I’m often asked what makes a salad delicious and my immmediate response is the dressing. You can make it very simply with vinegar and olive oil, but this time around I used the elements from the salad itself to increase the flavor.
The salad dressing is a combination of arugula, mâche, pine nuts and green olives. Sprinkle a little crumbled feta cheese and the salad is complete.
1. Info for Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
- Cook Time: unavailable
- Total Time: unavailable
- Servings: 6
- Calories: unavailable
2. Ingredients for Arugula Salad with Pesto Vinaigrette
- 3 cups arugula
- 2½ cups mâche (see tips)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup Calebrese green olives, pitted
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 clove pickled garlic (or raw garlic)
- 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar, freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup olive oil
3. Directions:
- For the pesto vinaigrette: Blanch (dip for 10 seconds in boiling, salted water then transfer to an ice-cold bath) ½ cup arugula, drain, pat dry on a paper towel and roughly chop. In a mortar and pestle, combine the blanched arugula, pickled garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Grind into a smooth paste. Add honey, mustard 2 tablespoon pine nuts and 1 olive (for a salty note). Slowly add the olive oil; stir until it’s incorporated. Add about 2 tablespoons (or more) of water if necessary, forthe right consistency. Adjust seasoning.
- Assembly time: Place the remaining arugula and mâche leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the pine nuts, green olives and feta cheese over the greens. Add the pesto vinaigrette and toss.
