Arugula pairs well with bold salad ingredients and dressings.
Arugula is a peppery salad green. It lends bite to any salad, but its sharp flavor needs to be paired with other bold tastes or mixed with milder leaves to reduce its pungency. Look for arugula in farmers markets or in gourmet grocery stores.
Arugula and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Balsamic vinegar is a sweet, thick vinegar made from unfermented grape juice. This vinegar is milder than other types and it can be drizzles over a salad without mixing with oil for a low-calorie dressing option. The sweet and tart flavor of the vinegar pairs well with the bold taste of arugula. Just keep the salad simple, toss washed and dried arugula leaves with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Garnish the salad with nutty and salty Parmesan cheese shavings.
Arugula As An Accent
Take advantage of the full flavor of arugula by using it as an herbal accent in a salad. For raw food diet adherents, vegetarians and corn lovers, a raw corn salad with arugula fits the bill. Arugula leaves are roughly chopped and tossed with raw corn kernels , chopped poblano peppers and a citrus juice based vinaigrette dressing. In such a salad, the arugula acts as an herb to flavor the raw corn rather than serving as the base of the salad.
Fruit Favorite
Sweet berries pair well with arugula in salads.
Sweet and tart fruits such as berries, citrus and tart apples create a foil to the mustard taste of the arugula in a salad. Toss fruit into an arugula salad and dress it simply with a basic vinaigrette dressing such as balsamic vinaigrette or red wine vinaigrette. Garnish the salad with toasted, salted nuts for an added salty crunch. With arugula salads, keep the ingredients simple to allow the natural flavors of the salad to shine through.
Cheese Please Salad
Tangy goat cheese balances the mustard flavor of arugula.
To reduce the bite of arugula, mix it with a milder vegetable and cheese. Fennel bulbs have a subtle anise flavor. Thinly slice these and mix them into a salad base of arugula leaves. Top the salad with a vinaigrette dressing. Goat cheese and mozzarella cheese are good toppings to add. The creaminess of goat or mozzarella cheese cools the tongue from the sharp arugula flavor. The light anise flavor of the fennel can be enhanced by tossing anise seeds into the dressing used.
Tags: salad with, vinaigrette dressing, well with, anise flavor, arugula leaves, arugula salad, arugula salads
