Arugula Salad with Parmesan and Lemon Dressing

My mother had a wonderful garden while we were growing up and our summers were filled with the best salads, vine ripened tomatoes and all sorts of wonderful produce. However, I appreciated everything except for arugula, it was just too spicy and bitter for my sensitive taste buds, and it wasn’t until I moved to New York after college that I started a love affair with it. At a lower east side pizzeria I had a wonderfully simple arugula salad with Parmesan shavings and a lemon olive oil dressing and I have been hooked ever since. The secret to this salad is to season it liberally with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Arugula Salad with Parmesan and Lemon Dressing

Ingredients:

• Juice of half a lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• 1 bunch of arugula, washed and dried
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

Preparation:

1. In a bowl mix the lemon juice, olive oil and garlic. I like to add the garlic to infuse the oil with garlic flavor but I remove it when I dress the salad.
2. Meanwhile, wash and dry the arugula and place in a large bowl.
3. Dress the salad with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix the salad so that it is fully covered with the dressing.
4. Shave the Parmesan cheese and place on top of salad. Serve! Enjoy!