This Capicola Salad is perfect for large gatherings and dinners. Just pass the plate around and watch people dive in to all this fresh meat and cheese!
What is it with me and large plates? Seriously I never seem to plate anything up individually any more and this Spicy Capicola Salad packed with layers of major fresh tasting deliciousness didn't escape the large plate. I'm all about passing things around the table and digging in to huge plates of food. Maybe it's the sharing in me or maybe I'm just worried that someone else might end up tasting something that I don't. Selfish? Whatever plate you decide to use to serve up this salad doesn't matter because when people see it, you can hear the deep breaths and Oh My's. The colors are amazing and everything is so fresh!
What goes into this Capicola salad?
There's a layer of salad greens as a base topped with some tiny micro kale which are smaller than baby green but bigger than sprouts. They're always pretty looking, so perfect for photographs and ultra nutritious! I didn't have plans to add cheese to this salad but with a ball of burrata in the fridge, the rest is history. It's creamy texture mixes well with the olive oil and lemon dressing. you could just plop the whole ball down in the center and let your table guests go at it too, but I can't guarantee there would be any left when the plate gets to you. I wanted to use blood oranges but we're heading out of that season though I did find some but they were dry and old so I went with some slices of Cara Cara. This orange is super sweet and the color is a deep pink almost like a grapefruit.
What is Capicolla?
Capicolla, also known as coppa is an Italian smoked pork meat like a salami or Prosciutto. When you buy your capicola, have them slice it super thin and just tear it apart to make some layers on top of the salad. Prosciutto would work just as well, but I love the spicy outer part of this Italian meat. Don't get too caught up in this recipe because it can de wildly adapted with almost every ingredient. Just layer everything up and pass it around the table for the win. Pour a cool glass of Chardonnay and dust of your patio furniture guys because it's summer salad time!
