My Vinegar Heaven

Italian Sub Salad (Click here for recipe)



Italian subs are one of my fave pizza shop staples, and the more heaping/gloppy the toppings, the better, as far as I'm concerned. A tangy vinaigrette and classic shake of oregano are so perfectly complimentary to salty Italian meats and provolone. 

When I came across this recipe claiming to convert such a substantial and delicious sandwich to a salad, my reaction was admittedly mixed: wow-this-sounds-incredible-if-it's-really-possible-to-achieve-the-awesomeness-of-this-sub-in-a-salad  vs. no-chance-a-salad-can-compare-to-the-awesomeness-of-this-sub-and-PS-recipes-like-this-kind-of-annoy-me.  It's probably rather clear since it's landing in this forum, but the former sentiment prevailed.  Hurray!

For me, the treasure of this salad comes from this glorious little jar of Italian pickled veggies.  I have no idea how I've managed to pass over such a gem of an ingredient for so long, as my love of pickled things clearly borders obsession. 

The zesty brine serves as the base for the dressing.  Genius.

A second dose of genius is toasted bread cubes (my theme lately, it seems), which boast the crispy outside and satisfyingly tender inside of a perfectly fresh Italian sub shop roll.  THEN these already tasty little nuggets take it one step further and drink up the dressing for a burst of flavor.

Toss some sweet Peppadews and salty olives from the Mediterranean bar on top, and I am totally in love. 

Win win to find such vinegary goodness (little less 'ode' and a little more, um, 'reverence' in this entry, eh??) in a salad that also just *nearly* satisfies like a sub!