mia cucina italiana

MEDITERRANEAN SALAD
Serves 4

This salad is as much about the quantity of the veggies and herbs as it is about the arugula.

Make Spicy Chickpeas:
1-16 oz can chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp each cumin and ground black pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp tumeric
sprinkle Kosher salt

Make Lemon Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 Tbsp lemon pepper
1/2 tsp salt

For Salad:
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup ciabatta bread torn into bite-size pieces
1/4 tsp each salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp each fresh chopped mint, basil and parsley
2 cups chopped and quartered cherry tomatoes
2 cups chopped cucumber
1 cup chopped red onion
6 radishes, quartered
1 cup baby arugula, roughly chopped

1. Heat olive oil in saute pan and add chickpeas. Add spices and toss to coat. Saute 3 minutes over medium heat, tossing occasionally. Sprinkle with a little Kosher salt. Remove to a plate to cool. Note: there will be more spicy chickpeas than needed for this recipe, but they make an excellent snack. Keep the extras in a covered container in the fridge.

2. In a covered jar, add all vinaigrette ingredients and shake until well mixed.

3. Melt butter in saute pan over medium-high heat and add torn bread pieces along with salt and pepper stir to coat in butter. Toss frequently and cook about 5 minutes until lightly browned on all sides.

4. Add chopped mint, basil, parsley, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, radishes and arugula in a large mixing bowl. Add bread pieces and 1 cup chickpeas. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and stir lightly to coat all pieces. Serve family style in a large platter.