Arugula Salad with Prosciutto
The Nitty Gritty:
A delicious warm-weather dish, gorgeous when served on individual plates.- Level: 1
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Yields: 6 servings
- Tags: salad first course
This recipe is adapted from Nice Matin, a French-Mediterranean restaurant I worked at in Manhattan — but its roots are truly Italian. The arugula is bitter and aromatic, the prosciutto is salty and rich (but not overwhelming), and the anise-flavored chopped fennel, lemon juice, and olive oil round it out.
Ingredients:
- ½ lb. Prosciutto di Parma
- 4 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 1 lb. arugula
- ½ cup fennel bulb, chopped (don't use the stems)
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- freshly ground pepper
- kosher salt
- Fennel bulb chopping in progress
Instructions:
Whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust ingredients as necessary, then set aside.
Lay 3-4 slices of prosciutto on each salad plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. (For a different presentation, loosely roll each prosciutto slice and place on the plate, sitting upright so the coil can be seen from the top, resembling a rose.)
Cut the stems from the arugula. Toss in a large bowl with the olives and chopped fennel. (Can do all of this ahead.)
Right before serving, re-whisk the dressing and toss with the greens. Top prosciutto on each plate with a heaping mound of greens.
Shave a few slices of Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of each salad. Garnish with a lemon wedge and serve.
Cook's note: For a Spanish twist, you can use Jamón Serrano -- similar to prosciutto, but a bit saltier and drier. Trade the Parmigiano-Reggiano for Manchego, a Spanish sheep's milk cheese, in this case.
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By Lynne Funk
Lynne Funk is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and cheesemonger. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., she attended Penn State University where her college newspaper, The Daily Collegian, made her fall in love with words. It was the two and a half years residing in New York City, however, that sparked her obsession with food and wine. Some of her favorite things to make are rack of lamb, paella, and sauces, such as aioli. Choosing just one favorite cheese is difficult, but Pierre Robert tops her list. French wine of all varietals always please her palate.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is a monthly online publication edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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jackgerald
May 2 4:07 p.m. 1Salad was excellent. Will be using at a dinner party this weekend. I like the idea of using the prosciutto as the bed for the salad. Bravo !
Alison
May 5 8:27 a.m. 2Awesome! Let us know how that dinner party went.