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Joey's Chopped Salad

This is my favorite salad (there's nothing healthy about it, though). 

Any salad that combines blue cheese and Fritos is my kind of salad.  Seriously, though, this is a really tasty salad.  The recipe was posted in the Journal Sentinel several years ago, and I was super happy when I saw it!  It's from Joey Buona's Pizzeria Grille, and the chef, Roger Ruzek, sent in the recipe (in case you get excited about those kinds of details).

I make the vinaigrette from time to time without doing the fancy salad, since it's really tasty on a plain side salad, too.  I made it for Christmas one year for a big family-style dinner for 14 or so, and something weird happened when it was refrigerated, and it looked like gravy - it would have been funny, but it totally stressed me out, and then I didn't have a cruet, so it got spooned out of a bowl and TOTALLY looked like gravy.  I almost cried.

Joey Buona's Chopped Salad


2 tablespoons diced prosciutto
8 cups romaine and iceberg lettuce blend, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1/4 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup sliced black olives (any kind)
1/4 cup carrots (sliced in coins, then halved)
1/4 cup diced and seeded cucumbers
1/4 cup crumbled corn chips
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup red wine vinaigrette (see recipe)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place prosciutto on a cookie sheet and bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.  To make salad, combine all remaining ingredients except vinaigrette in a large bowl. Add vinaigrette and mix well. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1 green onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly chopped garlic
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place onion, garlic, honey and vinegar in a blender. Start mixing on highest speed. Very slowly add the olive oil into the blender to emulsify. If oil is added too quickly, ingredients will not combine. After all the oil is added, season with salt and pepper. Store unused vinaigrette in refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and shake well before using. Makes 2 cups.
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