Summer Picnic Salad: Italian Antipasto Salad

Here is an easy and tasty salad to bring to your picnic or barbecue this weekend.  I love antipasto and after nine months of not eating cold cuts or cured meats, I was very happy to make this salad.  I used salami and sopressata but feel free to use any combination of meats.  Also, the store was out of provolone so I used asiago.

I would suggest dressing the salad right before serving otherwise the tomatoes and lettuce will get a bit soggy.

Overall, it’s an easy salad to throw together that will be a crowd-pleaser.  Next time I might throw in some olives and use white beans instead of red kidney beans.

Italian Antipasto Salad
Giada de Laurentiis

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 head butter lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup rinsed canned red kidney beans, patted dry
• 1 cup rinsed canned garbanzo beans, patted dry
• 8 ounces salami, cubed
• 6 ounces Provolone, cubed
• 2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and salt in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper, to taste.