The Chopped Salad

My forever favorite salad, inspired by both my love for the classic La Scala, this is my go-to that never gets old. When I used to live in LA, one of my best friends and I would visit La Scala on weekly basis for lunch. We were the youngest there by 50 years, but it was our happy place and eating this salad brings me back to those wonderful moments in my 20s. If I making this for dinner, I love to pair this with Emily’s English Roasted Potatoes (recipe) and for lunch, a bag of BBQ potato chips is perfection.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces fusilli

• 1/2 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces

• 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

• 2 garlic cloves, minced 

• 3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

• 4 ounces diced pancetta

• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; add asparagus to pan during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain. Sprinkle pasta mixture with garlic; return to pan, and toss well.

• Heat a small pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until crisp. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and set aside. Wipe out the pan and then add the pine nuts. Cook until golden brown. Transfer to a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking. Set aside. 

• Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. If the mixture seems dry, add pasta water 1/4 cup at a time. Top with pine nuts, pancetta, and cheese and toss to combine.