Zoli’s iceberg and speck salad (zoli bacsi salataja)

This salad is named after Zoltan’s father, (also called Zoltan), who used to make this dish for Sunday lunch.

• serves

  4

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

1 iceberg lettuce, core removed

1 tsp caster sugar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

100 g smoked speck (see Note), cut into lardons

Instructions

Remove leaves from lettuce and place in a colander. Pour over boiling water until leaves start to wilt. Refresh under cold running water, then drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Place sugar, vinegar and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour over lettuce and toss with speck. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note

Eastern European-style smoked speck is more heavily smoked than other varieties and therefore does not require cooking. It is available from delis and selected supermarkets. Substitute bacon or other speck, cut into lardons and pan-fry until golden.

As seen in Feast magazine, Issue 9, pg54.

Photography by Alan Benson.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.