Jul

7

Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

July 7, 2008 |

inseason.jpg

Gardening is an exercise in optimism. Sometimes,
it is a triumph of hope over experience.
- Marina Schinz

The In Season series is a web diary of the gardening successes and mishaps of two eternally hopeful novices. The ladybug above will lead you to previous posts in the series.

The CLICK fundraiser for Bri introduced us to some staggeringly talented people. One is Jen Yu of use real butter. Jen is a geologist - a wickedly funny one - besides being a champion chef and brilliant photographer. And she has a wonderful way with words.

Just emerging from a gruelling bout of chemo for breast cancer herself, she raised a heck of a lot of money for Bri through her appeal and prize donation. Thank you, dear Jen.

Jamie Ann Yocono of Let’s Talk Wood read Jen’s appeal and came forward with a donation herself. She’s a very gifted woodworker and ceramic artist. Jamie wrote a post offering the proceeds of the first sushi dinnerware set she sold to the Bri fundraiser.

We had to have THIS ONE. It’s ours now. We even got a bonus piece when she mailed it out. Thank you, Jamie. We love it. Check out the gorgeous pieces at her Etsy store.

Sushi dinnerware set by Jamie Ann Yocono

On one of those evenings when we went foraging around our backyard for salad ingredients, we found an overgrown arugula bush, fennel leaves and strawberries.

Arugula (also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola) is a peppery fragrant green - a bit like watercress - that we love. The hotter and drier it is, the more pronounced the flavour.

Arugula has plenty of Vitamins A and C and a negligible calorie count. It grows fast, flowers like crazy and scatters its seeds everywhere, especially in mid-summer.

Eat it all. Arugula flowers are edible, and the seeds are an aphrodisiac. The flowers have a milder taste than the leaves. While arugula is an annual, if you plant it directly in the soil or in a pot, it is quite likely that (like mint) it will reappear next year from the previous year’s seeds. A good deal all around.

Check out these potato and arugula flower parathas @ feeding maybelle.

ARUGULA, FENNEL AND ORANGE SALAD WITH STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE

For 2 servings

Toss together
15 to 20 tender arugula leaves and some flowers,
2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds and
a peeled and cut navel orange

with strawberry vinaigrette.

Or serve the dressing on the side as we did.

Strawberry plants

This is our current favourite dressing - creamy, low-fat and absolutely sensational.

For about 1/4 cup dressing:

Blend together
3 or 4 big strawberries
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or pomegranate molasses)
2 tsps orange juice
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette is our entry for

Rachna’s Jihva for Edible Flowers at Soul Food

Mansi’s Healthy Cooking Event at Fun and Food

Marta’s Fresh Produce of the Month: Strawberries at An Italian in the U.S.

- Bee and Jai

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18 Comments so far

  1. mindy jordan on July 7, 2008 5:57 pm

    the orange and strawberry vinaigrette sounds so good. I’ll try to make.

  2. Jen Yu on July 7, 2008 6:13 pm

    I always have to laugh when people say a certain food is an aphrodisiac because if you are a guy - it’s a moot point ;)

    I am uber jealous of your garden. I can’t grow a durn thing here. Has more to do with my inability to get it together than what actually grows at our elevation (not much). I love seeing friends’ gardens on their blogs. I’ll live vicariously through you two and Todd and Diane (WoRC)!

  3. Rashmi on July 7, 2008 7:00 pm

    The sushi set is drop dead gorgeous!
    Your garden turns me green with envy..I can barely grow curry leaves in my super windy apartment :(

  4. Anh on July 7, 2008 7:03 pm

    I am sooo jealous of your beautiful and sunny garden.. I love rocket leaves and one day, when I have my own house, I’ll email you with tones of questions on how to grow them! ;)

  5. Rachna on July 7, 2008 7:17 pm

    wooow awsome awsome entry, luv yu guys, muah…… :D

  6. Manisha on July 7, 2008 7:51 pm

    I echo Jen. Nothing grows here. At least not in my yard. :-D

    Love that sushi set. I hope she makes another one like it soon! :-D

  7. sunshinemom on July 7, 2008 8:57 pm

    The sushi set and the food - both do complete justice to each other:) I am just finding out more about these flowers!

  8. Mansi on July 7, 2008 9:07 pm

    that sushi set looks amazing! and the salad looks equally great! thanks for introducing us to the wonders of Arugula:)

  9. Sonu on July 7, 2008 9:14 pm

    Hi, What a capture…! the presentation of Sushi set, salad and Arugula looks awesome. ur photography is really very very fantastice…! Thanks for sharing the knowledge of new thing.
    Sonu:)

  10. Cham on July 7, 2008 9:43 pm

    Love the fruity vinaigrette with arugula :) The sushi set is just awesome…

  11. Jyothsna on July 7, 2008 10:35 pm

    Lovely strawberry vinaigrette. Thanks to your post on growing potatoes, I grew some arbi/chembu and I’m mighty pleased!:) It’s another story that a lot of other plants didn’t survive the extreme 50degC vs. A/c conflicts!!

  12. Raaga on July 7, 2008 11:52 pm

    don’t know which I like better… the set or the food in it :-)

  13. OhioMom on July 8, 2008 4:24 am

    LOL .. I agree. The sushi set is gorgeous, the salad looks lovely on the plate.

  14. Priya on July 8, 2008 8:42 am

    Happy Birthday Bee! Have a great day, hugs to you :)

  15. Manisha on July 8, 2008 10:14 am

    Have a great day, Bee! Happy Birthday!

  16. chemcookit on July 9, 2008 8:01 pm

    So nice! Thanks a lot for your entry. I had no idea that arugula flowers were edible!

  17. Dee on July 10, 2008 6:14 pm

    Oh bee, i wish I had known jamie’s site a month earlier , I would have made K buy me a couple from her site…. Now I gotta scheme :D Love the salad…

  18. Bookmarks about Gardening on August 23, 2008 12:31 pm

    […] - bookmarked by 5 members originally found by rtrimble2 on 2008-08-08 Arugula, Fennel and Orange Salad with Strawberry Vinagrette http://jugalbandi.info/2008/07/arugula-fennel-and-orange-salad-with-strawberry-vinagrette/ - […]

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