Italian Salad Food

SIMPLE ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°. For croutons, spritz bread cubes with butter-flavored spray; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and garlic powder; toss to coat evenly. , Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Cool. , Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine romaine, tomatoes, olives, Parmesan cheese, onion and pepperoncini. Drizzle with salad dressing; toss to coat. Top with croutons.

ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a bottle.
• Shake to blend.
• Allow flavors to blend about an hour or so, Will even be more flavorful the following day. Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers.
• Makes about 1 cup.

BIG ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor and blitz to blend.
• Place all of the salad ingredients except for the cheese in a large bowl. Right before serving, add about half of the dressing and toss well. Add more dressing little by little as necessary; be sure to dress greens very generously, otherwise salad will be bland. Toss in the cheese, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Note: Ricotta salata is an Italian sheep's milk cheese that has a salty, slightly tangy flavor, almost like a dry Italian feta. It is not the same as the wet ricotta in the tub. You can find it at Whole Foods, gourmet grocers or specialty cheese shops.
• Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming ½ cup of ricotta salata and all of the dressing was used.

QUICK ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• For the dressing: In a blender, add the olive oil, mayonnaise, Parmesan, parsley, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon juice and blend until pureed.
• For the salad: Put the romaine and iceberg greens in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Top the salad with the pepperoncini, olives, tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with Parmesan at the end.

BASIC ITALIAN SALAD DRESSING

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in small bowl and whisk to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk the vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in the oil to blend. Add the lettuce, radicchio, beans, and sun-dried tomatoes. Toss to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with more salt and pepper, and serve.

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Place the red onion in a small bowl and cover with cold water (this step keeps the onion's flavor but removes some of its harsh aftertaste). Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
• Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a separate bowl and cover with hot water to rehydrate. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad.
• Peel the kale leaves off of the stems and discard the stems. Chop the leaves into very thin ribbons. You will have about 6 cups. Place in a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Grab the kale by big handfuls, massaging it with your hands until it turns dark green in color, feels softer, and is fragrant. Don't skip this step! It makes the kale tender and delicious.
• To the bowl, add the romaine, cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, cheese, salami (if using), pepperoncini, and olives.
• Mix up the dressing: in a large liquid measuring cup or small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients-olive oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, honey, oregano, salt, and pepper. Alternatively, you can shake all of the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid.
• Drain the red onion and sun-dried tomatoes. Add to the bowl with the romaine mixture.
• If serving the salad all at once, drizzle enough dressing on to lightly coat it, then toss to combine (when in doubt, start with less dressing. It's easy to over dress a salad!). Or, if you are serving the salad over a series of days, toss the salad without the dressing to combine, then dress only the portion you plan to eat right away. Taste and add extra salt or pepper as desired.

ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk the first seven ingredients; set aside. In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, onions, celery, mozzarella cheese, olives and tomato. Just before serving, add the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

ITALIAN-STYLE SALAD WITH CRISP PANCETTA

Steps:

• Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the pancetta on each side for 2-3 mins until crisp. Set aside to cool. Mix together the dressing ingredients and season.
• Arrange the mozzarella, tomatoes and artichokes on a serving plate. Tear the pancetta into bite-sized pieces and scatter over, followed by the basil leaves. Drizzle with the dressing and serve with crusty bread.

ITALIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Wash and slice lettuce. Put into large salad bowl and place in refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Add tomatoes, cucumber, celery, carrots, olives (drained), artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Prepare envelope of Italian salad dressing according to directions on package. Pour over salad and toss.

ITALIAN CHOPPED SALAD

Steps:

• Slice the layers of onions lengthwise 1/16 inch thick. Place the onion slices in a small bowl of ice water and set aside.
• Drain the onion and pat dry with paper towels before adding them to the salad.
• Thinly slice the lettuce and radicchio.
• In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes,cucumber, garbanzo beans, cheese, ,peperoncini, and onion slices.
• Toss to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
• Drizzle 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette and the juice of the lemon over the salad, then toss gently to coat the salad with the dressing.
• Taste for seasoning and add more lemon juice, or vinaigrette if desired.
• Sprinkle with extra oregano and serve.
• Combine the vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, garlic, kalamata olives, Parmesan cheese, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients.
• Set aside for 5 minutes to marinate the oregano and basil.
• Add the olive oil in a slow thin stream, whisking constantly to combine. You can also add all the ingredients to a glass jar with a lid and shake to combine.

ITALIAN SEAFOOD SALAD (INSALATA DI MARE) RECIPE

Steps:

• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, toss shrimp with salt and baking soda and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Pick all but 10 mussels from their shells, discarding shells. Cut shrimp in half lengthwise down the middle. In a medium bowl, combine parsley, remaining 1/2 cup (120ml) lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 cup (120ml) olive oil, remaining 2 minced cloves garlic, cayenne pepper, and coriander seed (if using). Whisk well.