Arugula and Cantaloupe Salad

Dear Devon,

Thanks for having us over the other night. Dinner was amazing! I must confess, I am a bit nervous about cooking with bacon fat. Perhaps I will have a change of heart, but until then, I'm passing along this easy recipe for a delicious arugula salad. It's always good to balance your diet. And as my petite frame can't bear an extra ten pounds, I've decided to skip the train transfer at Times Square and instead walk the seven avenue blocks to and from the train daily rather than skip out on all the great food. True, walking two miles a day is not a substitute for real aerobic exercise, but I figure it won't hurt. Now, the only real issue is the impending cold weather.

Arugula salad is one of my favorites. But, strangely, I don't like the taste of arugula. By itself, I find it overwhelming- too peppery and acidic. How then, you ask, can I say that arugula salad is one of my favorites? Somehow, combined with any number of ingredients, both mundane and exotic, the aggressive flavor of arugula is tamed. The possibilities are endless. Some of my favorite salads with arugula include:

a) tomato, egg, and dried cranberry
b) bacon, hazelnuts, steamed asparagus
c) roasted chicken, figs, and goat cheese.

Lightly dressed with a sprinkling of lemon juice and good drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and optional pepper, arugula salad makes a great first course or a healthy lunch.


In this easy and elegant salad, I include conventional salad ingredients like toasted walnuts and goat cheese, and use diced cantaloupe to liven up the salad. Papaya is also a nice substitute and is actually my first choice. In the throws of fall, this delectable summer fruit is no longer available, or at least not to the budget-minded. Both fruits bring an unusual freshness and lightness to the spicy arugula, buttery walnuts, and tangy cheese. Serving salads mixed with fruit is one of my recent happy discoveries. In fact, I'm surprised it isn't more common, given how tasty it can be.

Picking a melon can be difficult, but I have a few tricks. I look at the veining on the skin: veins should be of an even thickness throughout the melon; the color should be light tan throughout. Check the stem: most melons arrive at supermarkets with their stems removed. Gently press the indentation where the stem used to be. It should be firm but have a bit of give. Finally, the fruit should feel heavy for its size. That's how I choose a sweet and ripe melon.


My dressing of choice is usually a simple lemon juice and olive oil dressing. But for this salad, I decided something a bit more complex would be nice. I chose a balsamic vinegar, whisking in a touch of honey to smooth out the rough edge of vinegar. In general, I don't believe in buying salad dressings- you only need a few ingredients on hand to make a great dressing. It doesn't make sense to use the store-bought stuff.


Arugula and Cantaloupe Salad

2 generous handfuls of arugula, washed and dried
1/3 cup diced cantaloupe
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
2 tbsp goat cheese
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tsp honey
3 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Wash your arugula, blotting dry in between layers of paper towels. Use a salad spinner for quicker results. Wash the outside of the melon and slice in half. Remove the seeds and slice into what my sister calls "smiles." Remove the orange flesh, cutting away just where the flesh turns green. Dice the cleaned melon into one inch chunks. Place the walnuts onto a sheet pan and toast in the oven at 350 degrees until fragrant and light golden brown, about 7 minutes. Allow the toasted walnuts to cool before roughly chopping.

In a large bowl, toss together cleaned arugula, chopped cantaloupe, and toasted walnuts. Crumble in goat cheese. Whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey. Drizzle over salad and toss. Liberally salt and pepper.

The proportions are general suggestions. Build the salad according to your personal taste. If you like a lot of cheese, add more. Don't like walnuts? Use pecans or pumpkin seeds.

Soon,
Michelle