Jason Stoller Smith, chef at Timberline Lodge, put on quite a show with a Native American style salmon bake on the South Lawn of the White House. The Oregonian published recipes for the salads served as side dishes. The combination of ingredients for the strawberry and arugula salad sounded peculiar, but I decided to give it a go. Man, was it ever good. I will be making this often, as long as fresh Oregon strawberries are available at farmers’ markets. It is useless to use substitutes once you have tasted an Oregon-grown specimen.

I will give you the original recipe, with adaptations I made in parentheses.

.25 C red wine vinegar
.25 C granulated sugar (I used half as much and substituted Agave nectar)
.50 C thinly sliced red onion
4 T olive oil
.25 C toasted, chopped hazelnuts (I used raw)
.25 t sea salt
3 oz arugula (I just filled up a salad bowl…no measuring)
1 oz raw sheep milk cheese, shaved (shaved parmesan/romano)
2 C sliced fresh strawberries
freshly ground black pepper (mixed peppercorns)

Warm vinegar & sugar in small saucepan, med heat, until sugar is dissolved.
Place onion slices in small bowl, toss with vinegar mixture & set aside 2 hrs to pickle. (only as long as prep time for rest of salad)
Heat 1 T oil in small saute pan, stir in nuts, sprinkle with sea salt & saute until toasty brown.
Combine arugula, cheese, nuts, drained onions and strawberries.
Lightly toss with the pickling liquid and remaining oil.
Finish with fresh ground pepper to taste.

Find more recipes using fresh produce from the garden by visiting Wendy at greenish thumb and clicking on other contributors. This blogging community has many great cooks ready to share their expertise.