The Iconic Nancy Silverton Chopped Salad; simple ingredients exceeding all expectations for salad, as a meal and the star of any table.
Nancy’s Chopped Salad stands alone in fame above all salads, in my opinion. Lauded by superior food critics and chefs all around, this recipe has been a favorite for a full decade; accolades including The Washington Post, Food and Wine, Sweet Greens (that carried the salad on its menu coast to coast), and countless sites that credit this salad for breaking the mold. Truth.
More truth? My kids didn’t love the original – despite several attempts, I had to adapt it to make it work for all of us. The tomatoes – they go on at the end after a couple have eaten already. The chickpeas – gone. The lettuce – I split the difference by reducing the radicchio and upgrading the iceberg to romaine to make up for all of those other losses. In the end, it’s a great salad that mimics the great vibe of Nancy’s “famous” chopped – I hope you love it!
Nancy's Chopped Salad
Ingredients
Oregano Dressing
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1-2 Tbsp Oregano I use 1.5 Tbsp, the original recipe calls for 2
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
Salad and Assembly
- 1 head organic romaine lettuce, shredded into thin ribbons
- 1/2 head radicchio, cored and thinly shredded
- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin
- 1/4 lb provolone cheese, thick cut from deli (1/2 inch)
- 1/4 lb hard salami, thick cut from the deli (1/2 inch)
- 1/4 cup sliced pepperoncini
- dried oregano & kosher salt for garnish
Instructions
Oregano Dressing
- Chop the garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and smash into a rough paste with the back of a chef's knife to make ingredients blend into the liquid more smoothly. Put the paste into a jelly jar, and add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and olive oil, and shake to combine. Let the ingredients marinate for at least 30 minutes on the counter at room temp.
Salad and Assembly
- Finely chop the Romaine lettuce into fine ribbons, along with the radicchio and set aside.
- Separate the red onion layers, and smash to flatten so you can chop into fine slices to match the other ingredients. Throw the red onion into a bowl and cover with cold water for at least 10 minutes; this will soften the bite of the onion.
- Finely chop the provolone and salami into thin matchsticks. Toss all the lettuce, radicchio, provolone, salami, and drained red onion into a large salad bowl. Add the pepperoncini and dress to your liking. Note - you will have a good amount leftover dressing, which will keep for a week in the fridge.
- Finish the salad with extra dried oregano, salt and ground pepper to taste.
1 Comment
Avery is VERY impressed ! And hopes to have that salad, sometime……it would be yummy on the boat ! 😊