Baby Arugula salad with Truffle Oil Vinaigrette

Submitted by SecretAsianMan

If you have the ingredients handy, this is a very simple but delicious salad. Many vinaigrettes will overpower the flavor of baby arugula; this one will complement it with the even more delicate flavor of truffles.

Ingredients

• 1.5 medium shallots
• 2 tbsp truffle oil
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 5 oz. baby arugula
• 1 handful of hazelnuts for garnish
• 50g hard Italian cheese for garnish
• Salt and pepper

Note that shallots vary a fair bit depending on where you get them. Some grocery stores stock small reddish ones that come in packages, imported from Asia. These are slightly more acidic. If you use these, use two full shallots. Better is if you can get the larger type of shallots, which have a brown, dry skin.

Truffle oil can be purchased from Italian markets, if your grocery store does not have it. It will be available in white or black varieties -- I prefer black truffle oil, since it has a more pungent flavor, but you may prefer white (it is also cheaper).

For the cheese, parmesan or romano can be used in a pinch. Pecorino, especially toscano pecorino or pecorino con pepe will work very well.

Method

Remove the skin and any bad areas from the shallots, then mince them very finely. Combine minced shallots, truffle oil, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and grind some fresh pepper into it as well.

Coarsely chop the hazelnuts. You want some larger pieces of hazelnuts to garnish the dish with, don't go nuts. Toast lightly in a toaster oven or in a pan if desired.

Toss vinaigrette into (washed) arugula, and serve. Garnish with hazelnuts and fresh ground pepper if desired.

For the cheese garnish, if you're using a softer cheese (like pecorino) thinly slice many small pieces and add to the salad. If you're using a harder cheese like parmesan or romano, you can use a fork to scrape it over the salad, crumbling small pieces of cheese into it.