Dinner
Apr
29
2021

Nancy’s Chopped Salad

Print Nancy’s Chopped Salad

Yield: Makes 6 meal-sized salad or 12 side portions

Ingredients

Oregano dressing 4 cloves garlic 1 to 2 tablespoons dried oregano (Nancy recommends 2; I got nervous and used 1, but might not have minded more) 2 teaspoons kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons lemon juice, or juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil, ideally extra-virgin

Salad
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas or 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas, drained
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced into paper-thin rings
1/2 pound provolone (see Note about varieties), sliced 1/8-inch thick then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
1/2 pound salami, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick then cut into 1/4-inch ribbons
4 medium or 8 small pickled pepperoncini, sliced into rings
1 head iceberg lettuce (see Note about size), halved, cored, and cut in 1/2-inch ribbons
1 head radicchio, halved, cored and cut in 1/4-inch ribbons
2 tablespoons dried oregano for garnish (optional)
Tomatoes
3/4 pound cherry tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp Sea salt

Instructions

Make dressing:
Roughly chop the garlic and then add the oregano, salt and up to 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper.
Chop the mixture together and use the side of a knife or a mortar and pestle to make a grainy herb paste.
Transfer the paste to a large salad bowl, and add the lemon juice and vinegar. Mix with a fork allowing the salt to dissolve, then add the oil and whisk with a fork until well combined. The dressing should be thick with garlic and oregano. If you’re using a small head of iceberg, transfer 1/3 the dressing into a small bowl to be used only if needed. For a larger head of iceberg, you’ll want it all.
Assemble salad:
Gently fold the chickpeas, red onion, provolone, salami, pepperoncini (including seeds and juice) into the dressing, one at a time.
Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt. Set aside until ready to serve.
To serve:
When ready to serve, gently add the tomatoes, lettuce and radicchio to the salad bowl, along with a couple of generous pinches of oregano, and toss to combine with the dressing.
Adjust seasonings to taste, adding any reserved dressing if needed.
Serve immediately.2.6wk_bootstrap();

Dinner
Aug
22
2016

Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

Print Sweet Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Yield: 6 Servings

There are so many things I love about this dish: it’s all cooked in 1 pan; we’re using more robust herbs like thyme, rosemary and bay with the tomatoes, which work really well; the half-roasted, half-stewed fresh tomatoes turn into a lovely rich and chunky sauce which is miles better than anything you can get if using canned tomatoes; and we’re roasting the sausages, which I think is far better than frying or broiling them. Try to buy the best fresh coarsely ground sausages you can.

Ingredients

4 1/4 pounds lovely ripe cherry tomatoes, mixed colors if you can find them
2 sprigs each fresh thyme, rosemary and bay
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
12 good-quality coarse Italian pork sausages
Extra-virgin olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Get yourself an appropriately sized roasting pan, large enough to take the tomatoes in 1 snug-fitting layer.
Put in all your tomatoes, the herb sprigs, oregano, garlic and sausages. Drizzle well with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss together, then make sure the sausages are on top and pop the pan into the oven for half an hour.
After this time, give it a shake and turn the sausages over. Put back into the oven for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how golden and sticky you like your sausages.
Once cooked, you’ll have an intense, tomatoey sauce. If it’s a little too thin, lift out the sausages and place the pan on the stove to cook it down to the consistency you like – I tend to make mine quite thick – then put the sausages back in.
Check the seasoning and serve either with a good-quality loaf of bread warmed through in a low oven for 10 minutes (great for mopping up the sauce!) or with mashed potato, rice or polenta, a green salad and a nice glass of wine.
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