Local television personality Marty Bass and his wife, Sharon, are fans of Old Scottsdale, Ariz. And they’re even bigger fans of a restaurant there called Cowboy Ciao and its signature salad. “We were entertaining at home soon after the first time we’d been there, and I wanted something interesting to serve,” says Sharon, and Marty suggested trying to replicate the salad at home. After a phone call to the chef and some in-home tinkering, Sharon mastered the showstopper salad. “People are always impressed when I bring it out of the kitchen,” she says. “Just give yourself some prep time; it’s a lot of chopping, but it’s worth it.”
All ingredients are chopped:
2 heads romaine lettuce, torn
1 package smoked salmon
1 cup cooked Israeli couscous
oven roasted corn (kernels from about 3 or 4 ears)
4 or 5 small tomatoes
1/2 cup black currants, grated Asiago cheese and pumpkin seeds, mixed together
Dressing
1/2 cup pesto
1 shallot chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
Mix in a blender and chill.
Place lettuce in a large bowl. Distribute each chopped ingredient in wide lines lengthwise across the top of the salad. (This part is for presentation only.) After showing off the salad to your guests, add the dressing and toss.
