Raw and Cooked Vegetable Salad (Insalata Cruda e Cotta)

Raw and Cooked Vegetable Salad
Insalata Cruda e Cotta
Ingredients (Serves 6)
2 large sweet onions, such as Vidalia
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3/4 pound small new potatoes
1/2 pound fresh green beans, or broccoli crowns
4 ripe Roma tomatoes, sectioned
2 carrots, julienned
2 cucumber, peeled and cut into cubes
1/3 cup black Greek olives, pitted
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons small capers, drained
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Preparation
To make the cooked vegetables (verdura cotta)
1. Peel and trim the onions and slice into rounds, about 3/4-inch thick. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle salt lightly on both sides. Lay the onions on a baking sheet and roast in a pre-heated 375° oven for 20 minutes or longer, turning once, until slightly softened and nicely caramelized on the flat sides and edges. Cool then separate the rounds into thick onion rings.

2. Meanwhile, drop the potatoes, whole with skin on, into a pot with plenty of water. Bring to a gentle boil and cook just until a sharp knife blade slides through the potatoes-don't let them get mushy. Remove the potatoes and cut them into wedges, about 1 inch thick.
 3. Trim the ends of the green beans. If using brocolli, trim the floretts and, when the potatoes are out of the boiling water, drop the beans, or brocolli in and cook until al dente, 4 minutes or so. Scoop them from the pot with a spider and drop the beans, or brocolli into very icy water, to set the color. Once chilled, drain and dry the beans and cut them in 2-inch lengths.

To make the raw vegetables (verdura cruda)
1. Rinse, dry, and core the tomatoes. Slice them in wedges about the same size as the potatoes. Peel & jullien the carrots. Peal and cut the cucumber into cubes.

To make the salad mixture
Put onions, potatoes, beans or broccolli, olives, capers, carrots, cucumber, and tomatoes in a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the remaining salt and freshly ground pepper, drizzle over the rest of the olive oil and the red wine vinegar, and tumble the vegetables to coat them with dressing. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like, and toss again. Serve immediately.