Vegetarian Italian Chopped Salad

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano 
• 1 teaspoon black pepper 
• ½ teaspoon salt, and more to taste 

Pureed garbanzo beans:

• 1 (15-ounce) can of garbanzo beans, drained 
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• Juice from ½ lemon
• Salt

Salad:

• ½ red onion, diced 
• ½ pound provolone, sliced into ¼-inch cubes
• ½ cup pickled pepperoncini, roughly chopped
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes
• 2 Persian cucumbers, diced
• 1 head of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1 head of raddichio, thinly sliced
• Parmesan, as garnish
• Black Pepper, as garnish

Instructions

1. 1
   To Make the Dressing: To a small bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, black pepper and salt. salt and then add the oregano. Give it a taste and adjust the salt according to your liking.
2. 2
   To Make the Pureed Garbanzo Beans: To a food processor or high-powered blender, add the garbanzo beans, along with the garlic clove, water, lemon juice and a few pinches of salt. Pulse until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Give it a taste and adjust the salt to your liking.
3. 3
   To Assemble the Salad: To assemble the salad, add the red onion, provolone, pepperoncini, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, romaine lettuce and raddichio to a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until thoroughly combined.
4. 4
   To serve the salad, add the garbanzo puree to the bottom of a serving bowl. Smooth it out into one even layer. Add the salad mixture on top and serve. Top with a tablespoon or two of grated parmesan and a few turns of black pepper.