Italian Chopped Salad

Method

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1. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until emulsified. Taste it — it should make you wince slightly on its own.

   Mark done

2. Put the chickpeas, salami, provolone, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, pepperoncini and olives in a large bowl.

   Mark done

3. Add two-thirds of the dressing and toss well. Leave 10 minutes so the chickpeas and salami take it up.

   Mark done

4. Chop everything to a similar size as you go — roughly 1 cm — so a forkful gets a bit of each.

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5. Just before serving, add the shredded romaine, the parsley and the rest of the dressing, and toss again.

   Mark done

6. Finish with the grated Parmigiano and more black pepper.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Lettuce last, always. Ten minutes in that dressing and it is soup.
• The dressing should taste too sharp on a spoon. Against the salami it is exactly right.
• Everything but the lettuce can be dressed and refrigerated a day ahead.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• Crusty bread
• A glass of cold Lambrusco
• A bowl of soup

Storage & Reheating

Undressed components keep 3 days refrigerated. Once the lettuce is in, eat it within the hour.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.