Insalata di Pollo con Soncino Recipe from The Missoni Family Cookbook
A salad of dressed chicken and lamb’s lettuce from the Missoni family’s cookbook – perfect for a relaxed summer dinner party.
Image: Assouline
Ingredients
- 7oz soncino (lamb’s lettuce)
- ½ boiled chicken (see below)
- 1 serving maionese (see below)
- 2–3 tsp French wholegrain mustard
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Sea salt
- Pomegranate seeds, for garnish
- 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2-3 cups olive oil
- Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 chicken
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1/2 a stick of celery
- 1 tsp sea-salt
Method
- Soak the soncino in a bowl of water. Drain and delicately dry the leaves, being careful to avoid bruising.
- Pull the meat from the chicken and chop it into small bite-size pieces.
- Make the maionese; stir in the mustard.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken and maionese and season with sea salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season with sea salt. Add the soncino and toss until the leaves are coated with the dressing.
- In a serving dish, arrange the dressed soncino. Place the chicken-maionese mixture on top of it. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.
To make the maionese
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
- Gradually whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil in a fine, steady stream until the mixture thickens.
- The yolks will be completely emulsified once the mixture binds and lifts from the sides of the bowl. At that moment, slowly whisk in the lemon juice and sea salt.
To make the boiled chicken
- In a large pot, combine the chicken, onion, carrot, 1⁄2 stalk celery, and 1 teaspoon of sea salt.
- Cover with water, place over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 1-1.5 hours, periodically skimming off and discarding any surface impurities using a slotted spoon.
