Salad Recipes: Italian Garden by Recipe Cottage

SEARCH RECIPES:

LOCATION: Recipes >> Salad Recipes >> Italian Garden


	Italian Garden

		Italian Garden Salad (Neapolitan) 1/2 large head of romaine lettuce (bias sliced in two inch cuts) 2 celery stalks (skinned and bias sliced in one inch cuts) 1 piece fennel (about the size of half your palm, cut into half inch squares) 1/2 large cucumber (skinned and sliced - slices not too fat) 1/2 sweet green pepper - or sweet red pepper cored and thinly sliced 1/2 small yellow onion (very thinly sliced) carrot (skinned and thinly sliced), optional salt and black pepper olive oil red wine vinegar OR fat free Italian dressing grated Parmesan or Romano cheese 1 large tomato (stem out, divided in eighths) handful of Greek/Italian green olives or cured black olives 1 tablespoon capers, optional Toss lettuce, celery, fennel, cucumber, bell pepper, onion and carrot. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Traditionally, this is tossed with a dressing "family style" (same dressing for everyone, applied in the the serving bowl). Usually the dressing is 3 parts olive oil to one part strong red wine vinegar (balsamic is o.k. but not necessary). If you're trying to cut out the fat, use a fat free Italian dressing, but dust the result with a little Parmesan or Romano cheese to keep the thing from going flat. Then, top with tomato, olives and grapes. Arrange evenly, but no decorative pretension.