Mama’s Italian Chopped Salad

1 Comment

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) head romaine lettuce, sliced crosswise into very thin strips, washed, and dried (about 6 cups) 1 cup drained and rinsed canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 1 cup pitted whole Niçoise or Kalamata olives or sliced canned black olives 1 medium tomato, cored and cut into 1⁄4-inch dice 1 medium red onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) 1/4 pound provolone cheese, sliced into 1⁄8-inch-thick matchsticks (about 1 cup) 1/4 pound Genoa salami, sliced into 1⁄8-inch-thick matchsticks (about 1 cup) 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil (Love Note 2) 1/4 cup Mother’s Greek/Italian Dressing (see link in recipe below) Kosher salt

 

 

 Freshly ground black pepper 

 

 

directions

  • In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, garbanzo beans, olives, tomatoes, onions, provolone, salami, and basil.
  • 2Pour half of the dressing over the salad to moisten it. Mix gently, adding more dressing if necessary to make the salad moist but not soaked. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and serve.
  • 3Love Notes: An 8-inch chef’s knife is probably the most useful cooking tool you’ll ever own—but only if you keep it sharp. A sharp knife makes slicing and dicing faster and easier. Dull knives, on the other hand, require more effort to use, which also makes it easier to slip and cut yourself.
  • 4You don’t need to spend tons of money on a big knife set. Get an 8-inch chef’s knife for all-purpose work, a paring knife for detail work like coring and peeling, and a serrated knife to cut through things like bread and tomatoes without squishing them. Sharpen your knives at least once a year and hone the straight-edged knives each time you use them.
  • 5If you want to sharpen them yourself, I recommend a Chef’s Choice® knife sharpener, which is reliable and idiot-proof, so won’t ruin your knives. You can also get your knives professionally sharpened at many cookware stores or hardware stores.
  • 6Tender leaves like basil, spinach, and sage are hard to slice because they’re so thin and bruise easily, which causes them to darken unappealingly. The best technique for thinly cutting these types of leaves is called “chiffonade.” Stack 4 leaves, roll them up lengthwise like a jellyroll, and use a sharp knife to cut paper-thin slices across the roll. You can use this technique for any leafy herbs or lettuces that need to be very thinly sliced.
    • Bookmark and Share

    Comments

    1. Great Italian Kitchen knives says:
      August 22, 2010 at 5:49 pm

      Salad Looks Great! And I just love Garbanzo beans. They really have a nutritional boost that many people don’t know about.

      Thanks for the recipe on the Salad.

      Weknowthebestknives.com

    Speak Your Mind

    *