Arugula Salad with Cremini Mushrooms and Grana Padano

I first had this salad when I was a student in Bologna, Italy.  Scaccomatto, one of the restaurants that we would treat ourselves to sometimes, had many traditional dishes on the menu but, boldly, for this town, often had more imaginative fare, all made with top-quality ingredients that could easily stand out on their own.  This Insalata di rucola con funghi e Grana Padano (Arugula Salad with Cremini Mushrooms and Grana Padano) has a bit of snap and bite to it and is the perfect kick-off to a great meal or can stand as a light lunch or dinner all by itself. 

The peppery wild arugula (the small-leafed Italian variety) is combined with very thinly sliced, meaty cremini mushrooms and delicate shavings of creamy, slightly sharp Grana Padano cheese.  

Rectangular, soft, barely crisp croutons drizzled with olive oil decorate the side of the plate.  Actually, come to think of it, the bread was probably fried in the olive oil, rather than toasted and drizzled with the oil, as I’ve done here. Whatever the case, I think I managed to come up with a good approximation of this salad, reminding me of great meals with good friends in Italy.

Insalata di rucola con funghi e Grana Padano (Arugula Salad with Cremini Mushrooms and Grana Padano)

Serving Size: 2 people (easily scalable)

Prep Time: 10 minutes, if that

Ingredients:

2 slices hearty Country Bread or Sourdough Bread

2 cups Wild Arugula (Italian-style), approximately

1 cup Cremini Mushrooms, very thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. Lemon Juice, freshly-squeezed

1 tsp. top-quality Extra Virgin Italian Olive Oil

2 grinds of Black Pepper (or 1/2 pinch)

2 pinches of Salt, kosher or sea salt

12-14 shavings Grana Padano cheese

1 clove Garlic, sliced in half

extra Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling over bread

Assembly:

Toast bread in toaster or in broiler and set aside.  While bread is cooking, toss together arugula and mushrooms with lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl.  Season with pepper and 1 pinch of the salt.  Divide salad between two plates making sure to have an even distribution of mushrooms and arugula on each.

Place shavings of the cheese on top of the salad, again dividing them equally.  When the bread is toasted, rub a garlic clove, cut side, over one side of the bread.  Drizzle with a little bit more of the olive oil and sprinkle some of the remaining salt on top of the toasted bread.  Place one slice of the on each plate.  Serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

Kitchen Witch Tip:

Peak mushroom season is during the Fall/Autumn; however, you can use really good quality cremini mushrooms from your local farmer’s market or grocery store that are available at any time of year.