Tuesday, June 5, 2018

Italian Salad in a Jar

Ah, summertime, that time of the year when it’s too hot to cook, and you just want to grab and go and be done with it. This delicious layered Italian Salad in a Jar is something that you are going to want to have on hand all summer. It is shown layered in a quart jar, and that yields a main dish salad. It is so wonderful to be able to grab a jar out of the fridge, empty it into a bowl (and you would be surprised how beautiful it looks), and serve it alongside a roll or slice of freshly baked bread.

A while ago I made an excruciatingly simple Onion and Chive Bread that I shared with you
here. The recipe made three, so I put two into the freezer to bake up later. I wasn’t sure how well that would work, but let me tell you it worked out beautifully, so if you have hesitated to make that bread, do it now. As I mentioned, I had frozen two loaves, so pulled one out, didn’t bother to thaw it, and just put it into a preheated 375° oven (in my case I used my little convection toaster oven), and set the timer to 25 minutes. It came out tasting  as though it was freshly baked! So good, and the perfect accompaniment to the salad.
As with all layered salads, you really don’t need to follow a recipe, per se, you can add or subtract what you like, but after a bit of experimentation, I find this version is just perfect. You may question the presence of corn in an Italian salad. Well, question all you like; when Jim and I were in Italy, every salad we ate had mounds of corn on it, and I found I liked it that way. Having heard of this addition, my dad doesn’t eat a salad without mounding it with fresh corn.

This is a delicious salad, with loads of layers, a lot of textures, a variety of tastes, and color that’s going to make it look pretty, because as I’ve said before, we eat with our eyes first. The recipe for the salad is below, but you really don’t need one, it’s all a case of just layering as you see fit. As you layer, it’s important to press down as much as you can to get all of the air out. I think you’re going to love this one.
Italian Salad in a Jar
 
1 6.34 oz. pkg. Melissa's Steamed Artichoke Hearts
1 Melissa's Fire Roasted Sweet Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 ear fresh corn, husked, niblets removed
Lettuce of your choice
Black olives
Salami (or your favorite deli meat)
Red onion, cut into thin strips
Shredded cheese (I used mozzarella)
Your favorite Italian dressing (I used this one)

Remove the artichokes from the package, rinse, drain, and rough chop, discarding any woody ends. Place the artichokes into the bottom of the jar, and cover with Italian dressing. From there, layer in the order the ingredients are listed, pressing down lightly on each layer. Seal (you can vacuum seal if you have a vacuum sealer and a mason jar adapter) and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days. When ready to serve simply remove the lid and empty into a bowl or onto a plate. So good!

If Mexican is more your thing, try this zesty layered Taco Salad.


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4 comments:

Linda said...

You are right - we eat first with our eyes and that salad is gorgeous.
I always add corn to my salads! I love that sweet crunch.
I still haven't made your Rosemary and Sea Salt Bread, but I just got a new Lodge cast iron Dutch oven, and your bread is at the top of my list. I freeze all of our breads (even store-bought) and have very good luck with that.

Alycia Nichols said...

Those woody ends of artichokes get on my nerves! I hate it when some of the leaves are all fibrous, too. You have to find a way to gracefully spit it out. No way I’m swallowing that!!!!! This salad looks great! I’m cool with the fresh corn. It would add crunch and color and flavor...all of which I am a huge fan!!!

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

There is nothing better than opening the refrigerator and finding a meal in a jar- I make them every week so my lunches are waiting for me..

Pattie @ Olla-Podrida said...

I do love a pretty salad, and salads are naturally healthy, so I plan on having a lot of these this summer. I’m with you Alycia, I do not like the woody part of artichoke hearts, and there seem to be a lot more of them now than there were years ago. What’s with that? I pretty much cut the pieces of artichoke hearts in half tossing the ends of them because they’ve gotten so difficult to chew. The old jaws just ain’t what they used to be.