The sexy Italian salad!

 A SEXY ITALIAN SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTINI, SOPRESSATA AND CHAMPAGNE HAZELNUT VINAIGRETTE 

It is hot as you-know-where here in the Land of Steady Habits, so, in an attempt to beat the heat, I headed to the shore yesterday. That didn’t work so swimmingly, but while in Old Saybrook, I stopped in at Fromage on Route 1 to buy some new treats for Katty’s Kitchen:  hazelnut oil and champagne vinegar.  How did no one clue me in sooner about such deliciousness?! 

 

Inspired by my Foodbuzz friend PachecoPatty and her very tempting Grilled Chicken with Herbs and Arugula Salad with Raspberries, I knew I could really beat the heat by making a salad with these fine ingredients, some tasty goat ricotta salata (yum!) along with some prosciuttini and sopressata from Public Market. 

I found a lovely champagne vinaigrette recipe from Southern Living and simply swapped out the olive oil for hazelnut oil. I also didn’t measure nearly that much salt–just a series of grinds from the salt mill to taste. 

mesclun and arugula

 Here’s what I picked for the salad, fresh from the deck: 

two lettuces–Ruby Red and Black Seeded Simpson
mesclun
arugula
flat-leaf parsley
lime basil–if you don’t have some in your herb garden, please add to your shopping list immediamente!
hot & spicy oregano 

Then I added:
sliced avocado (a.k.a. “the fancy avo fan”)
goat ricotta salata
kalamata olives 

Growing up in an Italian restaurant, we always made antipastos and chef’s salads semi-artistically; thus my little ring of prosciuttini atop the sopressata around the perimeter of the plate. Please tell me you know about prosciuttini–peppered ham. My very favorite, both in salads and in Italian combos. 

Nothing beats a freshly picked salad on a hot, hot day. In fact, I might need to have one right now! Ciao! 

Lettuce please you? :)