The plums are ripe.
They're constantly falling off the tree into the backyard. Squirrels take single bites and leave the rest of the fruit hanging from their stems. Birds peck.
It's ok, though; we've rescued plenty. So now, it's plum week!
I kicked it off with a very simple but VERY delicious salad: a bed of tender baby arugula with chopped plums and roasted almonds, topped off with a minimal drizzle of olive oil and squeeze of lemon. Perfect.
The discerning viewer will notice that the salad in the picture is actually made with little gem lettuce. This is because we tore through the original arugula-based salads way too quickly to take any pictures, but I am not going out to buy more baby arugula when we have a CSA shipment of lettuce to get through once a week. The little gem version was good, but the arugula was better. Take note.
This can be easily adapted for any number of servings. Make as much as you like!
Salad of plums, almonds, and arugula
baby arugula
fresh plums
roasted almonds
olive oil
salt, pepper
lemon wedges
Wash and spin dry your arugula. Arrange big handfuls on each salad plate.
Wash your plums. Slice them off their pits and into fourths or eighths. Scatter handfuls of plum across each plate of arugula. Pour any accumulated juice over each salad.
Roughly chop your almonds and add them to your salads. If you have raw almonds instead of roasted, toast them in a frying pan for about 5 minute, or until fragrant and starting to turn golden, before you chop.
Drizzle a thin stream of olive oil over each salad. Season with a little salt and pepper. Serve with a lemon wedge, or just squeeze a spray of juice over each salad.
The finished salad is so simple and so good. The sweet plums, the spicy arugula, and the crunchy almonds are a perfect combination of contrasting textures and flavors.
What could you eat with this salad? Practically anything. A plate of pasta with creamy sauce, a bowl of hearty, wine-laced soup, a perfectly seared piece of meat or fish, or a huge sandwich stuffed sky-high with every filling under the sun: any or all of these would be great.
What new and creative dishes are you cooking with your summer stone fruit?
5 comments:
Oooooo ... fresh, local plums make me want a plum upside-down cake STAT! Salad is good too, of course. :)
Well, you can have this plum cake! It's not upside down (although you could make it so by putting all the plums on the bottom) but it is still super good. :)
What a nice idea. I don't often put fruit in salads but this looks so pretty. minimal dressings are always the way to go.
I love fruit in salads. This looks fantastic. I'm jealous you have your own plum tree and already have fruit! Plums won't be around in the UK for a couple more months yet.
I wouldn't need anything else but this salad for lunch! Totally jealous of all your plums!
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