Recipe: Nancy's chopped salad

Total time:

30 minutes

Servings:

6

Oregano dressing

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup good red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Roughly chop the

garlic and then add the oregano, salt and pepper. Chop the mixture together and use the side of a knife or a mortar and pestle to make a grainy herb paste.

2. 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.

Salad and assembly

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained

1 red onion, peeled and sliced into fine rings

1/2 pound provolone, sliced 1/4 -inch thick then cut into 1/2 -inch ribbons

1/2 pound salami, peeled, sliced 1/4 -inch thick then cut into 1/2 -inch ribbons

4 medium or 8 small pickled pepperoncini, sliced into rings

3/4 pound cherry tomatoes

Sea salt

1 head iceberg lettuce, cored, and cut in ribbons 1/4 - to 1/2 -inch wide

1 head radicchio, cored and cut in ribbons 1/4 - to 1/2 -inch wide

2 tablespoons dried oregano for garnish (optional, preferably Sicilian or Turkish)

1. 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 salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

2. 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. Serve immediately.

Each serving: