ChezCindy: Arugula Salad with Ribbons of Vegetables

 

This salad is perfect as we head into Spring.  We still have winter citrus available with clementines and mandolins, sweet little oranges.  But we are longing for the freshness of early spring vegetables.  

Arugula serves as the bed of the salad, a hearty bitter green.  The gentle ribbons of carrot, zucchini, and shaved fennel top the arugula, with the sweet orange segments to balance the bitter notes of the arugula.  I like leaving this as a composed salad, just drizzling the dressing generously over the top.  Use tongs to grab the mix of vegetables, letting the dressing cling as you pull up and plate your serving.  It is perfect alongside some plump roasted shrimp or honey-mustard glazed salmon.

Arugula Salad with Ribbons of Vegetables

1 5-ounce container of baby arugula greens

2 medium carrots, peeled and shaved into long strips

2 small zucchini, peeled and shaved into long strips

1 large fennel bulb, tough outer leaves removed, shaved into thin strips

3 clementines, peeled and sliced crosswise into thin rounds

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

To make the salad:  Place the arugula greens onto a large serving platter.  Using a vegetable peeler, shave the carrots and zucchini into long thin strands.  Using a mandolin or a sharp knife, thinly shave the fennel bulb into strips.  Arrange the vegetable strips and the clementine rounds over the arugula.  Scatter the sunflower seeds, and drizzle 1/3 cup of the citrus dressing over the vegetables and fruit.  Serve additional dressing on the side if desired.  

To make the citrus dressing:  

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons orange juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

8 tablespoons olive oil

Add the vinegar, orange juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and salt to a medium size bowl.  Using a whisk, mix to combine.  Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking while you drizzle to emulsify the ingredients into a creamy consistency. 

 

Alternately, place the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a small food processor.  Process to combine.  Add in 2 tablespoons of the oil, process.  Continue adding in 2 tablespoons of oil, processing each time, until all of the oil is added, and the dressing is emulsified and creamy.