Arugula with Parmesan
The lemon combined with the arugula is fabulous. I go very light on the dressing.
The lemon combined with the arugula is fabulous. I go very light on the dressing.
- Carbohydrate 0.494860334945171 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 18.0028253485496 g
- Fiber 0.0433000003776989 g
- Protein 0.0288066667376398 g
- Saturated Fat 2.4862893354344 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (80g)
- Sodium 194.238966667158 mg
- Sugar 0.451560334567472 g
- Trans Fat 0.487561333745392 g
- Calories 161 calories
Step-by-step
- If argula has roots attached, cut them off.
- Fill the sink with cold water and toss the arugula for a few minutes to clean.
- Spin - dry the leaves and place them in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, shixk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Pour enough dressing on the arugula to moisten.
- Toss well and place the salad on individual plates.
- With very sharp knife or a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan into large shards and arrange them on the argula.
Why does raw arugula turn completely limp within minutes of applying an acid-heavy vinaigrette? Arugula leaves possess delicate cellular structures that rupture rapidly when exposed to low pH liquids like fresh lemon juice, releasing their intracellular water and causing immediate wilting. To prevent structural collapse, whisk the lemon juice and olive oil in a four-to-one ratio before dressing, and apply only enough liquid to coat the exterior rather than saturating the greens.
Substitutions alter this dynamic significantly because different fats and acids change the rate of osmosis across plant membranes. Swapping standard olive oil for a heavier walnut oil increases viscosity, requiring an extra thirty seconds of emulsification time to prevent immediate separation on the plate. If you must substitute bottled lemon juice for fresh, expect a sharper, one-dimensional acidity due to pasteurization destroying the volatile aromatic compounds found in the zest.
Leftover dressed greens rarely survive a twenty-four-hour refrigerator window without turning sodden, but undressed arugula stored in a perforated plastic bag with a dry paper towel will retain its crisp cellular turgor for up to three days.
