Thursday, February 2, 2012

Lemon Arugula Salad with Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Cheese


This simple lemon arugula salad with roasted carrots and Parmesan cheese is perfect for a simple, healthy lunch on a lazy day when all you feel like doing is propping your feet up and taking it easy. The carrots practically roast themselves in the oven and it doesn’t take but eight to ten minutes toss the croutons with a bit of olive oil until they are nicely browned. All that remains is assembly and you’re "good-to-go" as they say.

The original recipe called for parsley leaves, but frankly I thought they would be too strong for my taste, so I substituted peppery arugula. But I urge you to try the parsley for a change of pace. I toasted the croutons on top of the stove instead of baking them in the oven. After I discovered The Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten’s recipe for tossing the bread cubes in a pan on top of the stove, I swore I would never ever go back to the oven method again.

The peppery arugula goes quite well with the lemon vinaigrette and the Parmesan cheese gives the salad a nice salty bite. Roasting the carrots until they are slightly charred really brings out their sweetness. This salad also makes a nice vegetarian lunch. Enjoy!



Lemon Arugula Salad with Roasted Carrots and Parmesan Cheese
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living – serves 6

1 pound of carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 3” pieces
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary for croutons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sturdy bread, such as a country loaf, cut into 1” cubes
4 cups fresh arugula, also called rocket
¼ to 1/3 cup grated imported Parmesan cheese, plus more for shavings
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
French fleur de sel or coarse sea salt for finishing

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the prepared carrots with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay carrots on a baking sheet in one layer and bake until slightly charred, turning once, about 50 minutes.

While the carrots are baking, heat a large non-stick sauté pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until very hot. Lower the heat to medium low and add the bread cubes and season with a little salt. Sauté the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add more olive oil if needed.  When the cubes are browned, remove to a plate and set aside until time to toss the salad.

To assemble the salad, toss the arugula, roasted carrots, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and grated Parmesan in a large salad bowl. Add croutons and season the salad with the fleur de sel or coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss again. Plate the individual salads and, with a vegetable peeler, shave some extra Parmesan cheese over each serving. Serve immediately.

A nice chilled glass of Chardonnay would go very well with this salad. This recipe is being linked to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday and Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum.

We're going to one of the local farmer's markets on Saturday where we've heard they have freshly caught Gulf of Mexico seafood. Later that day we plan to do a little antiquing. Then of course we don't want to miss the Superbowl on Sunday. What are your plans for the weekend? 


45 comments:

  1. Another great looking salad Sam. Hope all is well with you guys.

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  2. A refined and beautiful salad!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. Beautiful salad....I agree, all parsley would be a little overwhelming, but I do love my parsley. Love those carrots.

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  4. I love the sound of this salad, and I totally approve of your substitution of arugula for parsley.

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  5. This is a really elegant salad - substaintal enough for the cooler weather and full of flavor - lovely recipe - thanks :)
    Mary x

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  6. Lately my local grocery store has been stocking containers of just arugula so I've been stocking up, too! Love it! Another great variation for me!

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  7. I'm with you and would prefer the arugula. The roasted carrots really have my attention, I could make a meal of them. Beautiful salad, quite a treat for a lazy day!

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  8. I'm in love with Arugula! Always looking for ways to use it. Beautiful salad Sam, and as always great photos.

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  9. I love roasted carrots and would have never thought to put them in a salad. What a wonderful idea!

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  10. I am with you, Sam on arugula. Parsley would be too much for me: I mostly use a flat leaf Italian parsley, that has stronger flavor. Great post!

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  11. I've been seeing recipes call for roasted carrots a lot lately and I think it is about time that I try this out. I happen to like parsley but agree a bed of soft arugula is preferred. I might try a combination of arugula and parsley. Looks terrific.

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  12. I need to roast carrots more - they are delicious slightly charred and sweet.

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  13. I'd have this for dinner - roasting carrots just intensifies the flavor. I won't do a parsley salad - parsley for me is not a main ingredient! But arugula? Absolutely. Sounds like you have the loveliest weekend planned.

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  14. Love to find a winter salad; great idea to roast those carrots; they do come out so sweet. Lovely presentation; pinning this one.
    Rita

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  15. I do love arugula or rocket as they call it, but it is not always available. When it is I am the first to grab it off the shelf.

