I've gotten a fair amount of arugula the past three weeks in my organic produce share, and was running out of ideas on how to use this lovely green. I just happened on this site, Mariquita Farm, and they have enough arugula recipes that I'm afraid I'm going to run out of arugula before I try all the recipes. How's THAT for a problem?
But, just in case you need a couple more ideas, here are a handful of arugula recipes from The Seasonal Chef.
A Quick Tutorial on How to Clean and Store Arugula
Arugula is something that I call a "sturdy green". It can be eaten either raw as in salads and pesto, or cooked much like you would cook spinach. Cooked arugula has a more sturdy texture than cooked spinach does, so be prepared.
Tastewise, arugula has a peppery taste, more pungent when it is larger than when it is harvested very young. When selecting arugula, you want dark green leaves that don't have any yellowing or wilting leaves.
As soon as you get home, remove the tough stems and throw those into the compost. Arugula cleans best in a large bowl or tub of water so that you can swish the leave around and remove every trace of soil that might be clinging to the leaves. Lift the leaves out of the water. If the water is especially dirty, you may want to do a second washing to avoid any grittiness in your salad or dish.
I prefer to spin my arugula in a salad spinner in order to dry the leaves. Arugula is best used within about three days. If you need to keep it longer, gently roll your cleaned and dried arugula in paper towels and store them in a plastic bag, just don't seal the bag. They will keep up to a week this way.
I must run for now, but let me know how you like any of these arugula recipes...I'm going to make the arugula pesto today and probably the arugula and goat cheese pasta sauce. I'll let you know how they turn out.
No comments:
Post a Comment