Nancy’s Chopped Salad

Name: Nancy’s Chopped Salad
Yield: serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course
Ingredients: Half of a small red onion (halved through the core); 1 small head iceberg lettuce; 1 medium head radicchio; 1 pint small sweet cherry tomatoes (such as Sun Golds or Sweet 100s), halved through the stem ends, or cherry tomatoes, quartered; Kosher salt; 1 1/2 cups cooked Ceci (page 96); 4 ounces aged provolone, sliced 1/8 inch thick and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips; 4 ounces Genoa salami, sliced 1/8 inch thick and cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips; 5 peperoncini, stems cut off and discarded, thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup); 1/2 cup Oregano Vinaigrette (page 97), plus more to taste; Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus more to taste; Dried oregano, for sprinkling (preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch)

January 26, 2012

I was introduced to the concept of a chopped salad in the 1970s at La Scala Boutique, a casual offshoot, now closed, of the Beverly Hills institution La Scala. The salad, which they call the Jean Leon Chopped Salad (it’s now available at the original La Scala restaurant), is made of iceberg lettuce, salami, and mozzarella, all so finely chopped that you almost don’t have to chew it, then topped with ceci, or chickpeas, and a tangy red wine vinaigrette. I was totally addicted to that salad. I’ve been making chopped salads ever since, always with La Scala’s version in mind, but the one we serve at the Pizzeria with aged provolone and Sweet 100 tomatoes is my best yet.

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