In our CSA pick-up this week, we got plenty of greens — specifically, arugula. And while we love arugula salads (especially salads with fruit), we need other uses for the big bag that's sitting in our fridge.
Click below for five good, non-salad ideas...
Some of these dishes make use of the fact that arugula has a very sharp, distinct (everyone always calls it peppery) flavor and showcase it. Others mellow it out and tone down its bitterness. Here are our picks:
1. Put it on pizza. This is one of our all-time favorite ways to eat arugula, a love we discovered through the prosciutto and arugula pizza at Otto in New York. Make a thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, slices of prosciutto, and a sprinkling of parmesan. Once it's cooked, throw a handful of arugula in the middle. Delicious.
2. Wilt it in a pot of pasta. We write about this method often, but throwing a bunch of greens into a pot of hot pasta is easy and yummy. You get a touch of green, and the leaves wilt down in minutes. Read our tips for an Italian Template Recipe: Pasta, Meat, Greens, and Cheese.
3. Make pesto. This, we've never tried. But if you love the taste of arugula, why not substitute it for basil in a traditional pesto? Here's a recipe: Arugula Pesto, from Michael Chiarello. And another, from one of our regular readers, Farmgirl Susan: Arugula Pesto (made with garbanzo beans!).
4. Use on sandwiches, instead of lettuce. Remember this Comte, Olive, and Arugula Grilled Cheese? Arugula can add the perfect bite to a simple sandwich. We've had it on egg salad and turkey alike.
5. Make soup. This recipe for Arugula Vichyssoise from Epicurious intrigued us. Chilled soup would taste good this time of year...
Any other ideas?
Related: If You Grow Just One Thing This Spring... Plant Arugula
(Image: Flickr member roboppy, licensed under Creative Commons)
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oooooh! a favorite! Saute a bit of olive oil and garlic... wilt arugula... add a can of undrained diced tomatoes with a little dry white wine, s & p and... Voila! fast sauce for pasta. Easy enough for a weeknight. I live in the north and I find that canned tomatoes are tastier than fresh this time of year.
view burrda2000's profile
I make a caramelized purple onion, walnut and arugula pizza that ROCKS. However, we put the arugula on BEFORE we bake and that way it becomes another layer of delicate crunch. Yum.
view Snow Gurl's profile
I, too, like to wilt it in pasta. We've been having a lot of this simple pasta lately, poured over baby arugula.
view Sara Kate's profile
I love arugula on pizza. My favorite is carmelized onions, goat cheese and arugula (uncooked) on top.
view MFDiz's profile
Oh! So exciting! My arugula plot needs a trim, so thanks for the inspiration. I'm totally going to try that vichysoisse recipe. The idea of spicy, green arugula in this soup is so intriguing!
view EmmaC's profile
Thanks for the great ideas. I usually just use the arugula in salads so I'm looking forward to trying these suggestions.
view rosebud's profile
Use it in a weekend brunch frittata. I highly recommend it, especially if you have a lot of it in your garden to use up!
view koshka's profile
Thanks for this post! I was just trying to figure out what to do with arugula besides salad.
view SMM's profile
My favorite pasta is Jamie Oliver's Chilli prawn & rocket spaghetti.
The bitterness of arugula and the sourness of lemon with the fresh taste of prawns is a delish combination!!
http://www.jamieoliver.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=29713
view mva1201's profile