Seasonal Tastes: September 2014 - Roasted Mushroom Salad

September is the official start of fall and while most people excite in the change of seasons because it signifies a change in wardrobe, I like the transition to fall because it means new ingredients.  One thing that's in season in September is arugula.  Arugula is a lettuce, which usually means "salad base".  That's still the case here, but if you fill up the salad with a ton of different ingredients, the arugula will get lost.  That's why this salad is pretty much just two ingredients: arugula and mushrooms.

Arugula has a strong pepper flavor which can be a bit overbearing for me at times.  That's why you can't just use any old mushroom here.  It's gotta be a beefy cremini.  They're small enough to pan roast whole but have tons of flavor, especially when they're combined with a bunch of garlic and olive oil - enough to dress the salad when it's all tossed together.