Arugula Salad

While I was in Italy, we had some amazingly fresh salads. And now that it's summer and there's a ton of greenery and ripe tomatoes on sale at the market, I've been recreating those amazing salads at home. There's not much to them. You just need really good and fresh produce. And no real dressing to speak of, just a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of olive oil and you're good to go.

Ingredients [serves 2 as a meal or 4 as an appetizer]:

4 cups baby arugula

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

+ bocconcini

+ parmesan shavings

+ baby tomatoes

+ croutons

+ capers

+ basil leaves

+ roasted peppers

+ sliced fennel

All you really need is the arugula, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil and even though it's super simple, it's still amazingly delicious. Anything else you want to throw on top is up to you. On this particular occasion, I went for supremely sweet tomatoes, soft fresh mozzarella, and salty parmesan cheese shavings.

I love baby arugula. It's just as peppery as grown up arugula but it's more delicate and tender. So, to assemble the salad, just grab your favorite salad bowl and sprinkle in the rocket and the toppings.

Sprinkle in the salt and pepper and then squeeze in the lemon juice and drizzle in the olive oil.

Gently toss the salad and then serve immediately before the greens get too wilted. Arugula has so much inherent flavor and the lemon just enhances it and gives it a bright freshness. The toppings are delicious but to be honest, the arugula by itself is amazing.

Here's the recipe page: