Columbia's Original "1905" Salad

Alan in SW Florida's Note:

1905 is the year that the Columbia Restaurant was founded in the Ybor City section of Tampa, Florida. At this legendary restaurant, this wonderful salad is tossed at your table. Don't forget to have some warm Cuban bread and sweet cream butter to serve along with this delicious salad.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Salad Ingredients

• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into eighths
• 1/2 cup sliced swiss cheese, cut into julienne strips
• 1/2 cup sliced baked ham, cut into julienne strips (or turkey or shrimp)
• 1/4 cup green Spanish olives, pitted
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated romano cheese

Salad Dressing Ingredients

• 1/8 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin Spanish olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Toss together all salad ingredients in a large bowl, except Romano cheese.
2. Mix garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Beat until smooth with a wire whisk. Add olive oil, gradually beating to form an emulsion. Stir in vinegar and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add dressing to salad and toss well. Add Romano cheese and toss one more time.

Reviews

[ddmginger]

This tasted exactly like the Columbia's however I did do some tweaking. Added more ham and cheese, included more garlic in the dressing and a tad more vinegar, superb!

[TexasKelly]

This was delicious and just as I remembered it tasting at The Columbia Restaurant. I did go a little easy on the garlic as I am not much into raw garlic (love cooked though!), I used 2 cloves and it was just the right amount for hubby and I. Thanks so much for posting the recipe.

[JanuaryBride]

I liked it, but it wasn't over the top for me. I am sure it tastes better at the restaurant (as these types of things usually do). If I made it again, I would let it sit for about 10 minutes in the dressing to get a little more wilted. Garlic was overpowering (and we LOVE garlic) so I would use half next time. Thanks for posting!