Italian Salad Recipes

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.

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.

Steps:

• Make croutons:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Toss bread cubes with oil and salt in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Bake, turning over once, until golden and crisp, about 8 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.
• Make vinaigrette and begin preparing salad while croutons bake:
• Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients except oil in a small bowl until combined. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• Toss chicken and bocconcini together with 1/4 cup vinaigrette in a bowl and let stand 10 minutes to allow flavors to develop.
• Make salad:
• Toss together romaine, red peppers, olives, chicken and bocconcini mixture, croutons, and remaining vinaigrette in a large bowl until combined.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Steps:

• Toss greens with vegetables and olives in large bowl.
• Add dressing; mix lightly.

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.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together lemon zest, juice, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and garlic. Whisk in oil and chopped parsley.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 4 quarts water, 6 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 cup salt to a boil. Add squid and blanch until just tender, 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, transfer squid to an ice bath to stop cooking. Once cool, drain squid and lay on paper towels to dry; transfer to bowl with dressing.
• Return water to a boil. Add shrimp, stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 3 minutes; using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate to cool slightly; pat dry and transfer to bowl with squid. Return water to a boil and add mussels, reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until mussels open, 3 to 5 minutes (discard any unopened mussels). Drain and transfer to a plate to cool. Remove all but 10 mussels from their shells and add to bowl with seafood. Reserve mussels in shell for serving.
• Toss dressed seafood with fennel, bell pepper, celery, crab, and parsley leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, with reserved mussels and lemon wedges, or store, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 8 hours.

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.)

Steps:

• Rinse the sliced shallot under cold water and transfer to a large bowl.
• Cut the stalks away from the broccoli heads. Using a knife or vegetable peeler, remove the fibrous outer layer of the stalks so its light green insides emerge; compost or discard the outer layer. Thinly slice the stalks crosswise, then thinly slice the heads into bite-size pieces. (A mix of shapes and sizes adds texture to the salad, so chop up the broccoli a few ways; there's no one right way to go about it.) Transfer to the large bowl as you go, then transfer any loose bits from the cutting board to the bowl.
• Season the broccoli generously with salt and pepper, then add the almonds, pickled peppers, olives, oil, vinegar and provolone. Toss vigorously with a spoon until everything is combined and the broccoli is shiny with oil.
• Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, oil and vinegar as needed. Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving. The salad improves with age as its flavors meld, and it can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. Before serving, bring to room temperature and adjust salt, pepper, oil and vinegar to taste, as flavors change in the fridge.