Easy epic chopped salad
L.A. spawned the OG chopped salad – the mighty Cobb. Still round today, the Cobb Salad is an artful arrangement of neatly chopped mixed lettuces, tomatoes, bacon, chicken, boiled egg, and blue cheese, set out neatly in rows, and doused in vinaigrette. It was invented in the 1930s at the Brown Derby in Hollywood, one of a chain of restaurants co-owed by one Robert H. Cobb. In the ‘40s came a similar chopped affair, the McCarthy Salad, named after a famous polo-loving millionaire lawyer who frequented the Polo Lounge of The Beverly Hills Hotel where the dish was devised. It comprises (you can still order it) a meticulously diced array of lettuce, chicken, beetroot, egg, cheddar, bacon, avo and tomato. Swanky!
Then, a famous Italian restaurant called La Scala in L.A. starting chopping up their salad – the story goes that the place was frequented by red carpet-walking mega stars (such as Monroe and Natalie Wood, no less) who were freaked at the thought of bits of the original, unchopped salad spilling onto their gowns and messing with their camera-ready glamour. So the chef thought, heck, let’s chop this sucker up. He did, and the rest is history. FYI celebs, including the Kardashians, still enjoy the ‘La Scala Chop Salad’ (sic), a tossed mix of salami, mozzarella, chickpeas and lettuce in a mustard-based dressing. Chopping a salad into uniformly small, forkable pieces minimises spillage and makes the whole thing easier to eat, allegedly. But we don’t know… surely chickpeas, bits of egg, tomato or salami can easily roll off a fork and mess up your frock? Whatever; we love the concept although we’re not anally retentive enough to present our chopped salads in precisely composed rows.
Chopped salads seem to be having something of a comeback and we are here for it. They’re maybe easier to present than a salad with bigger bits, which can be really uncooperative in the food styling department, drooping, sagging or wilting at a moment’s notice. With this salad, you just chop everything up, toss together, dump on a platter, then drizzle over the dressing. One tip; before adding the cabbage or kale, use your hands to massage it vigorously for a few minutes to tenderise; this is not essential but it does improve the chewability, particularly of kale. And what could possibly make a person more chipper than chewable, raw kale?
SERVES 4-6
1 x 390g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)
2 heads baby cos lettuce, cut into 1cm pieces
3 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2½ cups packed chopped cabbage or kale leaves (hard stems removed)
1 large avocado, chopped
50g (⅓ cup) pistachios, coarsely chopped, or to taste
200g bocconcini, torn
large handful herbs; dill, parsley, mint, chives, coarsely chopped
Dressing
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
80ml (⅓ cup) lemon juice
2½ tbsp honey, or to taste
1½ tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp dried oregano
125ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
40g (¼ cup) currants optional
Preheat the oven to 180˚C, fan-forced. Using kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, pat the chickpeas as dry as you can. Transfer them to a medium roasting dish, drizzle with the olive oil, then toss to coat them in the oil. Roast for 25 minutes or until golden and a little crisp, then scatter with the paprika and chilli flakes, if you’re using them. Roast for another 6-7 minutes to cook the spices a bit. Remove the chickpeas from the oven and cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, for the dressing, combine everything except the oil and currants in a food processor blender, then process to combine well. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to create an emulsified dressing, then add the currants, if you’re using them. Taste the dressing, then season with salt and pepper.
Combine the chopped lettuce, spring onion, cabbage, avocado and bocconcini in a bowl, then toss to combine. transfer to a large platter or shallow bowl, drizzle with the dressing, then scatter over the chickpeas and herbs. Serve.