Avocado and Arugula salad

*Post by Angela.

If I had started this blog a few months ago, you can bet that I would have blogged the hell out of mine and Mark's trip to Chicago at the end of October. We basically ate our way through the city, including stops at two of Chicago's best restaurants, Blackbird and Frontera Grill. We also stopped in at one of Mark's favorite restaurants, Cafe Ba Ba Reeba. As wonderful as those meals were, the one dish that I took back with me and have included in my regular repertoire of meals is a very simple and delicious salad from organic pizzeria Crust, located in Wicker Park.

It doesn't get a whole lot easier than this: Toss a bunch of arugula in good quality olive oil, top with slices of avocado, shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a few croutons, and finish with a squirt of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt. The original uses Pecorino Romano, which is a little sharper and stronger, but as I'm more likely to have Parm in my fridge than the Pecorino, I use that. I love this salad with a bowl of soup for lunch, or as a lighter element with a hearty dinner.