Hilton at Home: Mix Up Nancy Silverton’s Famed Chopped Salad
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Nancy Silverton is an internationally acclaimed American chef, baker, restaurateur, and author who also serves as one of Hilton’s most notable global chef partners. In 2022, she opened a branch of her famed Osteria Mozza inside Hilton Singapore Orchard, and it stands today as the only Asian outpost of Chef Silverton’s one-Michelin-starred Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles.
Widely recognized for her role in popularizing sourdough and artisan breads in the United States, she has been named Food & Wine’s “Best New Chef” and is the winner of the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014. With nine cookbooks to her name (and a 10th on the way!), Silverton’s Italian-inspired recipes are continuously celebrated for their fresh, straightforward flavors.
Of all her recipes that have been praised and pilfered during her decades-long career, it is “Nancy’s Chopped Salad” that has become a viral sensation. First introduced to her menu at Pizzeria Mozza in LA back in 2006, the offering reached cult status by 2011 with its inclusion in The Mozza Cookbook. Since that time, she has made no changes to this recipe – and why would she? It is perfect.
On a recent trip to Hilton’s McLean-based headquarters, Chef Silverton was kind enough to demonstrate the making of her eponymic salad and provide the recipe below.
Nancy’s Chopped Salad
Serves 4 as a starter, or 2 as a main course
Ingredients
- For the Salad
- Half of one small red onion (Halved through the core)
- 1 medium head radicchio
- Kosher salt
- 1½ cups cooked Ceci (chickpeas)
- 4 ounces aged provolone, sliced ⅛ inch thick and cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
- 4 ounces Genoa salami, sliced ⅛ inch thick and cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
- 5 pepperoncini, stems cut off and discarded, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)
- Juice of ½ lemon, plus more to taste
- 1-pint small, sweet cherry tomatoes (such as Sun Golds or Sweet 100s), halved through the stem ends, or cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce
- Dried oregano, for sprinkling (preferably Sicilian oregano on the branch)
- For the Vinaigrette
- 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, 1 smashed flat and 1 grated
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
- Freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon (1 tablespoon), or more to taste
Directions
- To prepare the vinaigrette, combine the vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, smashed garlic, grated garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients. Set the vinaigrette aside to rest for 5 minutes to marinate the oregano. Add the olive oil in a slow, thin stream, whisking constantly to combine. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.
- To prepare the salad, separate the layers of the onion, stack two or three layers on top of one another, and slice them lengthwise 1/16-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining onion layers. Place the onion slices in a small bowl of ice water and set them aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients for the salad. Drain the onion and pat dry with paper towels before adding them to the salad.
- Cut the iceberg in half through the core. Remove and discard the outer leaves from the head and the core. Separate the lettuce leaves, stack two or three leaves on top of one another, and slice them lengthwise ¼-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining leaves and thinly slice the radicchio in the same way.
- Cut the tomatoes in half, season them with salt, and toss gently to distribute the salt. Combine the lettuce, radicchio, tomatoes, Ceci, provolone, salami, pepperoncini, and onion slices in a large, wide bowl. Season with salt and toss to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
- Drizzle ½ cup of the vinaigrette and squeeze the lemon juice over the salad, then toss gently to coat the salad with the dressing. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, lemon juice, or vinaigrette if desired.
- Pile the salad on a large platter or divide it among individual plates, piling it like a mountain. Sprinkle the dried oregano on top and serve.
About Hilton
Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties and more than 1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the 2021 World's Best Workplaces list and been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel a day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.