Arugula is one of the only reliably tasty year-round salad greens that exists. I’m sure they grow it in some warehouse in Jersey, but I don’t care. It’s always there when I’m craving a salad.
I’m one of those weird people who like salads even in the depths of winter. While we are far from winter at the moment, I find that as I change out my closets from summer to winter clothing, I change out my lettuces this time of year, too.
The problem is that the fresh ingredients that fill up my summer salads also disappear: tomatoes, cucumbers, peaches to name a few. What’s a salad-mad gal to do? Be flexible, of course. And wander the produce aisle to see what’s available for potential salad poaching. It turns out that there is quite a bit—and it can be colorful, too!
Fall Arugula Salad
Ingredients:
- 4 Cups arugula
- ¾ Cup roasted butternut squash
- Seeds from ½ pomegranate
- 3 finger-width slices from a goat cheese log–crumbled
- Red onion slices to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil and fruit vinegar (3:1 rule)
Directions:
- Put arugula, squash, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, red onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix.
- Dress salad with olive oil and fruit vinegar. My friend Andrea gave me some mango vinegar, which was fantastic in this dish. Fig or pear would also be great.
- Makes 2 main dinner salads or 4 side salads.
Note: Buying a pomegranate can be intimidating. Don’t let that stop you! Avoid pomegranates that are super-hard, as well as those that have softer mushy spots. Even if the outside skin is not perfect and has a blotch or two, don’t worry, it’s still good 99% of the time. To open, make a one-inch insertion into the side of the fruit with a sharp knife and crack open with your thumbs. Pull out all of the seeds into a bowl. Great on breakfast cereal too! Careful, pomegranate does stain.