The Chopped Salad

My forever favorite salad, inspired by both my love for the classic La Scala, this is my go-to that never gets old. When I used to live in LA, one of my best friends and I would visit La Scala on weekly basis for lunch. We were the youngest there by 50 years, but it was our happy place and eating this salad brings me back to those wonderful moments in my 20s. If I making this for dinner, I love to pair this with Emily’s English Roasted Potatoes (recipe) and for lunch, a bag of BBQ potato chips is perfection.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

Dressing:

• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

• ⅓ cup red wine vinegar

• 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper

• ½ cup parmesan or pecorino romano, grated

Salad:

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped

• ¼ pound salami, julienned

• ½ cup mozzarella, shredded

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained

• ½ cup cherry or grape tomatoes, diced

• ½ cup red onion, diced

• ¼ cup parmesan or pecorino romano, grated, for garnish

Instructions:

• Add oil, vinegar, dijon, salt and pepper, and parmesan into a medium size bowl or jar, whisk or shake until well blended and emulsified. 

• Add iceberg to a large mixing bowl and add a ¼ of your dressing and toss until coated. Add in salami, mozzarella, tomatoes and onion and toss again. Add in ¼ more dressing and coat evenly to your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with more parmesean and serve.