In "The Mozza Cookbook," cookbook author and chef Nancy Silverton says she has been making various versions of chopped salads since the 1970s and considers this to be her best one yet.
Active time: 30; Total time: 35 mins
Make Ahead: Refrigerate vinaigrette in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Storage Notes: Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Servings: 4 - 8
Yield: Makes 8 first-course servings or 4 main-course servings
Ingredients
- For the vinaigrette
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon (1 tablespoon), or more to taste
- 2 medium cloves garlic, 1 smashed and 1 grated
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- For the salad
- 1/2 small red onion, cut in half from top to bottom
- 1 head (22 ounces) iceberg lettuce, cored sliced into thin strips
- 1 head (11 ounces) radicchio, cored and sliced into thin strips
- 1 pint small, sweet cherry tomatoes, such as Sun Golds or Sweet 100s, cut into quarters
- Fine salt
- 1 1/2 cups no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 pound aged provolone, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
- 1/4 pound Genoa salami, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
- 5 pepperoncini (stems discarded), cut into thin slices (about 1/4 cup)
- Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon (1 tablespoon), or more to taste
- Dried oregano (preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch), for sprinkling
Directions
For the vinaigrette: In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, smashed and grated garlic, salt and pepper. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes (to marinate the oregano). Add the oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly to form an emulsified vinaigrette. Taste for seasoning, and add salt or lemon juice as needed. The yield is a generous 1 1/2 cups; you'll use up to 1/2 cup for this salad.
For the salad: Separate the layers of the onion and stack two or three layers on top of one another, then cut them lengthwise into 1/16-inch-wide strips. Repeat with the remaining onion layers. Place the onion in a small bowl of ice water to sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Drain the onion and pat dry with paper towels before adding to the salad.
In a large, wide bowl, combine the lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, chickpeas, provolone, salami, peperoncini and onion. Toss to thoroughly combine. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of the vinaigrette over the salad, then sprinkle with the lemon juice; toss gently to coat the salad evenly. Taste, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, plus salt and/or lemon juice as needed.
Transfer the salad to a large platter or divide it among individual plates, piling it like a mountain. Sprinkle the dried oregano leaves on top and serve.
Recipe Source
Adapted from "The Mozza Cookbook," by Nancy Silverton, Matt Molina and Carolynn Carreno (Knopf, 2011).
Tested by Edward A. Lichorat.
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