Italian Chopped Salad

 Chopped salami, provolone, and romaine tossed with chickpeas, artichoke, tomatoes, hearts of palm and olives in a classic Italian dressing…

ONE OF OUR MOST REQUESTED SALAD RECIPES, TRY THIS EXTRA TASTY ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD!

I’ll lay it right out from the get-go: this salad involves chopping, but I assume you expected that from a classic chopped salad. This salad is so worth the effort though, a tasty treat that always earns its fair share of praise. In fact, it’s one of our most requested salad recipes to date.

I love this for a number of reasons, but top marks go to being a great make-ahead dish. You can prep the salad dressing and chop everything except the romaine, tomatoes and radicchio in advance. Once that’s done, store the ingredients in airtight containers and place them in a cooler. This makes assembling and dressing the salad a breeze once you’ve arrived at the cottage or your weekend destination – this fabulous meal hits the table in no time.

IF YOU’VE EVER WONDERED HOW TO MAKE A CHOPPED SALAD, HERE’S YOUR STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE. GET CHOPPING AND ENJOY!

THE DRESSING

I like using a traditional, homemade Italian dressing for this salad. Nothing too complicated to make it, just oil, vinegar, some herbs, a few flavour enhancers and you’re done.

Click HERE to view our one-minute VIDEO on how to prepare this simple, tasty dressing. It’ll work not only for this salad but many others too. Suggestion: might as well double the recipe from the outset so that you have extra.

THE INGREDIENTS

Of course, the sky’s the limit on what you can add to this salad, but I like using ingredients that hold their shape once chopped. I suggest not using anything too delicate and as always try to use locally grown veggies whenever possible.

The salami and provolone cheese are essential to this recipe, and one reader wrote in telling us that the inclusion of these distinctive ingredients makes this a Tuscan chopped salad. Who knew? Look for salami made with fennel and peppercorns to add a bit of punch. When selecting your cheese, try mild provolone to impart a subtle dairy taste.

THE TOSS

Dressing this salad is easy enough, but prepare to be amazed by what happens when a superior dressing meets the perfect combination of flavourful ingredients. After dressing your chopped salad, give it a taste and then add more dressing, salt and pepper to taste. You can also let the salad stand for a bit before you serve just to let all the flavours mix and meld.

This recipe will serve six guests or more, but don’t worry if you have leftovers – the salad will still taste wonderful, if not better, the following day. We enjoy serving it with our ROASTED GARLIC CHEESE BREAD and a chilled glass of Pinot Grigio. For dessert, try our HOMEMADE TIRAMISU, it’s so fabulous.

PREPARING THIS ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD IS SO WORTH THE EFFORT AND MAKES FOR A DELICIOUS LUNCHEON OR DINNER TREAT. ENJOY!

source: https://weekendatthecottage.com/chopped-salad/