Lemony Arugula Salad with Olives,Tomatoes & Manchego

Arugula Salad with Olives, Tomatoes and Manchego

I must admit that I am looking forward to having Mediterranean flavors after eating Japanese food all of last month. I have missed eating crusty bread and using olive oil and enjoying tomatoes, especially in salads.

So, the first thing I did was update our traditional winter salad with a Spanish twist.  I bought Spanish olive oil at Wegman's.  And then got out the sherry vinegar to make a Spanish vinaigrette.

There was lemony arugula sorrel mix at the store --- which was new to me.   (If you can only find regular arugula, then I'd suggest you add a little grated lemon rind to the salad to get the lemon accent.)

I added chopped olives to our usual windowsill tomatoes.

Instead of Grana Padano, I used Manchego -- a Spanish sheep's milk cheese.

Arugula Salad with Olives, Tomatoes, and Manchego

Serves 2

3-4 ounces lemony arugula and sorrel mix , 2/3 of a tub of prewashed greens
10 olives, mix of green and black, pitted and coarsely chopped or smashed
1/2 pint of very ripe, cherry tomatoes, halved, about 12 tomatoes in total
2 T. sherry vinegar
3 T. (or 4 T. if you like) olive oil
salt and pepper
grated Manchego cheese

In the bottom of your salad bowl, add the olive oil and vinegar, and salt and pepper and mix well, until the olive oil is emulsified.

Layer the greens on top, then the tomatoes, then the olives.  Grate the cheese on top.

At the table, toss the salad.

Delicious!  Salty and sweet, peppery and bright, and a little funky from the sheep's cheese.


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