Arugula salad with shaved parmesan and lemon

Arugula salad with "meat" pies

When I was on sabbatical in England, I became obsessed with arugula (or, as the British say, rocket, which is an infinitely cooler name). Arugula was basically the default salad green offering. In America, I was used to baby spinach being prominently displayed in grocery stores or on restaurant menus. Arugula seemed to be the baby spinach of England. (Although, don't get me wrong, you can get either in both countries.)

While in England, I found myself gravitating toward arugula during my weekly grocery runs. I stirred it into my eggs or hash browns in the morning. I folded it into Mediterranean halloumi wraps for lunch, and inspired by a salad I had at the Almanack, a gastropub in my neighborhood, I served up this salad on repeat. 

This, my favorite salad, has only 5 ingredients, 3 of which go into the dressing. It's simply a pile of arugula laced with shaved parmesan and dressed with lemon, olive oil, and a dab of mustard to emulsify. It is so simple, so peppery and bright, with hearty flakes of parmesan. It is a perfect side for really anything, and I especially like it with salmon.

Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 t Dijon or whole grain mustard
1/2 t kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 t garlic powder (optional)
black pepper to taste

Salad
~7 oz fresh arugula (rocket)
~5 oz shaved parmesan cheese

In a small jar or container, shake up the dressing ingredients. The small amount of mustard will keep it from separating for a good while. Toss the arugula and parmesan together. Dress when ready to serve. In my opinion, and expert chef Sara Moulton agrees, the best way to dress a salad is with your (very clean) hands. Gently massage the leaves together until evenly coated with dressing and serve.