Insalata Del Settecento Recipe

Prepare greens

Wash the lettuce, radicchio and frisée thoroughly under cold water. Spin or pat dry until mostly free of moisture. Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, thinly slice the radicchio, and separate the frisée into small clusters. Place all greens in a large salad bowl and toss gently to combine.

Prepare cucumber, radish, tomato, and carrot. Halve the cucumber lengthwise, remove large seeds if needed, and thinly slice. Slice the radishes very thin. Cut the tomato into wedges or bite-sized pieces, removing excess seeds if overly wet. Peel and julienne or shred the carrot. Add all vegetables to the bowl with the greens and lightly toss.

Hard-boil the eggs

Place eggs in a small saucepan and cover with cold water by about 1 inch. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover the pan, remove from heat, and let sit for 9 minutes for firm yolks. Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, then peel and halve or quarter each egg. Set aside.

Prepare avocado and add eggs. Halve the avocado, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh and slice or cube. Add avocado and the peeled/halved eggs to the salad bowl, arranging them on top of the greens to keep them intact until tossing.

Make the dressing

In a small bowl or jar combine 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp honey (optional), 1/4 tsp minced garlic (optional), 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Whisk or shake vigorously until emulsified and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning — add more salt, pepper, or a touch more honey if the vinegar seems too sharp.

If you prefer a thinner or thicker dressing, adjust with a teaspoon or two of water (to thin) or an extra 1/2 tbsp oil (to thicken) and re-emulsify.

Dress and toss the salad. Just before serving, drizzle about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad. Gently toss to coat the greens and vegetables evenly, being careful not to mash the avocado or eggs. Add more dressing to taste.

Plate and garnish. Divide the salad onto 2 plates or into one large serving bowl. Arrange egg halves and avocado slices on top if you moved them aside earlier. Drizzle the remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil and optional 1 tsp balsamic glaze over the plated salad for shine and extra flavor. Finish with a final pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper.

Serve immediately. This salad is best eaten right away while the greens are crisp and the avocado is fresh.