from Casey County, Kentucky. I pick it up from my nearest Rainbow Blossom. (Not too late to order should you be interested. http://www.rainbowblossom.com/csa2018/ ).

As you might imagine, this time of year we are getting a lot of greens in the box. I am researching kale recipes. Not too big a fan of the kale chips.
An easy, not even a recipe is this one-pot wonder: onions, kale, smoked turkey sausage, and potatoes. Cook the onions and sausage, throw in cut potatoes and kale with some broth or water and cook till potatoes are tender.
And I had success with a sweet potato and kale frittata.

Last night, while browsing the Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon, I came across a recipe I could tinker with to produce -

Kale with Raisins, Olive Salad Mix, and Onions

1 tsp. of olive oil or cooking spray (there will be oil from the salad mix added at the end)
1/2 chopped onion
1 bunch of kale, washed, stems removed (for the record I had Russian Kale)
1/4 cup water, vegetable broth or chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins, preferably golden but dark okay
1-2 heaping tablespoons olive salad mix
Pepper to taste
Taste before salting as there is salt in the olive salad

Wash kale and take off the stems. Heat olive oil or cooking spray. Add onions and cook 2-3 minutes. Add kale, raisins and broth. Cook to desired tenderness. Add olive salad mix.

Since I love dried fruit in savory dishes, and olives would make it to the plate of my last meal, this was a real winner for me. Bring on the kale!