I don’t get out much. In fact, hardly at all, except for morning walks and dog strolls in the neighborhood. But I can dream of dining out — at Los Angeles’ Pizzeria Mozza, perhaps, and enjoying the delicious chopped salad created by the award-winning chef/restaurateur Nancy Silverton.
Her salad combines the best tastes and textures of a well-planned antipasto platter. Chopped Iceberg lettuce is tumbled with provolone cheese, salami, pepperoncini, tomatoes and radicchio. The tangle of seductive components is napped with a tangy wine vinegar oregano-amped dressing.
Nancy’s Chopped Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients
½ small red onion (cut in half from top to bottom), very thinly sliced
1 small head iceberg lettuce, cored
1 medium head radicchio, optional
1 pint small sweet cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
1½ cups canned garbanzo beans, drained
4 ounces Provolone cheese, sliced 1/8-inch thick and cut into ¼-inch wide strips, or cut into small cubes
4 ounces sliced Genoa salami, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
5 pepperoncini, stems cut off and discarded, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
Kosher salt
½ cup Oregano Vinaigrette (see below), plus more to taste
Juice of ½ lemon, plus more to taste
Dried oregano for sprinkling, optional
Directions
Place onion slices in a small bowl of ice water and set aside.
Remove and discard outer leaves of lettuce. Separate the lettuce leaves, stack 2 or 3 leaves on top of one another and slice them lengthwise into ¼-inch thick ribbons. Repeat with remaining leaves. Thinly slice radicchio the same way.
Drain onion and pat dry.
Combine lettuce, radicchio (if using), tomatoes, garbanzo beans, Provolone, salami, pepperoncini and onion slices in a large, wide bowl. Season with salt and toss to thoroughly combine. Drizzle with ½ cup vinaigrette and the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, juice or vinaigrette, if desired.
Pile salad on a large platter or divide among individual plates, piling it like a mountain. Sprinkle with a little oregano and serve.
Oregano Vinaigrette
Makes about 1¾ cups
Ingredients
2½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, peeled, 1 smashed and 1 minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Combine the red wine vinegar, dried oregano, fresh lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a thin stream. Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice. If still intact, remove smashed garlic before using the vinaigrette.
— Adapted from “The Mozza Cookbook” by Nancy Silverton (Knopf, $35)
