Big Italian Salad

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/big-italian-salad.html#tabrecipe
By Jennifer Segal
This Italian salad pairs nicely with Italian comfort food. You’ll love the homemade dressing!

As with many other recipes, this definitely gets better with age.  It's very good from day 1, but 3-4 days later it was even better.  It's easy enough to make, and my latest favorite dressing!


Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:
1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup red wine vinegar, best quality such as Pompeian Gourmet
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, best quality such as Lucini or Colavita
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons honey

FOR THE SALAD:
1 large head romaine lettuce (or 3 hearts), washed, dried and cut into large, bite-sized pieces
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup seeded and chopped hothouse cucumbers
1 to 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons
Handful grape tomatoes, halved
Handful pitted olives
Ricotta Salata (see note) or Feta, crumbled to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the dressing: Combine all dressing ingredients in a food processor and blitz to blend.

Place all of the salad ingredients except for the cheese in a large bowl.

Right before serving, add about half of the dressing and toss well. Add more dressing little by little as necessary; be sure to dress greens very generously, otherwise salad will be bland.

Toss in the cheese, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Note: Ricotta salata is an Italian sheep's milk cheese that has a salty, slightly tangy flavor, almost like a dry Italian feta. It is not the same as the wet ricotta in the tub. You can find it at Whole Foods, gourmet grocers or specialty cheese shops.
GLUTEN-FREE ADAPTABLE NOTE

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.