The LA Chop

The LA Chop! The best crunchy rainbow salad with all the flavors, colors, and textures of summer. All tossed with a punchy lemon vinaigrette!

This is one of those times when the flavors, colors, and textures of summer come together in a huge, crunchy rainbow salad. And for one meal, life just feels right.

It’s healthy-ish but not too healthy, like all the best salads. We’ve got fresh tomatoes and lettuce and radicchio setting the stage, but salami and chickpeas and two types of cheese filling it out into something of a hungry person’s lunch dream, and super thin slices of red onion, pepperoncini, and a punchy lemon vinaigrette zipping it all together at the end.

Ingredients:

Salad:

Lemon Vinaigrette (recipe below) with 2 tablespoons dried oregano mixed in

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 head radicchio

1⁄2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 pint (300 g) heirloom cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters

1 (15-ounce/430 g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

8 ounces (225 g) fresh pearl mozzarella

4 ounces (115 g) provolone cheese, cut into medium dice

4 ounces (115 g) Genoa salami, cut into small cubes

5 pepperoncini (stems discarded), cut into thin slices

2 teaspoons chopped oregano for garnish

Lemon Vinaigrette:

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1⁄2 cup (120 ml) olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper