Arugula By Any Other Name...

Arugula, rocket, rucola, eruca sativa - whatever name by which you know it, this little green is as pungent as pepper and as fresh as summer. Toss it with radicchio and shaved parmigiano for a great tricolore salad. Lightly dress it and top with flaked smoked salmon for a dinner salad. Top it with a runny yolked, warm poached egg and a toasted crouton for a fab brunch salad. Fed up to here with salads and still got your veggie drawer filled up to here with arugula? Try some of these suggestions and recipes.

1. Arugula pesto. You can do an internet search and find dozens of recipes, each one slightly different than the others. Here is mine. It has the advantage of being easy to make, easy to store, nut-free, vegan, and makes use of that other delicious healthy spring green - spinach. You can use this pesto for many - I can think of more than a dozen off the top of my head - different dishes (1. toss with hot pasta and grated cheese 2. toss with cold pasta and cut up tomatoes 3. stir a couple spoonsful into hot lentil vegetable soup 4. toss parboiled red potatoes in the pesto and roast 5. top chicken breasts with pesto and bake 6. spread a layer of pesto onto thick halibut fillet and grill, skin-side down 7. mix a couple spoonsful into hamburger or meatloaf mix 8. top fresh steamed broccoli, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, carrots, etc with pesto 9. use as dressing for egg salad 10. layer potato slices, tilapia, julienne zucchini, and leeks then top with pesto, wrap in foil packets and bake 11. serve as a bread dipping sauce 12. marinate chunks of lamb in pesto then skewer the meat and grill it 13. stir into the water as you start to cook rice )

1 packed cup arugula leaves
1 packed cup spinach leaves
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves or 3-4 garlic scapes
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
several twists of fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor, process until pureed and mixed. Stop a couple times to scrape down bowl. Use as much as you want then store the rest in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this in small quantities - try ice cube trays - and defrost the pieces as needed.

2. As a pizza topping. Either buy a ready to use pizza crust or make your own. Top with the above mentioned pesto, or tomato sauce. Then cover with grated mozzarella and bake until crust is cooked and cheese is melted. Meanwhile, toss arugula with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. When pizza is ready, slice into wedges, top with arugula salad and serve.

3. Use as filling in sandwiches. It is great in a grilled cheese. Stuff into pita with hummus and shredded carrots. Wrap in a tortilla with baked tofu and sunflower seeds.

4. Serve under a warm brie topped with apricot preserves with melba toast.

6. Even more salad ideas: top with bleu cheese, candied walnuts, and wine vinaigrette. Cut into fine shreds and toss with grated beets, grated carrots, thinly sliced green onions, and a grainy mustard vinaigrette. Serve with a warm fig, sesame seed, and honey dressing. Mix in equal parts with shredded cabbage and dress with sesame soy ginger dressing, garnish with toasted cashews.

7. Pasta with arugula, roasted red pepper, and white beans

1 cup packed arugula
1 clove garlic, finely minced
dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup white beans, cooked and drained
1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips
dash of white wine or lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb short cut pasta (penne, farfalle, rotini, gemmeli) cooked, cooled, and drained

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chili flakes and cook until aromatic - do not brown. Add in beans, then red pepper, then arugula. Cook a few minutes until everything is hot and arugula is wilted. Add the wine or lemon juice, let cook another minute. Toss in the pasta, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot as is or top with grated cheese.

Also in favor of arugula, it is high in vitamins A and C and 1/2 cup has only 2 calories. And it has that romantic Italian feel - as you eat it, for just a moment, close your eyes and you can almost be in an old stone villa at the foot of a vineyard in Tuscany. The smell of garlic simmering and a good glass of red wine helps that fantasy along.