We are going through a little heat spell here in Brooklyn, with days on end of 90+ degree heat in our immediate past and future. Who wants to eat a big meal, let alone cook one, in the sweltering heat? Not me.
Last night I put some plump summer strawberries to work in a really delicious salad. Because it was a main course I added a little body in the form of cheese. But this is without question a light meal. If you have a big appetite, this of would work well as a side dish, or especially a post-main-course salad.
This is is a sort of a loose “recipe.” Please adjust proportions to your taste!
Summer Strawberry and Baby Arugula Salad
For the salad, wash and dry some baby arugula (it bruises easily, so be gentle); slice some strawberries (I used an egg slicer to make quick and beautifully uniform work of it); and slice some red onion as paper thin as you can possibly get it.
Now make a very simple vinaigrette of about half very good quality extra virgin olive oil and half white balsamic (the higher proportion of vinegar than in your typical vinaigrette works with the bitter arugula and sweet strawberries here), plus some salt, pepper, and fresh or dried basil (basil and strawberries go swimmingly together). Whisk it well and toss it with the arugua, strawberries, and onion.
After plating, shave some ricotta salata and sprinkle some toasted walnuts over the top of each serving. Drizzle a little more olive oil and/or vinegar over top, if desired. You can’t get simpler than that!
Note: I picked ricotta salata cheese because I thought the creaminess of it would go well with strawberries, which it did. You might want to go an even creamier, milkier route and choose a cheese like manouri. I also considered using parmigiano reggiano, as it tastes great with with arugula. Any of these cheeses would be great options.
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