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  16. you can give me a salad any time..and this is a great one which can serve as a meal or on the side as well as a starter, which is often the way we eat our salads her..love it.
    Ronelle

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  17. I had to look arugula up! It is what we call rocket here and it is one of my favourite salad components so this salad would have to be good. Diane

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  18. This sounds delicious, Sam, and I'm always looking for new salad recipes. I can't wait to try that stove top method for croutons after reading your comment!

    What a wonderful day you have planned!

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  19. Looks fabulous and healthy. I'm going to have this recipe a try.

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  20. It's minus 12 degree here, and I should have craved some steaming hot soup...instead I want this gorgeous salad!

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  21. (I love the way the British call arugula "rocket".)
    Roasted carrots? We haven't tried that yet...they look marvelous in your salad. The croutons don't hurt either. :) The peppery rocket is the perfect foil to those sweet carrots, Sam.

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  22. Roasted carrots in a salad sounds wonderful. What a great, healthy combination!

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  23. Sounds delish and I love the stovetop method for the croutons! I almost always have carrots handy for munching and will be roasting some this afternoon for your salad!

    Bises,
    Genie

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  24. Oh, I want this right now! I've been craving salads lately and this is one I will definitely try. Thanks so much for sharing.

    xo
    Pat
    P.S. I have a giveaway going right now...stop by!

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  25. Your simple salad sounds great. The lemon and peppery flavors with the sweetness of the carrots must be a delicious combination.

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  26. Mmm...tempting. And Meakin's photography is, as always, perfection!

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  27. This looks delicious! I just bought some organic arugula and I love roasted carrots! Thanks for a great recipe!

    Being from the Boston area I'm going to a Super Bowl party at my brothers home, he only lives 1.5 miles from us. I'll be bringing pulled pork and cole slaw!

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  28. Oh, this does look so healthy!

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  29. Arugula! My absolute favorite. And with roasted carrots. Wow. Never even thought of that. How delicious.

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  30. This is my kind of salad, Im growing arugula for salads in containers because I'm tired of buying arugula at the market that doesn't have very much flavor. I just don't understand why the arugula in Italy has so much more flavor then what I find in the grocery store. My home grown arugula is pretty good, I have to admit;-) I will have to give your salad recipe a try.

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  31. I am always looking for good salad recipes! Can you please post on my Taste This Thursday Party!

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  32. Delicious! I may try this with parsley (or partial parsley) since I never seem to use up all the parsley I purchase in the winter. Summer pots keep replenishing themselves but winter, alas, finds us wasting too much.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  33. Your carrots roast themselves? You have them trained well. I can't even get mine to peel into the trash can when I try. The skins shoot off in 15 different directions with each swipe of the peeler, haha.

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  34. It is a perfect salad for a lite meal. It looks stunning and the play of peppery arugula against the sweetness of the carrots must be delicious. This is an altogether wonderful dish. I hope you have a great weekend. Blessings...Mary

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  35. the combination of roasted carrots with arugula sounds perfect, such a quick and delicious salad

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  36. Hi Sam,
    After this wonderful salad I would be "good to go". I am a carrot fan, so those Roasted Carrots with the Arugula and Parmesan will be delicious. I wish it was ready for my lunch right now. Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  37. Dear Sam, What a beautiful salad. I said, "oh my" when I saw the picture. I would just love it. Blessings, Catherine xo

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  38. that salad looks so amazing I could eat it everyday! When in doubt make a great salad with a great side of bread and you have yourself a great meal:)

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  39. This salad reminds me of Summer eating! I love these kind of tasty good-for-you salads!

    It screams: EAT ME RIGHT NOW & DON'T SHARE ME AT ALL! :)

    Happy Times!

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  40. That sounds like a great salad. I’ll try your crouton method as it looks quite easy.

    I have to admit that I came on your blog yesterday when I was writing my recipe. Recipe writing is not easy – yours look so clear. I could not remember what to call the bottom of an unbaked pie – I had called it a “bottom crust.” So I came on your blog and saw a Thanksgiving pie recipe you posted and you had the right word a “unbaked pie shell.” I also copied how you write your oven temperature. So, dear Sam, thanks for your help writing my post – but it is not as well written as you would have written it. (can you excuse me since English is my 3rd language?)

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  41. This looks ike a wonderfully different salad, Sam! I love roasted vegetables and often make too many for one meal, so you have given me the idea to add them to salads the next day as a change of pace.

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  42. Food on Friday: Lemons and Limes is now open for entries. This looks like a neat one! I do hope you link it in. This is the link . Cheers

    PS I am following you now. If you like Carole's Chatter it would be great if you followed me back.

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