Arugula, Arugula, Oh How I Love Thee

Photo courtesy of Cafe Johnsonia

I've been buying arugula at the farmers market the last few weeks and it is one of my most favorite things to eat. I just love the uniquie and peppery flavor. It's great in a salad, on sandwiches, burgers or pizzas, with chicken paillard, with steak or beef carpaccio (one of my favorite things on earth) or you can even make arugula pesto with it. So many options.

I especially like to toss arugula with olive oil, lemon juice, freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and pepper for a quick salad. It's so easy and good. Here are a few of my other favorite ways to eat this delicious little leaf.

My friend Lynne found this great recipe for Grilled Halibut with Pesto & Arugula that is great. When halibut is in season and fresh I will make this a lot for a super quick dinner. You can make the pesto or buy a great pre-made one at the store. I like to serve the arugula on the side as described above. Great dinner in under 30 minutes.

I love Ina's Lemon Fusilli with Arugula. It's a great pasta salad to serve for dinner in the summer or as a side dish for an outdoor BBQ or casual dinner gathering.

Here are two more great salads:

Arugula Salad
My friend Ann

Salad
Arugula (enough for base of salad)
Basil, chopped
Grape tomatoes
Buffalo mozzarella, small balls cut into bite size pieces
Hearts of palm, chopped

Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
Juice of one lemon
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 T dijon mustard
½ t fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 T shallot, finely chopped or pressed through garlic press
Salt and pepper

Arugula Salad
Martha Stewart

Arugula
Radish, sliced
1 t Dijon
2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
salt & pepper

Arugula & Health (from Food & Wine)

Arugula looks like a kind of lettuce, but it is a cruciferous vegetable in the same family as broccoli and cauliflower. Like its cousins, it has many of the same potent health benefits. Arugula is rich in phytonutrients, which may reduce the risk of several kinds of cancer, including breast, stomach and colon. It also contains small but helpful quantities of other compounds: One cup delivers 5 percent of the RDA for vitamin C and 3 percent of the RDA for calcium—and contains just 5 calories.