Arugula Salad with Strawberries and Parmesan Crisps

Travis leaves on Sunday for sleepaway camp so he gets a week of his choice of “last suppers” (as if the other 51 weeks of the year are not all about him (or Elizabeth or Andrew)).  He requested sloppy joes, but it appears that my version is not as good as what he eats at school.  It tasted like a chopped BBQ sandwich… probably because David added a ½ cup of BBQ sauce at the end to give it more flavor… which it needed, mind you...

He did not order up a salad but this received more thumbs up than the sloppy joes.  The kids could probably have made a meal from the parmesan crisps.

Ingredients

Arugula Salad
with Strawberries and Parmesan Crisps

1.      1 c shredded Parmesan cheese

2.      4 c baby arugula

3.      3 c strawberries, halved or quartered

4.      3 T olive oil

5.      3 T balsamic vinegar

6.      ¼ t kosher salt

7.      ¼ t freshly ground black pepper

To make the parmesan crisps, heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Sprinkle one-third of the cheese over the bottom of the skillet.  Shake it so the cheese is in an even layer.  Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese browns on the edges.  Remove the skillet from the heat for 30-40 seconds or until the cheese is set.  Using a spatula or a fork, turn the crisp over and cook for 1-2 minutes more or until underside is golden.  Slide onto a wire rack to cool.  Repeat twice more to make 3 crisps.

For the salad, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Add strawberries and arugula and toss to coat.  Transfer salad to plates or large platter.

Break crisps into pieces and sprinkle on top of the salad.