It was about a zillion degrees here today (which means 80s for you folks not in the damp Northwest) and I have about as much enthusiasm for hot food as I do for hope and change.
So I recreated a salad from a local grocery store deli. Weird, I know. But it’s a 24 hour grocery store right across from one of my favorite bars. I have eaten this salad piss ass drunk sitting on a concrete step at 2 am.

It’s really 2 salads stacked together. The first a simple romaine, tomato cuke blend. That goes on the bottom of your plate. Then a simple tuna salad (tuna, mayo, some diced red onions, a little lemon juice and spices. I use garlic salt, black pepper, paprika and dill) mixed with the large shell shaped pasta.

The real key is the vinegarette. I know it seems like overkill, what with the mayo-ee goodness of tuna and all, but trust me. It’s the vinegarette that makes this awesome. You end up with perfect bites of tangy crunchy creamy goodness.

I am a master of the vinegarette.

The trick is this. You need good vinegar (I use balsalmic or raspberry for any salad with fruit in it, red wine for a straight up veggie like this one) good olive oil for body, Then you need something to emulsify them (dijon mustard or honey workd