Wild Arugula with Pomegranate and Blood Orange Salad with Coriander Vinaigrette
It’s the last week of the party season and I didn’t quite make it into the “little black dress.” So despite the celebrations laden with food and wine, I am striving to eat well and look great — little black dress or not.
I love using Mediterranean flavors with local ingredients and I had some seeds I saved from the cilantro just outside my kitchen. I had plenty to plant for next year and decided to pan-roast the seeds in some olive oil and make a savory dressing to complement the arugula and blood oranges in my fridge. I threw in some pomegranate seeds for texture and color to make this salad my new favorite. You can serve this in individual dishes or serve in one of those beautiful platters you are saving for your perfect life. Go ahead! Get it out of the cupboard and use it to plate this salad. You can also buy an extra pomegranate and cut it in half placing a half at each side of the serving dish. Not only is this salad delicious and healthy but you also won’t need a floral arrangement.
Ingredients
serves 4 to 6
1/2 pound of fresh arugula, washed and dried. If you can get wild arugula from Sang Lee, get is with the flower petals.
1 pomegranate
2 blood oranges, peeled and sectioned
Coriander Vinaigrette
Lightly toast one teaspoon of coriander seeds in a tablespoon of olive oil. Do not take your eyes off the pan because they burn quickly.
1/4 cup of white vinegar
1/2 cup of EVOO
Salt to taste
fresh black pepper to taste
Have a blender ready and pour in the vinegar with the salt and seeds. Then drizzle in the olive oil until it emulsifies. Taste and add more salt or coriander seeds. If too thin, add more olive oil and puree. If too thick, add more vinegar. Toss greens with vinaigrette and sprinkle the pomegranate seeds on top. Arrange the orange sections around the edges and serve immediately or your salad will wilt. Serve with some sparkling wine from Sparkling Pointe and get that party started!
