“THE Salad”
Originally Posted July 2, 2018
You know those friends you go out to lunch with and, after you order the calamari appetizer, the fish and chips, and a mango margarita, they have the nerve to order a salad? A salad with dressing on the side, where it doesn’t belong! And a seltzer? These are not your real friends. They are not even real people. They are robots sent from the Swedish government to make us feel bad. These lunch friends are once-a-year lunch friends.
Sometimes, to appease the Swedish robots or your summertime shorts, we have to eat salad. On purpose! So this is “The Salad”. The homemade croutons are the star of the show, and corners cannot be cut when it comes to the croutons. They fake out guests and make them think that you’re an actual chef. They are also little salty mouth explosions that are best enjoyed with the last little bit of dressing when the rest of the salad (and your guests) have left. The last of the wine, a salad bowl full of leftover dressed croutons, and a sink full of dishes that will be left until tomorrow: what a gift.
"The Salad"
Ingredients
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 2/3 Cup Parmesan, finely grated*
- 4 Cups Cubed or Hand-Torn Sourdough Bread day-old and thirsty
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice**
- 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Lemon Pepper
- 1 Tsp Oregano
- Generous squeeze of Honey
- 1 5oz Box Baby Arugula
- 1 Cup Parmesan finely-grated
- Optional - Additional veggies, some favorites are par-boiled asaragus, spiralized rainbow carrots, or air-fried cauliflower florets.***
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a small bowl, add the cubed or torn bread pieces. Drizzle in half of the olive oil, then toss. Then, slowly add the rest of the ingredients: the garlic, salt, pepper, and Parm. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, between 20 and 24 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
- In an artsy-looking mason jar, shake together oil, garlic, salt, and lemon pepper. Set aside or in the fridge until ready to dress the salad.
- Wash and dry arugula. Transfer to a large salad bowl. Add any additional vegetables, if you are fancy like that.
- Add dressing and toss well. Add half of the Parm, so it marries together with the dressing and becomes creamy.
- Add half the croutons and toss again. Mix salad with the rest of the Parmesan and croutons. Serve this simple yet perfect creation in a cute little salad bowl with those wooden salad tongs you always forget you own because you are forced to handwash them. It's ok, it adds to the charm!
- After the meal, eat the remaining dressed croutons with your fingers like the glutton you are, because those are too delicious to pass up.
Notes
* Do us all a favor and go order a handheld microplane grater on Amazon. Right now. Do not pass go and collect $200. I seriously use this kitchen tool every every damn day and it makes your grated parmesan transform into fluffy, salty cheese whispers. My sister actually calls this style of parmesan "magic". This is the key to a creamy Parmesan dressing.
** About one small lemon. Add the zest if you are feeling… zesty.
*** Use whatever vegetable is dying a slow death in your fridge, because buying produce comes in big, expensive waves of inspiration with very little results.
