Arugala

What else is in your bag? Back to this week's Harvest Guide!

Linguine with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Parmesan Cheese

• 1 pound linguine
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 ounces arugula, trimmed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add arugula and toss well. Add 1 cup Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste; toss well.

4. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve immediately, adding additional Parmesan, if desired.

Pasta with Arugula and Goat Cheese Sauce

• a bunch of fresh arugula
• 4 springs fresh parsley
• 1 8 ounce container low-fat yogurt or sour cream
• 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• S and P to taste
• 1 pound fusilli noodles
• Grated parmesan cheese, as garnish

1. Before preparing sauce, fill a large casserole with water, and bring the water to a boil.

2 Wash and clean well the arugula and parsley. Dry thoroughly. Trim and chop both the arugula and the parsley.

3. Place the arugula and the parsley in a food processor. Add the yogurt or sour cream, goat cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend the ingredients thoroughly. Keep the sauce at room temperature until ready to use.

4. Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water, and cook the fusilli noodles following the instructions on the package. When the noodles are cooked, drain them, and place them in four serving dishes. Pour the sauce evenly over the top of each serving and add some cheese to each dish. Serve immediately.

Two Simple Arugula Salads

Arugala Salad

Wash and dry the arugula. Chop garlic and toss with arugula. Use a good strong green olive oil and red wine vinegar. Dress with oil, a bit of vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.

Arugala and Tomato Salad

Wash and dry the arugula; tear into bite size pieces. Toss arugula with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Add chopped tomatoes and serve.

Arugula and Pear Salad

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 3 tablespoons vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Salad:

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 2 firm red Bartlett pears
• 5 cups butterhead lettuce (Bibb or Boston)
• washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 cups arugula, trimmed, washed and dried

1. To prepare dressing, whisk shallots, broth, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. To prepare salad, toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool.

3. Just before serving, cut pears into 16 slices each. Place in a large bowl. Spoon on 1 tablespoon of the dressing and toss to coat. Add lettuce, arugula and the remaining dressing; toss well. Divide among 8 plates. Top with walnuts.

Arugula, Orange and Red Onion Salad

• 2 bunches arugula, washed and trimmed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 large navel oranges, peel and white pith removed, cut into segments
• 8 very thin slices red onion, separated into rings
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Drizzle the arugula with half of the olive oil and the lemon juice; toss to coat and divide among 4 salad plates.

2. Arrange the orange segments and onions on top, dividing evenly. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with black pepper.

Apple Vinaigrette

This is an excellent dressing for an arugula and/or spinach salad.  For more layers of flavor complexity, add walnuts and/or feta cheese and/or crumbled bacon.

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons grated sweet or purple onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup finely chopped apple

1. Whisk together sugar, vinegar, onion, mustard, salt, oil, and apple, or pulse a few times in blender.

2. Refrigerate salad greens and dressing separately until serving time.

Chicken, Wild Rice And Pecan Salad In Romaine Spears

• 3 Cups chicken broth
• 4 oz. wild rice
• 1 pound cooked chicken
• 1 bunch arugula -- chopped
• 1/4 cup green onions -- chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans -- toasted and chopped
• 1 large or 2 small heads romaine lettuce, or 3 cups baby lettuce greens

For chicken - roasted chicken, skinned, boned, meat cut into 1/-inch pieces Bring broth to a boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until just tender, about 50 minutes. Drain well.

Transfer the rice to a large bowl. Mix in chicken, arugula and green onions. Mix soy sauce, vinegar and oil in small bowl. Pour over salad and mix to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)

Mix nuts into salad. Place salad in center of platter. Reserve outer romaine leaves for another use. Arrange inner leaves on platter around salad.

Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of packed arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup of walnuts
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced

Method:

1. Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.

2. Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.

3.a. Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

3.b. Mortar and pestle method (photo pictures pesto produced this way): Combine the nuts and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.

Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.

4. Mix with freshly prepared pasta of your choice. You may need to add a little bit of water or more olive oil to mix the pesto more evenly with the pasta.

Makes enough pesto sauce for an ample serving of pasta for four people.

I prefer a mild garlic flavor that you can achieve by using roasted garlic. The 1/2 raw garlic clove is added for a little kicker. The first time I made this pesto it was with only raw garlic and it was a little overwhelmingly garlicy. Using roasted garlic is a great way to still have the garlic flavor but without the intensity.

Arugula, Orange and Red Onion Salad

• 2 bunches arugula, washed and trimmed
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 large navel oranges, peel and white pith removed, cut into segments
• 8 very thin slices red onion, separated into rings
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Drizzle the arugula with half of the olive oil and the lemon juice; toss to coat and divide among 4 salad plates.

2. Arrange the orange segments and onions on top, dividing evenly. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with black pepper.

Linguine with Arugula, Pine Nuts and Parmesan Cheese

• 1 pound linguine
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 4 ounces arugula, trimmed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add arugula and stir until just wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add arugula and toss well. Add 1 cup Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste; toss well.

4. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with pine nuts. Serve immediately, adding additional Parmesan, if desired.