Italian Chopped Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing

Tucci Benucch is a restaurant in the Mall of America.  I LOVED Tucci Benucch when I first lived in the metro after college.  My good friend and former roommate Lindsey worked there for years.  They have great happy hour specials and tasty, inexpensive food.  Marney and I would go mall walking in the winter when it was too cold to be outside, and afterwards we always rewarded ourselves with a glass of wine and small plates from Tucci. 

I am sure I've celebrated multiple birthdays and special occasions at Tucci.  Their tiramisu (circa 10 years ago) was heaven on a plate. Tucci Benucch is closing next week after 25 years and I'm so sad to see it go, although I understand that the restaurant industry needs to be changing to keep up with the market.

The last two times I ate at Tucci, I had their Italian Chopped Salad, which is everything a chopped salad should be: crunchy, cheesy, tangy, pickly, savory, and everything cut into tiny little pieces. Since the restaurant is closing, I had to create an at-home version of the recipe.  I found a great dressing on another blog and it's perfect with these ingredients. 

And, not related to anything else, my sweet little Lucy has finally figured out how to eat from a spoon and is now a master at eating winter squash (and avocado, and bananas, and green beans, and oatmeal).  It took her a couple months longer than Frankie to get the hang of it, but now her belly is full of new exciting calories every day. 

Italian Chopped Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing, inspired by Tucci Benucch, dressing from The Kitchn
1 head romaine lettuce
1 small head cauliflower
1 large bunch green beans
1 red bell pepper
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup pepperoncinis
1 can hearts of palm, drained
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded or grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
seasoned croutons, crushed

Chop the lettuce, cauliflower, green beans, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, hearts of palm, and pepperoncinis into tiny pieces and mix in a big bowl.  Add garbanzo beans and parmesan cheese.

In a blender, mix garlic, vinegar, egg yolk, sugar, and mustard.  While blender is running, stream in olive oil.  Mix dressing with chopped vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

Right before serving, mix in crushed seasoned croutons.

Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles

I found these pictures in my phone from last August, when I was still on maternity leave with a 6-week old baby.  It's fun to think of August right now, after a month of below zero temperatures and a recent blizzard! 

 

Anyways, these pickles are freaking awesome.  They are not sweet like this version I did a few years ago.  They're tart and crunchy and perfect with grilled foods.  They are so good that A) I actually left a comment on the original blog to let the author know how good they are, and B) I've given the recipe to others who have made them successfully.

So, even though the pics are 5 months old and we won't have farmer's market cucumbers or dill for a loooooonnnngggg time, I'm posting so that I have the recipe readily available to me forever!

Quick Refrigerator Dill Pickles, from Mountain Mama Cooks
2 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
10 cups water
5 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp salt (pickling or kosher or sea salt)
several sprigs fresh dill
1 Tbsp mustard seed
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
Lots of fresh small cucumbers, sliced on mandolin or cut into spears

Boil water and garlic together for 5 minutes, add vinegar and salt and boil until salt dissolves.

In mason jars, evenly distribute fresh dill sprigs, mustard seeds, black peppercorns, and boiled garlic cloves.  Add sliced cucumbers until tightly packed.  Pour boiled water/vinegar mixture over cucumbers to cover.  Cool and refrigerate.  You can eat them after a few hours, but they taste best after sitting overnight.