Salami Chop Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Tap a number to mark a step done.

1. 1

   Make the Mustard Vinaigrette first and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to dress the salad.

2. 2

   Fill a large bowl with cold water, add the greens and swish them around with your hands to loosen any dirt. Lift the greens out of the water and dry them completely in a salad spinner, spinning 2 or 3 times and pouring off the water in between. No salad spinner? Lay them on a clean kitchen towel, roll it up loosely and shake gently. Wet greens water down the dressing, so get them as dry as you can.

3. 3

   Rinse the cherry tomatoes in a colander under cold water and pat them dry with paper towels. Cut each one in half from top to bottom with a paring knife or small serrated knife.

4. 4

   Cut the top and the root end off the shallot and peel off the papery skin. Slice it into paper-thin rings on a mandoline, always using the hand guard to protect your fingers. No mandoline? Use your sharpest knife and slice as thin as you can, going slow. Separate the rings with your fingers.

5. 5

   Cut the mozzarella into 1/2 inch slices, then cut the slices into 1/2 inch strips, then cut across the strips into 1/2 inch cubes.

6. 6

   Peel the salami slices out of the trays and stack them in small piles of 5 or 6. Cut each stack into 1/2 inch strips, then turn the strips and cut across them into 1/2 inch pieces. Pull apart any pieces that stick together.

7. 7

   Pick the parsley leaves off the stems and pull the basil leaves off theirs. Chop each finely with a chef's knife. Do the basil last, right before you build the salad, so it doesn't turn dark.

8. 8

   Put the greens in a large mixing bowl. Add the tomatoes, shallot, mozzarella, salami, parsley and basil.

9. 9

   Right before serving, shake or whisk the vinaigrette, pour 1/2 cup over the salad and toss with tongs or clean hands until every leaf is lightly coated. Taste a leaf and add a little more dressing if you want it.

10. 10

    Split the salad evenly between 4 bowls or plates. Scoop from the bottom of the bowl too, so everyone gets their share of salami and mozzarella. Serve right away.