Little Gem Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

By NANCY SILVERTON, Food & Wine

Nancy Silverton's lovely salad, adapted from her Mozza Cookbook, features Little Gem lettuce, a smaller, sweeter variety of romaine. If you can't find it, use hearts of romaine instead.

Total Time

30 MIN

Yield

Serves : 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnut halves
• 1 tablespoon walnut oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces yellow squash, thinly sliced
• 3 thin red onion slices, separated into rings
• 4 heads Little Gem lettuce
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for serving

How to Make It

Step 1   

Preheat the oven to 350°. Toast the walnuts on a pie plate until golden, 12 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop the nuts. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the walnut oil and a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, combine the shallot, lemon juice and vinegar and season with salt. Let stand for 10 minutes. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and season with pepper.

Step 2   

In a large bowl, toss the squash with the onion, lettuce, walnuts, pecorino and half of the dressing and serve. Reserve the remaining dressing for another use.