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Composed Salad

1905-Style Salad

A composed salad of iceberg, tomato wedges, ham and Swiss matchsticks, and green olives, tossed at the table in a garlic, lemon, and oregano dressing.

Prep
25 min
Total
25 min
Servings
4 (a main-course salad for four, or six as a side)

For the salad

  • 1 lb / 450g iceberg lettuce, about 1 small head, cored and cut or torn into pieces about 4 cm (1½ in) across
  • 1 lb / 450g ripe tomatoes, about 3 medium, each cut into 8 wedges
  • 6 oz / 170g thick-sliced deli ham, cut into matchsticks about 5 mm (¼ in) wide
  • 5 oz / 140g Swiss cheese, thick slices, cut into matchsticks about 5 mm (¼ in) wide
  • 3 oz / 80g green olives, pitted or pimiento-stuffed, halved (optional)
  • 1 oz / 30g Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, finely grated

For the dressing

  • 6 tbsp / 90ml extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tbsp / 45ml fresh lemon juice, from about 1½ lemons
  • 1 tbsp / 15ml white wine vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp / 5g Dijon mustard
  • freshly ground, to taste black pepper
  • a pinch, only if needed fine salt

Make the dressing

  1. In a small bowl, stir the grated garlic into the lemon juice and vinegar. Add the oregano, mustard, and a few grinds of pepper. Leave it for 10 minutes while you cut everything else.
  2. Whisk in the olive oil. Taste the dressing on a leaf of lettuce and add a pinch of salt only if it needs it. The ham, olives, and cheese are all salty.

Cut and arrange

  1. Wash the lettuce if it needs it and dry it thoroughly. Cut it as described in the ingredients.
  2. Stack the ham slices a few at a time and cut them into matchsticks. Do the same with the Swiss cheese.
  3. Spread the lettuce over a large, wide platter or shallow bowl. Set the tomato wedges around the edge, pile the ham and Swiss in the middle, and scatter the olives over the top. If you're not serving right away, cover the platter and refrigerate it undressed.

Dress and serve

  1. Just before serving, whisk the dressing again and pour it over the platter. Sprinkle on the grated cheese.
  2. Toss with tongs until the ham and Swiss are mixed through the lettuce and everything is coated. Taste, add pepper if you like, and serve right away.

"1905-style" here means a specific combination: crisp iceberg, tomato, ham and Swiss cut into matchsticks, green olives, and a garlic-forward lemon dressing, tossed at the table. This is an independent recipe written for this site, with its own proportions and method. It has no connection to any restaurant and is not endorsed by one.

Cut it to match

The ham and Swiss are cut into matchsticks about 5 mm (¼ in) wide, so every forkful picks up some of each. The iceberg stays in larger pieces, about 4 cm (1½ in), because it's the crisp base and should read that way. Stack the slices a few at a time and the cutting goes quickly.

The dressing

Lemon leads and the vinegar backs it up, at three parts oil to two parts acid. The garlic goes in raw and generous, so grate it into the lemon juice and vinegar and leave it for ten minutes before the oil goes in. That takes the sharpest edge off. Oregano and a little Dijon finish it. Taste it on a lettuce leaf before you add any salt, because the ham, the olives, and the cheese on top are all salty.

Arrange, then toss at the table

Spread the lettuce on a wide platter, set the tomato wedges around the edge, pile the ham and Swiss in the middle, and scatter the olives. Then dress it where people can see it. Pour the dressing over, add the grated cheese, and toss with tongs. The platter looks best before the toss, and the lettuce eats best right after it.

What's essential, what's optional

The iceberg, the ham, the Swiss, and the dressing are the salad. The olives add brine and can go if you don't like them. Tomatoes are only worth including when they're ripe. Out of season, halved cherry tomatoes will do better than pale wedges. The grated cheese is a finish, not a structure, and Parmesan is a fine stand-in for Pecorino. If you want a smaller-cut, salami-and-provolone version, see the Grinder Salad.

Keeping it

Cut ingredients keep best undressed, covered, and cold, for up to a day. Dress only what you're about to serve. Once it's dressed, refrigerate leftovers within two hours (one hour above 90°F/32°C) and eat them by the next day. They will be softer.