Pastor Phil’s Insalata Toscana (Tuscan Salad)

I love the movie Under the Tuscan Sun, which inspired this salad. The salad debuted on a cold rainy night in March and was a huge hit with the mid Lent café crowd. It’s a very colorful salad with contrasting flavors– sweet grapes, spicy pepperoncini, pungent Asiago, held together by the earthy roasted garlic dressing. Fields of sunflowers dot the Tuscan landscape which is why I included them and you can’t have an Italian salad without some kind of tomato. I think the next version will have some Tuscan green olives and I might roast the red pepper. Enjoy!

Per bus tub

• 2 bags Romaine
• 1 ct. Spinach
• 1 ct. grape tomatoes – cut in half
• 1 ct. grapes – cut in half
• 6 Red Peppers – cut into thin strips
• 1 jar pepperoncini – drained and sliced in rings
• 4 10 oz cans Garbanzo Beans – drained and juice reserved for dressing
• 1 pk. Roasted salted sunflower seeds
• 3 cups shredded Asiago Cheese
• ½ bag seasoned croutons

Combine ingredients and toss with dressing

Roasted Garlic Dressing – double per bus tub

• 1 TBSP cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup Garbanzo Bean liquid
• 1 TBSP roasted garlic purée
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Put vinegar, honey, basil, and garlic in a food processor. With processor on add olive oil in steady stream until emulsified. (Fancy culinary term for mixed well) season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper