It is peak summer here in Riyadh with temperatures touching 50 C. With the family holidaying in India and lots of time on hand, thought of making a nice cool salad with a fruit dressing. I got some fresh rocket/arugula leaves from the Supermarket and decided to rustle up some salad for my lunch this afternoon. The salad was ready in exactly 10 minutes.
Rocket is a dark green leaf with a rich, intense peppery flavor and when tossed with some interesting dressing, it is so very refreshing.
This one is very easy to make and the dressing can be stored in a refrigerator for future use.
Arugula /Rocket Salad with Orange Vinaigrette Dressing
Arugula /Rocket Salad with Orange Vinaigrette Dressing
½ bunch rocket leaves
2 Tbsps-Pine nuts
5-6 Pecan Nuts
1 Orange/Navel
1 Tbsp- Balsamic Vinegar (Modena, if available)
1 Tbsp – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp – Honey
½ garlic pod finely cut
1/8th Tsp- cracked pepper or pepper powder
Method:-
1) Lightly toast the pecan and pine nuts in a pan on low fire for a few minutes constantly tossing them. Keep them aside to cool down and be crisp.
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| Toasted Pine and Pecan Nuts. |
2) Segment the Navel/orange and keep 5-6 segments aside. You will use half the orange for this. The other half can be used for squeezing the juice out. You will need about ¼ th of a cup for the dressing. Keep the juice aside. Ensure that there are no seeds or skin / membrane of the orange in the juice.
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| Orange Segments with the juice |
3) You are now ready to prepare the salad dressing. Mix the balsamic vinegar, orange juice, olive oil, honey, garlic and pepper in small dish and whisk them together.
4) Keep the salad dressing in the fridge for a few minutes so that it becomes nice and cold.
5) Fill your salad bowl with the rocket leaves and pour the dressing on it. Toss the salad lightly.
6) Add the orange segments along with the toasted pine and pecan nuts.
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| Rocket Salad with toasted nuts in an orange vinaigrette dressing ready to eat!! |
Bon appetit....ENJOY...
