Gina: You gotta love an enormous chopped salad made with just about everything in the vegetable drawer. Our version includes the traditional ingredients of bacon, egg, and blue cheese, along with an array of colorful vegetables for fresh flavor and crunch, and our creamy Barbecue Ranch Dressing (imagine the tart, spicy creaminess of ranch with the sweetness and smoke of the barbecue sauce; it’s a match made in heaven). Your vegetables will be “grooving” in the bowl! This is a hearty salad worthy of being a meal all on its own.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4

　　4 strips thick-sliced bacon

　　2 eggs

　　Kosher salt

　　1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed

　　1 cup chopped seedless cucumber

　　1/2 cup chopped red onion

　　1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

　　1 cup orange (or red or yellow) grape or currant tomatoes, halved

　　4 ounces crumbled blue cheese

　　1 large head romaine lettuce, trimmed (see note) and chopped

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Barbecue Ranch Dressing

1 garlic clove, minced

　　3/4 cup mayonnaise

　　1/2 cup buttermilk

　　2 tablespoons Neely’s Barbecue Sauce (page 25)

　　2 teaspoons apple-cider vinegar

　　1 teaspoon Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning (page 22)

　　3/4 teaspoon onion powder

　　3/4 teaspoon dried dill

　　1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　(makes 1 1/2 cups)

　　

Step 1

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, then transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to cool. Bring a small saucepan of water to a gentle boil. Carefully place the eggs in the water, and simmer for 9 minutes. Drain the eggs, and rinse in cold water until cooled (the centers should still be a bit creamy). When the eggs are cool, peel and thinly slice them. Bring a large skillet of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, and blanch the asparagus until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the asparagus, and then shock it in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

　　

Step 2

You can serve this salad two ways. For the more traditional presentation, toss all of the salad ingredients with the dressing in a large bowl, and then divide among individual plates (be sure you distribute all the goodies evenly, or people will complain!). For an even prettier presentation, arrange the cucumber, onion, bell pepper, tomatoes, blue cheese, sliced eggs, and asparagus in rows, separated by color, atop the romaine lettuce on a rectangular platter or in a large, shallow serving bowl. Crumble the cooked bacon over the top, and serve the salad with Barbecue Ranch Dressing (recipe follows), allowing guests to dish up their own salad with a knife and fork on chilled individual plates. Season with pepper.

　　

Barbecue Ranch Dressing

Step 3

Whisk the garlic, mayonnaise, buttermilk, and Neely’s Barbecue Sauce together in a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, Neely’s Barbecue Seasoning, onion powder, dill, chives, and parsley, and whisk until smooth. Cover and chill for 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.

　　Cooks' Note

　　The paler inner leaves of a head of romaine are the sweetest. I trim and discard any outer leaves that are limp or bruised.

　　From Down Home with the Neelys by Patrick and Gina Neely Copyright (c) 2009 by Patrick and Gina Neely Published by Knopf.Patrick and Gina Neely are owners of Neely's Bar-B-Que in Memphis and hosts of several Food Network shows, including the series Down Home with the Neelys, one of the highest-rated programs to debut on the popular Food Network. High school sweethearts who reconciled at their ten-year reunion, they have been married since 1994. They live in Memphis with their two daughters.Paula Disbrowe collaborated with Susan Spicer on Crescent City Cooking and is the author of Cowgirl Cuisine.