Baby Arugula Salad with Turnips and Tomatoes

It’s a mystery.

I don’t know why this salad works.

Putting together the strong flavors of turnips and arugula shouldn’t be delicious, really.  Think about it. The flavors by themselves are risky — strong and complicated.  They can overwhelm the timid palate.  Steak stands up to arugula.

And turnips?  Well, turnips are turnips.  There’s not much that stands up to a turnip.  You have to add sweet carrots and carmelized onions to sweeten a turnip dish.  Raw turnips in small amounts are often more acceptable.

Combining these two — arugula and turnips — would be like putting two strong-headed, opinionated, “star” type people right next to each other at a dinner table.  Might work.  Might not.  Maybe serve them enough wine so they both go with the flow….

Same thing here.  Put Mr. Arugula and Mr. Turnip in the same salad and add a lot of lime.  Maybe it’s a chemical thing that occurs, maybe the lime dressing  mellows the flavors and ties the flavors happily together, I don’t know.  But it works.

Ingredients:

A handful of baby arugula per person.

A small handful of raw turnip sticks (bitesize) per person.  Use small turnips.  They get woody and strong tasting if they are too big.  The smaller the turnip, the better.  The health benefits of raw turnips are many.  If you’re having problems with kidney stones, check here for how turnips may help you.

A small handful of tomatoes per person.  In summer, use heirlooms.  At other times of the year other varieties are more available — like cherry tomatoes, or tomatoes on the vine.

Dressing: 1 tsp fresh lime juice and 1 tsp olive oil per person/serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.

What do I love about this Baby Arugula Salad with Turnips and Tomatoes?  It’s easy, surprisingly delicious, and it’s beautiful.