When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Vinaigrette

Soooo Good!

When it comes to salad dressings, I have come to learn that making your own is so much easier and so much better than using store bought dressings. As a kid, my mom's only salad dressing choice was the Season's Italian Vinaigrette mix that you buy in a packet and mix with oil and vinegar. We never had any creamy dressings or mustard-based vinaigrettes because she is basically the world's staunchest advocate for the abolishment of mayo and mustard. While I am not a huge fan of either, I will use them in recipes.

Anyway, after college, when I began cooking for myself I became a HUGE fan of Ina Garten's (the Barefoot Contessa) recipes. One of my absolute favorites is for an arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette. It is so simple that anyone can make it and it is so elegant and delicious that it will impress your family and friends every time. Also, its mom approved :)

You will need:

1 Lemon
Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea or Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Container of Arugula
Shaved Parmesano-Reggiano  (optional)

Prepare the salad right before you are going to eat. For 3-4 people I usually only have to use the juice of half a lemon. Squeeze the juice directly into a bowl making sure to eliminate the seeds. Throw in a pinch of salt and a healthy portion of pepper, depending on your taste. Then whisk in a small, steady stream of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Using a whisk is very important in order to get the correct emulsification. Once the mixture begins to look cloudy, almost creamy, taste it to see if it is to your liking. You can adjust any component of the dressing at this point, just keep whisking and tasting until it seems yummy to you. Then add your arugula and mix it all up. The arugula will absorb the dressing quickly, so just add more arugula if you find it necessary. Add Parmesan shavings if desired and enjoy!