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Lucali Salad

Source of Recipe

From "See You On Sunday" by Sam Sifton


Recipe Introduction

"Here is salad-making as an alchemical art, a way to take really the cheapest store-bought produce and turn it into something phenomenally delicious to eat—especially off a plate on which you've eaten Sunday gravy or an eggplant parm. It is an American-Italian salad to remind some of Grandma, and others of the red-sauce joint by the bay; the secret weapons are red wine vinegar and the spice blend known as lemon pepper. I learned how to make it from Mark Iacono, the laconic pizza chef who runs Lucali restaurant in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, who serves it only when he remembers to make it in the afternoon, which is not often. 'You can't rush this one,' he told me. 'The tomatoes need time to bleed out.' You'll have plenty of leftover dressing. That's a good thing."

List of Ingredients

For the salad:
â—¦ 5 smallish tomatoes, halved and cut into fifths
â—¦ ½ smallish red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
â—¦ 1 celery stalk with leaves, ideally from the heart, chopped
â—¦ 18 canned, pitted black olives, plus 2 tablespoons olive brine
â—¦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
â—¦ â…“ cup olive oil
â—¦ 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
â—¦ 1 head iceberg lettuce, outer leaves and brown bits removed, roughly torn

For the dressing:
â—¦ 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
â—¦ ½ cup red wine vinegar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
â—¦ ½ teaspoon lemon pepper



Recipe

Make the salad. Combine the tomatoes, onion, and celery in a large bowl. Add the olives, bruising each slightly between your index finger and thumb, and the olive brine.

Add the salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, oil, and vinegar to the bowl, and mix gently with your hands or a wooden spoon. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Wash and dry the lettuce, then put it into a bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the salad.

Make the dressing. (There will be a lot left over, which you can cover and store in the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.) Combine the oil, vinegar, salt, black pepper, and lemon pepper in a jar or large bowl. Cover the jar and shake until emulsified, or use a whisk to achieve the same result in the bowl. Set aside.

Assemble the salad. Spoon onto a large platter enough of the tomato mixture and accumulated juices to cover its bottom. Arrange some of the iceberg across the top of the tomatoes and drizzle a little dressing over it. Add some more of the tomato mixture, then another round of the iceberg. Drizzle with some more of the dressing and then repeat. Serve immediately, so the lettuce does not wilt, with Italian bread, perhaps alongside or after spaghetti or eggplant parm.

Serves 6