Antipasto Wedge Salad

With Not Even Remotely Italian Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

Friends, hello!

Welcome to the first edition of Pizza Every Other Friday where we celebrate all things pizza adjacent: salads, sauces, condiments, and more. Today we’re making an antipasto wedge salad inspired by one I had at Rubirosa earlier this month.

As I began thinking about recreating this salad, my memory told me this: iceberg, blue cheese, capers. But the Rubirosa online menu described otherwise — romaine, provolone, mortadella (and more) — which left me with doubt.

I had one blurry photo to consult along with my foggy memory, clouded by the overwhelming charm of the restaurant, the company of one of my oldest friends, and the excitement of being away from home. Google searches provided little help, so I stuck to the online description, making in the end a romaine wedge salad topped with all of the classic antipasto cured meats and cheeses dressed in what our server that evening described as “a creamy Italian dressing.”

I had never made a creamy Italian dressing, so I searched the Department of Salad’s archives and found Emily’s recipe for Not Even Remotely Italian Creamy Italian Salad Dressing, which worked perfectly — it’s creamy, of course, but also light with a good amount of acidity, and I found the combination of it with all of the salty bits of meat, cheese, and olives as well as the crisp romaine and fresh tomatoes to be completely irresistible.

This salad, of course, would be an excellent companion to any pizza, but it’s really a meal in itself and has been our dinner two nights in a row this week. I may up that streak to three using iceberg and blue cheese tonight. I’ll report back if I do.

UPDATE: I heard back from the woman who manages the Rubirosa Instagram account, and she confirmed a few important details: They do use iceberg lettuce but there are no capers and no blue cheese. The dressing is mayonnaise-based. I made the salad with iceberg last night and it was delicious 🎉

---

The Recipe

Let’s start from the top with Exhibit A, the Rubirosa wedge salad:

As you can see, they do not use a light hand with the antipasto elements, all of which are so darn good.

To start, you’ll want to make Emily’s dressing, a mix of mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, fresh lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and some seasonings. To balance all of the salty elements of the salad, I’ve added a small amount of honey to the dressing.

Combine them all in a bowl…

… then whisk until smooth. Add chives if you wish.

The online menu lists these ingredients in the salad:

romaine / provolone piccante / mozzarella / black olives / soppressata / mortadella / parmigiano

For the cured meats, ideally, you’ll start with 1/4-inch thick slices. My favorite place to find these ingredients is my local Italian deli, La Gioia’s. Many grocery stores carry thinly sliced cured meats, which you absolutely can use here, and it’s possible your grocery store’s deli counter can provide thicker slices as well.

To assemble the salad, arrange quartered heads of Romaine on a platter. Season with salt, drizzle with dressing, and shave Parmigiano over the top. Scatter the meats, cheeses, olives, and tomatoes over the top. Drizzle with more dressing. Snip chives over the top, if you wish, and crack pepper over the top to taste.

---

Antipasto Wedge Salad

Serves 4, easily scaled up or down

Inspired by the antipasto wedge salad served at Rubirosa in NYC. Find a printable version of the recipe here.

Notes: 

UPDATE: I heard back from the woman who manages the Rubirosa Instagram account, and she confirmed a few important details: They do use iceberg lettuce but there are no capers and no blue cheese. The dressing is mayonnaise-based.

12/29: I made the salad this evening with iceberg (photos above), and I think I prefer it! I also prefer using all provolone to a mix of provolone and mozzarella, and I prefer using all soppressata to a mix of soppressata and mortadella.

All of this said, this is a salad that lends itself well to improvisation. Here are some thoughts: 

• Use Iceberg or Romaine.

• For the mortadella and soppressata, ideally you start with a slice roughly ¼-inch thick. Most grocery stores sell very thinly sliced soppressata, and you of course can use that, but check with the deli counter or visit an Italian deli to get a thicker slice. Local friends: La Gioia’s in Schenectady is my favorite deli for these ingredients. 

• Cheese: Use provolone alone or a mix of provolone and mozzarella. 

• Tomatoes: I know it is not tomato season, and if using tomatoes this time of year gives you pause, leave them out. 

For the dressing, I’m using Emily Nunn’s Not Even Remotely Italian Creamy Italian Dressing. Because the salad itself is on the salty side (olives, cured meats, cheese, etc.), I’ve added a little bit of honey to the dressing. I find 2 teaspoons to be perfect, but add more or less to taste. 

---

Ingredients

For the dressing: 

• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons full-fat buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons sour cream

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 small clove garlic, grated

• ½ teaspoon dried oregano

• pinch cayenne

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 to 2 teaspoons honey, optional or to taste

• 1 tablespoon water, optional

• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped chives, optional 

For the salad:

• 2 heads Romaine OR 1 head iceberg, see notes (I prefer iceberg)

• flaky sea salt

• 4 ounces cured meat, such as soppressata and mortadella, small diced, see notes (I prefer soppressata alone)

• 2 ounces provolone

• 2 ounces mozzarella, see notes (I prefer using 4 ounces of provolone and no mozzarella)

• ½ cup chopped kalamata olives or olive of choice

• 1 cup halved or quartered cherry tomatoes

• Parmigiano Reggiano

• Fresh chives, optional

• Freshly ground black pepper

---

Instructions:

1. To make the dressing, whisk together all of the ingredients except the water and the chives. If the dressing is thick, stir in the tablespoon of water to thin. Stir in the chives. Taste; adjust seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. To make the salad, trim away the Romaine heads’ scraggly top ends. Quarter each head through the core. If the very bottom end of the core is brown or discolored, trim it away. If using iceberg: trim away the bottom discolored end. Cut the head in half; then cut each half into three wedges.

3. Place the Romaine or iceberg wedges onto a large platter. Season lightly with sea salt. Drizzle dressing over the top generously (or to taste).

4. Scatter the meats, cheeses, and olives over the top followed by the tomatoes, then season lightly with sea salt. Using a microplane or other grater, shave the Parmigiano over the top to taste. Drizzle lightly with more dressing. To finish, snip chives over the top, if using, and crack pepper over the top to taste. 

5. Serve with a knife and fork and pass more dressing on the side. 

---

Any topic you’d like covered? Please let me know. See you next Friday 🍕🍕