Wop Salad is the most famous of dishes from Wop. The name would be enough to captivate anyone’s interest since it is unlike any other word that has ever existed.
You might even come across this on your dinner plate for an up-scale restaurant in New York City or Las Vegas.
What is Wop Salad?
Wop Salad is a green salad of lettuce, tomato, onions, green peppers, and cucumbers. The main dish consists of meatballs, but the vast majority is vegetables. It’s called a “salad” because not once in the entire meal does Wop ever put lettuce or tomato on his plate.
How to make Wop Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Tomato sauce
- 1 cup Mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup Green peppers, diced
- 1/2 cup Onions, sliced (optional)
- 1 loaf of bread (crust removed)
- 3 lbs. ground veal
- 1/2 lb. Butter
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 8 Eggs, beaten (not scrambled)
- 1 lb. Ricotta cheese, drained
Method:
1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare rolls by slicing off the tops and scooping out the insides. Save the interiors to make croutons (see below).
3. In a skillet, cook ground veal until brown; drain excess fat and set aside.
4. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add onions, green peppers, and mushrooms; cook until soft but do not burn (if you do burn them, your salad will taste burnt). Set aside to cool.
5. Coarsely chop bread; set aside.
6. In a skillet, melt butter, add milk, ricotta cheese, and cooked veal to skillet, stirring until well-blended. Add eggs and cook; add tomato sauce and bread.
7. Stir until all ingredients are well-blended, and let it sit off the heat for about 20 minutes before serving.
Nutritional Information:
| Nutrition | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 716.9 |
| Carbohydrates | 29.0 g |
| Protein | 14.5 g |
| Monounsaturated fat | 9.5 g |
| Polyunsaturated fat | 849.2 mg |
| Cholesterol | 1,183 mg |
| Sodium | 1,18 mg |
| Potassium | 4,056 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 |
Health Benefits of Wop Salad
As Wop Salad has a high percentage of vegetables, it is essential to a diet rich in vitamins and minerals. The salad also contains bread, which is a rich source of fibers.
The meatballs are simple to make with the right ingredients and can provide your body with the right amount of protein for active muscles and tissues.
Though the salad may contain high fats, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated ones are healthier fats that lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Can I Freeze It?
Wop Salad can be easily frozen. Place it in a freezer bag and freeze. When you want to make Wop Salad, take the meatballs out of the freezer and thaw them out on the counter before you start cooking.
Do You Have To Make The Meatballs?
This is always a question that beginners ask about making Wop Salad. In short, you don’t have to make the meatballs, but if you decide to make them, remember that vegetables are your best choice.
Is It Healthy?
Though the salad may contain high fats, the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated ones are healthier fats that lower your risk for cardiovascular diseases.
Is It Gluten-Free?
As the bread is solely used to thicken the meatballs, it is not gluten-free. For optimum health benefits, it’s best to order gluten-free bread options if you are not a fan of meatballs.
Is It Vegetarian?
As the salad contains veal and cheese, Wop Salad can be made vegetarian if you choose other types of vegetables. Cassava leaves, celery stalks, and even houmous (a kind of eggplant dip) make excellent substitutes for beef and cheese.
Is It Suitable For Pregnant Women?
As the salad contains meat, it is not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Is It Low In Calorie?
Yes! As Wop Salad has low calories in one serving and is made from vegetables and eggs. The salad contains bread, which has fewer calories than most other grains.
How To Serve It?
Wop Salad can be served as a side dish for dinner or main dish. The salad can even be served as an appetizer at parties.
What Were The First Foods Wop Learned To Cook?
Wop Salad is one of the most high-profile dishes in Wop’s repertoire. The dish was made famous by Luigi Aringino, who was a high-profile cook in New York City during the early 20th century.
Food of Italian Origins
Arranging, born in Italy, immigrated to America when he was just 15 years old with his family. In America, he worked in a pizzeria in Brooklyn for about 15 years before being recruited to cook for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel’s Ritz-Carlton hotel restaurant.
The dish was later added to Wop’s menu after over 90 years because this dish remains to be a classic in Italian and American cuisine.
What are other similar dishes?
The Wop Salad is not the only Italian food with high content of vegetables; there are other popular Italian foods, including pizzas, pasta dishes, and soups. While these may seem just sides, they can pass as main dishes if an expert chef makes them.
Conclusion
Wop Salad is very easy to make. Once it’s made, the salad is supposed to be served immediately. If you plan to make this for a dinner party or cooking for your significant other, it’s best to make the meatballs the same day and let them sit in the fridge for about an hour before serving.
Wop Salad is also a high-impact dish in foodie circles because few words can challenge Wop Salad as a truly unique dish.