If you love salads in the summer, give my Tuscan Panzanella Salad a try!
A few days ago I was trying to relax after a long day of unpacking and organising, so naturally I plunked myself in front of an episode of Friends, the one with Rachel being insanely jealous over Ross’ new relationship with Julie. Anyway, in one of the scenes she keeps drilling Julie in order to prevent what might come next if they all go home. Julie : “And my third grade teacher was Mrs Cobb…” Rachel: ” Mrs. Gobb? Julie: “No, Mrs Cobb, like Cobb Salad.” Rachel: “Now, what exactly is in the Cobb Salad?” I might be paraphrasing a bit but maybe not. I have been known to quote Friends episodes in their entirety. That’s what happens when you spend a year of your life in a foreign country with not a lot of friends and not a lot to do…you end up marathoning through Friends!! At that point of the dialogue my tired brain switched off Friends and got stuck on Cobb Salad. Whatever happened to Cobb Salad, I thought to myself? I am sure I haven’t eaten or seen it since the 90s! And that, my friends, is all it took for the inspiration!
But getting back to Rachel’s question
“What exactly IS in the Cobb Salad?”
It made me wonder. What I remembered from the 90s was a tossed salad heavy on cubed ham, cheese, bacon bits and boiled eggs drenched in ranch dressing. Nothing too inspiring! When I checked the correct ingredients, I realised what I was able to afford on my student budget wasn’t really IT. The original Cobb Salad was made with chicken, blue cheese and avocado! Say what!! That’s the salad I can get on board with!
How do I make it?
However, what is the point of remaking something that is not broken unless you offer a slightly different perspective? With that thought in mind I set out to create my own version, which is also suitable for gluten-free and keto diet. I wanted my Cobb salad burst with summer produce freshness! I also wanted it to be healthier than the original. So I replaced bacon with paper thin crispy prosciutto, then grilled some chicken breasts. It was a good start but I knew the overall success of the salad rests in the dressing. It has to deliver an incredible flavour that would pull all the ingredients together and after DAYS of trying I got there!
My Cobb Salad Dressing
My dressing recipe is exciting, summery and zingy! And trust me it’s NOTHING like you’ve had before but it’s just as creamy as the original cobb salad dressing. Made with preserved lemons this dressing boasts the most flagrantly lemony flavour you can imagine! It’s also creamy but the creaminess comes from Greek yogurt, so it’s all good! This salad is quite substantial, and therefore perfect for a light summer meal. Brad and I enjoyed it on a warm Sunday night, and he was so happy and didn’t complain once that a SALAD was for dinner!
More Summer Salad Recipes:
Italian Salad Recipe with Tuna, Corn and Fresh Mozzarella Asian Noodle Salad in Peanut Dressing Spinach Pesto Potato Salad with Bacon Greek Orzo Salad with Grilled Zucchini
Post originally published in 06/2017. Updated and republished in 07/2019.
