Kitchen Sink "Trough" Salad
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 2 to 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 695
- Total Fat
- 51
- Saturated Fat
- 11
- Carbohydrates
- 46
- Dietary Fiber
- 14
- Sugar
- 22
- Protein
- 22
- Cholesterol
- 56
- Sodium
- 1213
- Total: 3 hr 35 min (includes pickling time)
- Active: 35 min
Ingredients
Salad:
1 head iceberg, chopped
3 Persian cucumbers, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup mixed soft herbs (I like flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil and mint), whole leaves or roughly chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta (I use a block and crumble it myself vs. buying pre-crumbled)
1/2 cup giardiniera (I use Mauro Provisions)
1/2 cup Ryan’s Pickled Onions, recipe follows
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
4 slices crispy cooked bacon, chopped
2 cooked chicken breasts (I use rotisserie chicken, skin removed), chopped
1 avocado, chopped
1 large carrot, shaved into ribbons
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Ryan’s Pickled Onions:
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon peppercorns
Directions
- For the salad: In a large metal mixing bowl, add the iceberg and cucumbers and season with salt. Add the herbs, feta, giardiniera, pickled onions, raisins, sunflower seeds, bacon, chicken, avocado, carrot ribbons and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- For the dressing: In a small mixing bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard and honey until emulsified. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified. Season heavily with salt and pepper.
- Add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Ryan’s Pickled Onions:
- Place the onion slices in a jar. In a medium bowl, whisk 1 cup water with the vinegar, cider, sugar and salt until dissolved. Add the peppercorns.
- Pour over the onion slices, screw on the top and refrigerate for a few hours before using. Keeps about 2 weeks.
Cook’s Note
When making the pickled onions, you can also boil the liquid mixture and then pour it over the onions if you want them to have a little less “bite.”