Arugula Salad
Arugula is one of my favorite greens. I love the peppery kick, especially in small quantities on a variety of dishes (e.g. pizza, capreses, paninis, etc). Of course, also a big fan of arugula in salad form. This is my first time actually making salad. My current and highly experimental approach to salad construction is to emphasize contrast, both in texture (crisp, crunchy, creamy, soft) and flavor (sour, sweet, fresh, etc). I'm pretty happy with how this turned out
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min
Ingredients
> Arugula (~3 oz)
> Walnuts (2/3 cup)
> Parmigiano Reggiano
> Granny smith apple (1 small)
> 1 tbsp butter
> 1 tbsp brown sugar
> pinch of cinnamon
> salt, pepper
Vinaigrette:
> Olive oil (~3 tbsp)
> Lemon juice (~1 tbsp)
> Sugar / honey (~1 tbsp)
Instructions
1. Peel, core, and cut apple into 12 slices.
2. Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Once butter has almost melted, add the brown sugar and the apples. Cook and toss a few times until they are nicely caramelized on all sides. Add a pinch of cinnamon and set aside.
3. Lightly toast some walnuts in an oven or toaster oven for about 5 minutes, or until the walnuts take on a very slight change in color. Set aside.
4. Vigorously mix olive oil, lemon juice, and sugar until the vinaigrette is fully emulsified. Drizzle over the arugula and mix thoroughly.
5. Shave thin slices of Parmigiano over the arugula with a vegetable peeler.
6. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper, and top with the walnuts and apples. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips:
> Vinaigrettes are really versatile. As long as you follow the standard spec of 3 parts oil to 1 part acid, you can use pretty much any acid (various vinegars, lemon juice, etc)
> The sugar in the vinaigrette is really important. Without it, the dressing can be overly sharp.
> The side ingredients are mostly just to achieve contrast and are easily substitutable. Try pears, almonds, cherry tomatoes, raisins, goat cheese, feta cheese, etc.