June’s warm temperatures are making an appearance again this week, but technically it’s still spring until the 21st. This end of spring salad brings together four elements that are a part of the early June gardens in our area. All salad greens love the cooler temperatures of spring and arugula is no exception. We have been enjoying pea shoots for several weeks now and the peas started making their appearance last week. They will probably only last to the end of this month when warmer temperatures will cause the vines to die off.
I just harvested our most currant crop of radishes, another vegetable that doesn’t like mid summer heat. At my request, Joe planted a strawberry bed this spring. In fact, some of the plants are already flowering. He has removed the flowers from these ambitious plants to give them time to establish themselves before producing fruit. So there is a good chance that the plants that bear two times in a season will produce their first strawberries late in the summer.
A strawberry vinaigrette is the perfect accompaniment for this salad. I chose a strawberry balsamic vinegar from The Tubby Olive, a store that is always inspiring new salad combinations for me. For the dressing I combined garlic, shallot, Dijon mustard, strawberry balsamic, just a touch of honey and a good extra virgin olive oil. When making a salad be sure to use a bowl that gives you plenty of room to combine the ingredients. I start by tossing the greens first with dressing to coat them lightly and then add some of the other components and toss again. I leave the rest to top the salad with, this ensures the last person who is served doesn’t get all the heavier ingredients that end up in the bottom of the bowl.
Arugula Strawberry Snow Pea and Radish Salad
Serves two
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1t finely minced garlic
- 3T minced shallot
- 1t Dijon mustard
- 3T Strawberry balsamic vinegar
- 1/4t honey
- 1/4c extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad
- 4-5 cups of arugula, washed and trimmed
- 1c strawberries, stemmed and sliced in half
- 1c snow peas, strings removed, lightly steamed
- 1c radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/4c slivered almonds, lightly toasted
- 2-3 slices of prosciutto, crisped in a non stick pan
- 1/4c creamy feta, crumbled
- Freshly ground pepper
Directions
- To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together until evenly combined. Taste and adjust if necessary. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.
- Place the salad greens in a large bowl and toss with some of the vinaigrette and taste. Add about half of the other ingredients, toss again, adding more of the dressing if necessary. Top the salad with the remaining ingredients. Season each portion to taste with freshly ground black pepper. Reserve remaining vinaigrette for a later use.
