Recipe: Chopped Chef's Salad

Serves 4 to 6

Caper Vinaigrette:

- 1/3 cup rinsed and drained capers

- About 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

- 3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, divided

- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

- 1 small clove garlic, minced

- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt

- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Salad:

- 1 cup torn radicchio leaves

- 5 cups torn romaine leaves

- 4 ounces semi-firm cheese, cut into ¼-inch wide strips or crumbled (see Kitchen Note)

- ¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved

- 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into slivers

- 1 small carrot, peeled and coarsely grated

- 2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and diced

1. To prepare vinaigrette: Pat drained capers with paper towels. Pour ¼ cup oil in a small skillet and heat over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Slowly slide capers into oil and fry 2 to 3 minutes or until capers burst open and the sizzling stops. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside. Let oil cool.

2. Whisk 3 tablespoons vinegar, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Pour cooled oil into a measuring cup and add additional oil to make 1/3 cup. Slowly drizzle into vinegar mixture, whisking until emulsified and smooth. Set aside.

3. To prepare the salad: Wash and dry arugula, radicchio and romaine. Wrap in paper towels and refrigerate. About 1 hour before serving, tear leaves and put into a bowl. Cover with a paper towel and refrigerate.

4. Just before serving, combine greens with cheese, olives, red peppers and carrots. Toss with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat salad and divide among plates. Put hard cooked egg on top and sprinkle with fried capers. Sprinkle with another tablespoon vinegar if needed and serve.

Times Kitchen Note: An aged white cheddar, aged Gouda, dry jack or blue cheese would be good choices in this salad.

From "The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide" by Paula Lambert