A different salad

I forgot to take a picture, 
so this is borrowed from kathleenashmore.com.
You'll note it shows chickpeas, which I omitted

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A high in the eighties is a cool snap if you’re in Texas, and we’re having said cool snap today after thunderstorms and brief but heavy rain last night. But I’m always on the lookout for new salads that will serve as the main dish for family meals. So when I came across this one, called LaScala Chopped Salad, I was intrigued by ingredients I don’t usually think of with salad.

The salad has nothing to do with the famous theater in Milan but everything to do with a Beverly Hills restaurant called, appropriately, La Scala and famed for its chopped salad. According to rumor, the Kardashians are extremely fond of this salad, but it is not the famous Kardashian salad which has chicken and carrots and who knows what. Frankly, I don’t care what the Kardashians eat. I am one of those who has never watched the show (it is a show, isn’t it?). But the salad, aside from the source of its fame, was surprisingly good—and popular with my family.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 head iceberg lettuce

¼ lb. salami

¼ lb. shredded mozzarella

1-1/2 can chickpeas, drained (I don’t happen to care much for chickpeas and didn’t have any on hand, so I omitted this)

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. each salt and pepper

Dressing:

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon

½ tsp. each salt and pepper

¼ cup grated pecorino

Sound like the salad gets dressed twice, doesn’t it? Bear with me. Cut the salami into thin strips, not so long as to be difficult to eat. Chop the lettuce.

If you’re using chickpeas, whisk together the oil and vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper listed in ingredients and toss in the chickpeas. Trust me, it was good without them.

Mix together the dressing ingredients and shake or stir to emulsify.

Put the lettuce in a large bowl and toss with half the dressing. Add the salami and mozzarella and taste to adjust the seasoning. Add remaining dressing but be careful not to make your salad soupy.

Presentation is complicated if you use the chickpeas: drain and put in the bottom of a bowl. Pack your salad on top. Then, using a plate to keep everything in place, flip it so that the chickpeas are on top for serving. See? I told you it’s easier to leave out the chickpeas.

Not using the chickpeas? Serve in soup plates and top each serving with a bit more pecorino for appearance sake.