Arugula-Radish Salad with Roasted Wild Mushrooms

 
This Arugula-Radish Salad with Roasted Wild Mushrooms is an earthy simple summer pleasure. I picked up all my main ingredients the Coastal Growers’ Market at Casey Farm in Saunderstown, Rhode Island. In the kitchen with all the festive ingredients spread before me, it took only 12 minutes to put together this astonishingly delicious dish, serving 2.
Gather all your ingredients: 1/4 pound of wild mushrooms, 5 tablespoons of olive oil (divided), 1 tablespoon white wine, 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 3 cups arugula, 5-6 radishes, peppercorns (in a grinder), your favorite all-purpose seasoning blend, a pinch of granulated sugar and a small chunk of Romano or Parmesan cheese.
Also — a loaf of crusty artisanal bread, a wedge of perfect cheese, and some grapes. Preheat your broiler if necessary.

  1. Go! Make Mushroom Marinade: Whisk together 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine, a dash of red pepper flakes and a pinch of your favorite all-purpose seasoning salt.
  2. Using a broiler-safe pan, spread the mushrooms in a single layer and brush liberally with marinade. Place them under the broiler at a distance of 2-3 inches, and broil for 4 minutes (set a timer).
  3. Meanwhile, wash and dry the arugula, thinly slice the radish.
  4. And make the salad dressing: Whisk together 2 tablespoons each of olive oil and fresh lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard, pinch of sugar and dash of seasoning salt. Taste. If it’s too tart for you, add a bit more sugar.
  5. Timer dings, turn mushrooms: set the timer for another 4 minutes.
  6. In a large bowl, toss the arugula and radishes with enough dressing to tastefully coat. Restraint is good. Arrange artfully on two plates.
  7. Timer dings, turn mushrooms again. Platter up the bread, cheese and grapes and set them on the table.  If they want a wee bit more roasting, set them under the broiler for another 60-90 seconds.
  8. Timer dings, arrange the mushrooms with deliberate care on top of each salad, shave a pretty curl or 2 or 3 over the salad and season with a grind of aromatic pepper. Serve with a smile of smug self-satisfaction.

A decadent, simple, quick meal, best enjoyed with someone who appreciates your savoir faire.
Who appreciates you? 

27 thoughts on “Arugula-Radish Salad with Roasted Wild Mushrooms”

  1. Sounds delish Tracy! I could feel your joy in making this salad – it’s more than a recipe, it’s an experience in itself! I’m no chef but I feel that way when I cook. My favourite line in this recipe?
    Serve with a smile of smug self-satisfaction.
    Bonne appetit mes amis!! <3
    Diana xo

        1. Was it a huge one? Most of the markets around here are pretty small — still plenty of food, but not so many vendors as to be overwhelming. But the one I went to in Ottawa was pretty overwhelming. And Boston’s Haymarket is on my list. I’ll go on a day when I’m prepared to be overwhelmed.

          1. Yeah it’s pretty big Tracey and lots of Vendors with the same product so I compared prices and quality of produce before buying strawberries, which is all I ended up buying and they were so delicious!

    1. I think a ripe tomato from a local grower is definitely swoon-worthy! Some people love summer because it’s beach season. I love it because it’s summer produce season! One of these days, we might run into one another at a farmer’s market. Maybe?

  2. What a GREAT recipe, Tracy. Our neighbor just gave us some Blondie Radishes–I’d never heard of them–but they have a slightly sweeter taste, so I’ve emailed her the link to your blog. She’s a big gardner and loves trying new recipes, so she’ll be following you soon.
    I do have one question. You say to use wild mushrooms. Is there a special kind? I hate to sound dense, but I’ve been reluctant to pick/fix/eat wild mushrooms ever since I was in college and visiting a friend’s family in Indiana, and we got some wild mushrooms that made us all sick.

    1. Actually, these are cultivated wild mushrooms (blue oyster). There is only one person whom I trust to feed me wild mushrooms. She was raised to forage in Austria, and has been picking mushrooms in secret places near her home in New Hampshire for 30+ years. She is a genius and sticks to the varieties that have no poisonous lookalikes. So, I amend the word “wild” to read “exotic.” Any kind of mushroom will do, preferably not the boring white button variety. Whole Foods sells a number of exotic species.

  3. This looks like a great salad, and I enjoyed your ‘race against the clock’ directions. I rarely time how long it takes me to do things, so I just skirt the issue in most of my recipes. No such lack of clarity here!

    1. I’m not normally concerned with time in recipes either. But I just happened to notice how quickly this went together, because Ken wanted to get in the kitchen after me, and he’s a timer. I’m someone who flows. (A flow-er? flower?) 🙂

  4. I had something quite similar (no radishes or mushrooms, but some different stuff) to this the other day in a restaurant and was disappointed it was so oily. Yours looks much nicer!

  5. Sounds excellent Tracy! I’ve recently started using an arugula mix in some of my salads. I love the almost peppery taste that it adds to a dish. I’m also a fan of meals that are quick to come together and you can’t beat 12 minutes!

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