{"id":247,"date":"2016-12-26T09:00:49","date_gmt":"2016-12-26T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?post_type=recipe&p=247"},"modified":"2026-09-02T10:59:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T17:59:23","slug":"pear-celery-and-arugula-salad-recipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2016\/12\/26\/pear-celery-and-arugula-salad-recipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Pear, Celery and Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing"},"content":{"rendered":"

December 26, 2016<\/span><\/p>\n

I grew up in a family that put salad on the table at the same time as the rest of the meal.\u00a0 I married into a family that does the same.\u00a0 However, in the years between leaving home to go to college and getting married I most definitely converted to serving salad after the main part of the meal was over.\u00a0 Notice, I didn\u2019t say main course because the other change I made was thinking of the meal as comprising an antipasto (even if it is just a nibble of cheese and a cracker for a family meal) followed by, what Italians would call, the first course (il primo piatto) followed by a second course (il secondo piatto).<\/p>\n

In an Italian meal, the first course is usually pasta, or soup, or risotto.\u00a0 The second course\u00a0 usually consists of meat or fish with several side dishes (contorni).\u00a0 After that comes the salad.\u00a0 Granted, there are exceptions to this sequence, even in Italy.\u00a0 One of the most classic exceptions is serving Risotto alla Milanese with a breaded and fried veal chop.\u00a0 OK, so these days, I try not to eat baby animals, so veal is pretty much off the menu at our house, but the point is Risotto alla Milanese is typically served with<\/em> the meat, not before<\/em> the meat.<\/p>\n

The general rule that the sequence is antipasto, then first course, then second course, then salad was made abundantly clear when my Italian tutor had dinner at our house a few years ago.\u00a0 For some reason, even though my in-laws grew up in Italy, we served spaghetti and meatballs (very good spaghetti and meatballs, mind you!).\u00a0 Where it got interesting, however, is that we all ate the spaghetti and meatballs at the same time (for full disclosure, I didn’t touch my salad until afterwards).\u00a0 My tutor, hailing from Italy however, ate her pasta first.\u00a0 Only then did she put a meatball or two on her plate for her second course.\u00a0 Only after that did she touch her salad!<\/p>\n

When I am serving dinner for company, the salad always comes after the second course.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather not serve salad than serve it with the rest of the meal.\u00a0 Salads, by design, have sharp dressings meant to cleanse the palate.\u00a0 You can\u2019t go back and forth between a subtly seasoned dish (whether it be pasta or fish or meat) and salad and do justice to the subtlety of the first.\u00a0 The vinegar and\/or lemon juice and\/or mustard (and\/or whatever else you put in your salad dressing) doesn\u2019t allow that.\u00a0 Forget what it does to the wine that you\u2019ve paired with the dish!\u00a0 If it\u2019s just family, however, in the interest of domestic harmony, the salad goes on the table at the beginning.\u00a0 I still don\u2019t eat mine till the end but I can\u2019t say the same for others.

<\/div>
\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
\n \n <\/div>\n

Pear, Celery and Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n \n
<\/div>\n
Pears add a welcome freshness to this salad that is a perfect antidote to winter when so little really good fresh produce is available. This may be a lot of pear for some but the sweet juicy taste is a great contrast to the crunch of the celery and the peppery bite of the arugula.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n Print Recipe<\/a>\n Pin Recipe<\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
Prep Time <\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>15 minutes<\/span><\/span> mins<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Servings: <\/span>6<\/span> people<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Ingredients<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/g>\n\n\n\n<\/clipPath>\n<\/defs>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Method<\/a>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span> Notes<\/a><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Ingredients
<\/div>