Gambino’s is an Italian restaurant down the street, and I’ve eaten there regularly since I was a kid. My kids have eaten there since they were small children, too. My buddy Burton loves the Veal Marsala. Princess Persnickety is a die-hard Chicken Alfredo fan. My friend Leslie Ann was talking about their Eggplant Parmesan recently. I’ve had most everything on the menu at this point, and still I always try to talk somebody into splitting an order of crab claws AND a steak Oscar with me because I want some of both. But you know what everybody agrees on? They agree they adore that big family-sized bowl of salad Gambino’s plops on your table before your entree.
I love, love, love a big salad–both making it and eating it. Tonight my peeps want Creole Spaghetti with garlic bread, and I’m making a Big Fat Italian Salad to go with it. Everybody’s looking forward to dinner!
My Big Fat Italian Salad starts with crisp greens and includes a great dressing. I think parmesan cheese is non-negotiable, as are tomatoes, cucumbers. I’m agnostic on onions. Either which way it all needs to be dressed and tossed in a good-sized bowl to serve. The details are up to you.
The dressing below is one I’ve been making for several years. It’s our house favorite Italian dressing, and I encourage you to make it at least once. It’s quick and easy, and for salads it absolutely leaves bottled Italian dressing in the dust. (I still use bottled Wishbone Italian as a meat marinade, by the way.) Make this Italian dressing a couple of hours ahead and leave it on the counter to allow the flavors to bloom. Leftovers keep for at least two weeks in your fridge.
My Big Fat Italian Salad requires crunchy greens. I use romaine, but iceberg will do. I add radicchio if I have it, but radicchio is hard to find around here. Save the delicate greens for something else.
Tomatoes are up to you. Romas are my favorite for this salad, but grape or cherry tomatoes are often what I have on hand and they work well. Cukes are whatever kind you have or can easily get, and seeded if you wish. Onions are typically diced purple or sweet onions. In my house, though, we don’t all love raw onion. Lately I’ve been using commercial fried onions instead, and everyone here is delighted with that swap!
The other goodies I usually add are sliced black olives, artichoke hearts, and chickpeas. And more parmesan. If My Big Fat Italian Salad is to be dinner rather than a side, it may get some fresh mozzarella and grilled chicken. Or sliced steak. Or julienned salami. Or mozzarella, chicken, and salami for an Italian chef salad (a sliced boiled egg isn’t out of place here). You can even chop the romaine, tomatoes, and cucumber in smaller pieces and have it as Big Fat Italian Chopped Salad. Pro tip: chopped salad is easier to eat at your desk than fluffy salad.
You can keep undressed Italian salad in your fridge for a day or two. Dress and toss the salad just before serving. We add croutons to individual plates, and we never skimp on those French fried onions.
Yum.
My Big Fat Italian Salad
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, washed, dried and sliced into ribbons
- 1 Roma tomatoes, cored and sliced, or grape or cherry tomatoes, halved if on the large size
- ½ of a cucumber, sliced (and seeded if you want)
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
- salt and pepper to taste
- Italian dressing as needed, recipe below
Optional add-ins:
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup canned or marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half
- ¼ cup sliced black olives
- ½ cup canned chickpeas or cannellini beans, drained
- a few pepperoncini
- ¼ cup diced pimento or red bell pepper
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- fresh herbs--basil, oregano, parsley, or a combination
- 1 cup croutons (add after tossing with the dressing so they stay crisp)
- ⅓ cup commercial French fried onions (add after tossing with the dressing so they stay crisp)
Instructions
- To assemble the salad, put the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and your favorite optional vegetable toppings in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper and toss. Just before serving add dressing a little at a time and toss again. Repeat if needed until the salad is as dressed as you like. If you're not sure, err on the side of caution. You can always add more dressing, but you can't take it away. Top the salad (or individual salads) with any toppings that need to stay crunchy--croutons, fried onions, etc.--and serve.
Perfect Italian Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 cup olive oil
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 t. each garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley flakes, and paprika
- ½ t. each celery seed, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
Instructions
- In a pint or quart jar with tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients. Shake well. The flavor develops best over a few hours at room temperature. After that, store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
MMM. Yes, the Eggplant! I love Gambinos and will save your salad/dressing recipe for sure. It looks much better than anything else I’ve ever bought, or tried to make myself. – Ciao!
Ciao! LOL!
I just KNEW which Leslie Ann you were referring to!! Ive just printed your dressing recipe and it’s going on our salad tonight. As for Gambino’s – who doesn’t love that place?