Wonderful Salad

Name: Wonderful Salad
Ingredients: 2 heads of romaine, cut or torn into small pieces; 1 bunch of watercress, stems removed as much as possible (or about a cup of arugula, chopped--you want that peppery bite); 1 small head radicchio or red endive, shredded; 1 bunch of Italian parsley, stems removed as much as possible, roughly chopped; 1 cup of chopped fresh basil, oregano or mint (or-- go crazy--a combination!), roughly chopped; 8-10 radishes, sliced thin; 1 large jar (~16 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, quartered; 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (or as many as you like--3 or 4?-- large summer tomatoes, cut into ~3/4 inch dice); 2 bunches of scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced on the bias.; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; (optional)--a few slices of crisply fried sliced bacon, crumbled; (optional) 1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (which is what we use, but feta or goat cheese would be good, too); Soft insides of 2 loaves of New Orleans French bread (or just use fresh bread crumbs and toast them); 2 TB olive oil; FOR THE DRESSING; 1/2 cup good olive oil; Combination of fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, equal to ~ 1/2 cup (+/- depending on how tart you like your salad dressing--we like it tart); 2-3 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or put through a garlic press; 1-2 TB Worcestershire sauce; Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

20 ingredients

4 steps

Ingredients

2 heads of romaine, cut or torn into small pieces
1 bunch of watercress, stems removed as much as possible (or about a cup of arugula, chopped--you want that peppery bite)
1 small head radicchio or red endive, shredded
1 bunch of Italian parsley, stems removed as much as possible, roughly chopped
1 cup of chopped fresh basil, oregano or mint (or-- go crazy--a combination!), roughly chopped
8-10 radishes, sliced thin
1 large jar (~16 ounces) marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved (or as many as you like--3 or 4?-- large summer tomatoes, cut into ~3/4 inch dice)
2 bunches of scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced on the bias.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(optional)--a few slices of crisply fried sliced bacon, crumbled
(optional) 1/2-3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (which is what we use, but feta or goat cheese would be good, too)
Soft insides of 2 loaves of New Orleans French bread (or just use fresh bread crumbs and toast them)
2 TB olive oil
FOR THE DRESSING
1/2 cup good olive oil
Combination of fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, equal to ~ 1/2 cup (+/- depending on how tart you like your salad dressing--we like it tart)
2-3 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or put through a garlic press
1-2 TB Worcestershire sauce
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1

Early in the day, make the salad dressing. (You want the garlic to mellow.) Mix all the ingredients together, taste, and adjust seasoning and acid to taste. If you refrigerate it, make sure to bring it to room temperature before serving.
2

Tear the soft bread into smallish pieces (or cut it into cubes), toss it with olive oil and a little salt and pepper, spread it on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes till crisp and starting to brown. Set aside.
3

Toss the salad ingredients together, seasoning as you go. I like to put the romaine in the bowl first and toss it with a little salt and pepper. Then I add the rest of the ingredients, taste and season as needed.
4

Just before serving, whisk the salad dressing well till blended. Toss salad with dressing a little at a time--you want every piece to be coated with dressing, but you don't want the salad to swim in it. Divide salad among salad plates and top with toasted bread crumbs. Pass bacon and cheese to be added as desired. (Actually, you could toss that in, but not everyone in our family eats bacon or cheese, so we pass it separately.)