Recipe: Fire and Iceberg Salad with Spicy French Dressing

FIRE AND ICEBERG SALAD
"At my child's preschool they sometimes serve miniature piles of torn iceberg lettuce tossed with French dressing. I can understand why: The crunch is fun and the dressing candy-sweet. When made at home, where you can control the sugar and add some heat and smoked paprika, French dressing is a more interesting concoction. I like it spicy, because I find that a little chile fire goes a long way toward igniting the cold crisp heart of the iceberg. Ripped radicchio - raging pink - adds color and maturity."



1/2 clove garlic, finely grated
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) walnut halves or pieces
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/2 large head (1 pound) iceberg lettuce, outer leaves removed
1 small head (7 ounces) radicchio
1 light green celery heart, thinly sliced
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

TO MAKE THE DRESSING:
Combine the garlic, tomato paste, both paprikas, honey, vinegar, and lemon juice in a small bowl, and stir to combine. Whisk in 6 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with the cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Pour the dressing into a small pitcher for serving at the table.

TO TOAST THE WALNUTS:
Combine them with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and the tablespoon of butter in a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing regularly, until the walnuts are fragrant and have turned golden brown, about 5 minutes. Let the nuts cool.

TO SERVE:
Tear the iceberg lettuce and the radicchio into bite-size pieces, and combine in a large salad bowl. Add the celery and the walnuts (cooking fat and all), and toss to combine. Sprinkle the blue cheese over the top and serve immediately, passing the dressing alongside.

NOTE:
For perfect crispness, let each person drizzle the dressing over his or her own salad. Tossing the iceberg with the dressing before it reaches the table causes the lettuce to wilt.

Makes 6-8 servings
Used with permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: The New Midwestern Table: 200 Heartland Recipes by Amy Thielen, photography: Jennifer May