It’s been miserably hot in Kansas all summer, so Jacob and I have been on an ice-cold salad kick. Southwest chicken salads, some lettuce with ranch dressing, and most recently, this LA Chop Salad via What’s Gaby Cooking.
I am an amateur at best when it comes to cooking, so I must always give credit where credit is due. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that reading cookbooks is one of my favorite things to do. It’s incredibly satisfying to read the recipe, see the photographed picture of the chef’s version, and then try to re-create it. I’m not very artistic and I’m not musical at all, so cooking is just therapeutic for me.
Reading a recipe a couple times makes a world of difference when it’s time to prepare your recipe. Having read the directions a time or two, it’s as if your mind thinks you’ve made it already.
My sister loathes cooking, and I just try to stress to her the importance of reading the recipe!!! Read each little story the author has written about that recipe.. Didn’t I already say I geek out over recipes? 29 going on 92. My family loves me for it, at least.
This LA Chop Salad came out of What’s Gaby Cooking 3rd cookbook that I’ve already referenced on this blog. If you don’t have this cookbook, you’re absolutely missing out. My friend and I intend on cooking it cover to cover and we are well on our way. Most notably, I made her Key Lime Cheesecake for the 4th of July weekend and it was incredible.
My salad is a derivative of Gaby’s chop salad. Hers called for a radicchio which I couldn’t find within 15 minutes of my house. I also added chopped Wright’s bacon and used Gaby’s Garlic Tomato Confit instead of regular cherry tomatoes. I could bathe in this salad.
The beauty of a chop salad is you can use whatever ingredients you want or have in the fridge; the BEST part of a chop salad is that all the ingredients are thick & chunky (like Calboy) so each bite you’re getting equal parts cheese, meat, & veggies. You can also use whatever oil-based dressing you’d like; I made Gaby’s Lemon Vinaigrette in advance that the recipe calls for, so after I prepped the salad for dinner, I just poured it in.
Do you have a favorite version of a chop salad? Let me know what you like to throw in your salad so I can try it out.
Lemon Vinaigrette via What’s Gaby Cooking
Juice of 1 lemon
½ c. olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
Sea Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Put all ingredients in a mason jar, shake well, and store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can put this on any salad, or roasted veggies.
LA Chop Salad via What’s Gaby Cooking
(with some small changes)
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
2 cups cubed ham or salami
1 c. cubed mozzarella
1 c. cubed Provolone
5-6 Pepperoncini peppers, sliced
1 carton cherry tomatoes, halved, or 1 C. Garlic Tomato Confit
Chop all ingredients to an even size, toss together in a bowl with the Lemon Vinaigrette, and enjoy!
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