Muffuletta Pasta Salad

Muffuletta Pasta Salad
Jump to Recipe

Okay, so I know a few of you aren’t going to be on board with today’s Muffuletta Pasta Salad. I get it because the muffuletta is a perfect sandwich. It cannot be improved upon but it can be played with. And since American Italians created this sandwich, serving the iconic sandwich’s toppings over pasta seemed fitting. It is peak pasta salad season after all. And this salad is summer potluck ready. So with all the respect in my heart for the original, I invite you to join me as I have some fun with a sandwich icon. I promise it will be delicious.

Continue Reading

Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta

Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta
Jump to Recipe

I feel a little silly dedicating an entire post to this wee Watermelon Salad with Whipped Ricotta. As I said in a recent Instagram post, this is less of a recipe and more of a styling exercise. But this combo tasted so good that it seemed cruel to keep it from you. So here we are with a less-than-five-step recipe that is more of a concept. It’s fair to ask what this historic combo is. You’re looking at a solid disc of juicy watermelon topped with a ribbon of whipped ricotta dotted with bits of olive drizzled with Calabrian chili oil. The salad is finished with a sprinkling of crushed pistachios and bits of wood sorrel. 

Continue Reading

Herby Rice Salad with Blood Oranges

Herby Rice Salad with Blood Oranges
Jump to Recipe

Before we get too far into today’s recipe, I’m going to kick things off with a disclaimer. If you don’t like dill, you will not like this Herby Rice Salad. It’s hard to get away from the dill. The dill is pervasive. You can, of course, substitute the dill for another herb like chives or cilantro. But at that point, it’s kind of a whole other dish. What I’m trying to say is dill is central to this salad’s personality. So if you have beef with dill, feel free to peruse my extensive salad index instead. There are many alternatives there that are 100% dill-free. You can leave right now, I won’t be offended. Okay, now that it’s just us dill-lovers, let’s dig into this dreamboat of a salad. 

Continue Reading

Guanciale Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon Dressing

Guanciale Chickpea Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette
Jump to Recipe

This Guanciale Chickpea Salad is a play on an Italian Antipasto Salad. It features crisp gem lettuce, olives, sliced red grapes, pickled shallots, torn fresh mozzarella, and chickpeas tossed in a preserved lemon vinaigrette and topped with seared slabs of guanciale and hard-boiled eggs. This salad may seem a little disjointed and it certainly does have a lot going on. But I think you will find that each forkful makes a certain sense. This dish hits all the notes: salty, sweet, savory, sour, tart, and meaty. No two bites are the same. And while this dish has a lot of moving parts, it is a cinque to make. This salad isn’t a side or a starter, it’s definitely a main course.

Continue Reading