This salad is a permanent feature on our menu. It starts with simple greens, then is topped with a selection of market vegetables, three balls, and the sauce of your choice. When topped with veggie balls, it’s a serious vegetarian meal, but you can also top it with any ball you’d like (heat up your balls in the microwave for a minute or two to take the chill off). Ladle on your favorite warm sauce in place of the expected dressing.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

　　1 tablespoon olive oil

　　1 large portabello mushroom, stem discarded, cap cut into 1-inch pieces

　　Pinch of salt

　　1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces

　　1 head romaine lettuce, tough outer leaves discarded and the rest torn into bite-size pieces

　　1/2 fennel head, thinly sliced

　　1/4 cup sherry vinaigrette (page 121)

　　12 warm veggie balls (page 16) or meatballs of your choosing

　　

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and salt and sauté until they begin to brown and their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.

　　

Step 2

Bring a medium pot half full of generously salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook for 2 1/2 minutes. Strain and cool the asparagus under cold running water.

　　

Step 3

Combine the mushrooms, asparagus, romaine, fennel, and vinaigrette in a large mixing bowl and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and top with warm balls.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation.Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick.Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.