This is the kind of salad I could eat all the time. Texture for days, vinegary and spicy overtones, and bread crumbs. I mean, does it get better than that?
For some people, it does. Jordan didn’t love this salad. For him, the whole grain mustard was too strong. Once he said this, I had to somewhat agree with him. I love mustard, but I could have done with about half the amount.
The base of this salad is escarole, a member of the chicory family (see this post for fun facts and a corny joke about chicories). Chicories have a signature bitterness and their leaves are usually very soft to the touch. Escarole is less bitter than radicchio and has the texture of butter lettuce. Still, its bite required something fatty to balance it.
Enter guanciale, the fattier cousin of pancetta. Sadly, I could not find guanciale in stores. I was really looking forward to trying it, but had to settle with a box of diced pancetta. Not ideal, but still a fatty pork alternative. I sauteed the pancetta over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, allowing the fat to render before the pork got too crispy. Once there was enough fat in the pan, I added a cup of fresh sourdough breadcrumbs and chile flakes, and let them toast until golden brown. However, because I used pancetta, there wasn’t enough fat to soak all of the crumbs, and I had to add a little olive oil to make up the difference.
Thinly sliced shallot adds a fabulous crunch. The shallot rings are first marinated in a few tablespoons of white wine vinegar. Alison suggests at least 10 minutes, but I say the longer the better so they get more pickle-y.
Just before serving, I tossed the shallot, whole grain mustard, guanciale bread crumbs, parsley, and escarole together, and drizzled it with olive oil. Like I said, Jordan wasn’t a huge fan. But I loved it. I had two servings for dinner and ate the rest of it for lunch the next day. It made for really good leftovers. The leaves didn’t get too soggy and the shallot continued to pickle overnight.
I served this salad with another round of Alison’s incredible Crispy Chicken Legs.
73 recipes cooked, 152 to go.
