Salad wheel Lukullus

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 small eggplants, approx. 25 cm long, thin
• 1 liter of water
• 1 tbsp, heaped salt
• 2 tsp citric acid
• e.g. olive oil
• ½ frisée lettuce
• 1 small romaine lettuce
• 5 m.-large tomato(s)
• 60 g ricotta
• 8 small onions, red
• 10 snow peas
• 4 black olives, pitted
• 1 tbsp wheat flour type 405
• 1 egg(s), size M
• 1 pinch(s) chicken stock powder
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper, freshly ground
• 2 tbsp mild white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Aceto balsamico traditional
• 4 tbsp tomato juice
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 4 pinches of salt
• 4 pinches of black pepper, freshly ground
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 35 minutes

A wow! appetizer that truly deserves its name. Recipe from Rome, Italy.

Dissolve the salt and citric acid in the water. Trim both ends of the eggplants and slice crosswise into approximately 6 mm thick slices. Immediately add them to the brine and weigh them down with a plate. Leave in the brine for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally. Rinse under running water. Place on a fresh tea towel and cover to dry. Rinse the lettuce thoroughly and spin dry. Form the base of the salad wheel on a 32-piece plate with the frisée lettuce. Remove the romaine lettuce leaves from the stems, wash them, and place the 8 larger ones on the outer ring as bowls. Wash the tomatoes, quarter all but one of them lengthwise, remove the green stem ends and seeds. Halve the quarters lengthwise and cut them into thirds crosswise. Fill the romaine lettuce bowls. Cut one tomato 8 times lengthwise, but do not cut all the way through! Remove the seeds with a sharp spoon, leaving enough space for a romaine lettuce heart. Crumble the ricotta over everything. Trim both ends of the small red onions, peel them, and slice them crosswise into approximately 2 mm thick slices. Form a hub around the central tomato and continue this into the spaces between the romaine stems. Wash the snow peas, remove the strings on both sides, and blanch them for 3 minutes. Place them in the spaces between the romaine stems. Split open 4 of the slightly older snow peas and scatter the seeds randomly into the wheel. Discard the empty pods. Reinforce the hub with olive slices. Add 1/4 of the eggplant slices to the batter, heat a pan with olive oil, and fry the eggplant slices until light brown on both sides. Immediately place them in the salad wheel. Continue this process until all the eggplant slices are cooked. Use the remaining batter to make a thin pancake. Roll it up and cut the roll crosswise into thin snails. Place these as competitors for eating. Wrap a heart around the tomato using four strands. Mix the dressing ingredients together and drizzle over the salad 10 minutes before serving. Serve and enjoy the applause for the salad and the salad itself.