My Number One Fan’s Chopped Salad
Because of its Italian Antipasto ingredients, there is a lot of latitude for variations and innovation, but this is how My Number One Fan makes it.
This is a salad that My Number One Fan created as part of a menu at our house that is meant to accompany the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Tomato Basil Soup for a complete meal. The original salad was called Nancy's Chopped Salad from a 2014 post in the smittenkitchen website. The author gave credit for adapting her recipe from The Mozza Cookbook. The truth is, there are many, many variations on this theme, which is generally classified as an Italian Antipasto Salad. The name is derived from the ingredients that are largely standard fare in most antipasto courses served in American Italian restaurants. This gives you a lot of latitude to incorporate a whole host of items that are not necessarily in this recipe. But this is the way My Number One Fan makes it, and it's a great light dinner when paired with her delicious Tomato Basil Soup. It is meant to be dressed with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Italian Vinaigrette, included below for your convenience.
My Number One Fan's Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 head of radicchio lettuce, torn into bite-size shreds
- 1/2 head of any green hearty lettuce, such as Iceberg, Romaine or Green Leaf Lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
- 1/2 small red onion (about 1/4 cup), sliced into paper thin rings
- 4 oz non-smoked provolone cheese slices, cut into 1/4 inch ribbons (like, Boar's Head)
- 4 oz Genoa salami slices, cut into 1/4 inch ribbons (like, Boar's Head)
- 3/4 lb grape tomatoes (like, Nature's Sweet Cherubs), halved
- 4-6 pickled pepperoncini (about 1/4 cup), sliced into rings (like, Mazzetta)
- 1/2 cup Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Italian Vinaigrette
Instructions
- Assemble all recipe ingredients for the salad in large bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- Dress with the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Italian Vinaigrette.
- Serve alongside mugs of the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Tomato Basil Soup and some crusty Italian bread or garlic bread.
Notes
Optional Add-Ins:
- chick peas
- chopped roasted red bell peppers (like, Mazzetta)
- prosciutto cut into ribbons
- marinated artichokes
- Italian cured black olive
- cubed mozzarella cheese.
- chopped sun dried tomatoes (like Mazzetta Julienne-Cut)
Salad Dressing Repository - Italian Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like, Kraft green can)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasonings (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the oil in a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Add the oil a little at a time while whisking constantly until an emulsion is formed and the oil and vinegar do not separate.
- Allow the dressing to rest a room temperature for an hour before adding to the salad.
