This Arugula Salad with Prosciutto and Figs is one of my absolute favorite salads despite my usual dislike of sweet savory dishes. The saltiness of the fried prosciutto makes the lightly sweet organic dried figs less cloying and the special texture and richness of the pine nuts all meld together beautifully and hit your palate at different times and complement the slightly bitter arugula. This is not a Mexican recipe, I’ve adapted it from Peggy Knickerbocker and Laurie Smith’s wonderful book, Olive Oil from Tree to Table. I can truthfully say that I have cooked 80% of the recipes.

On a trip to Paris, I had a marvelous lunch at Pierre Gagnier at the Hotel Balzac. The star was a salad of spring vegetables similar to this, which is only missing the fresh morels.