Tag: arugula
Zucchini Risotto with Arugula and Steak Salad
Family was visiting from Austin and wanted to eat something delicious, different and gourmet- what the heck was I supposed to make??
Risotto was discussed briefly and so I started thinking about arborio rice. How should I cook it and what should I serve with it? When I am coming up with a menu- I try to include a vegetable and a protein with the starch. I am thrilled to include all the food groups on one plate.
My husband reminded me of the zucchini pesto in the fridge- “maybe you can add that to the risotto”, he said. Wow, I thought – all this cooking is rubbing off on him as well. What a great idea- that is what I did. I made a simple risotto with chicken broth and folded in some velvety zucchini pesto.
What about the protein? We were in Trader Joes and my idea was to buy the marinated, frozen rack of lamb. It is delicious and very easy- just roast in the oven and serve. Turns out that some of them didn’t care for lamb- so it was back to the drawing board. I was walking around Trader Joes and came across tip steak. I decided to marinate the steak and make a salad with the arugula and serve them on top of the hot risotto.
Well, the combination was delicious. I love cold salad on top of anything hot. In this case the bitter arugula was fabulous with the garlicky steak and the creamy risotto. It was a big success and everyone loved it. We drank a wonderful merlot with the meal- it is great spending time with family!
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Pasta Primavera Topped With Arugula Pesto
This recipe is a combination of two things I had in Italy. The second night there we went to a local wine bar. It had fabulous wines and light fare. We ordered a couple platters of bruschetta which were delicious. Each platter had a 4 pieces of bread with different toppings- none of them had diced tomatoes- which is what I think of when someone mentions bruschetta. Each of the toppings were yummy but one stood out clearly. It was a arugula and almond pesto- I know this because I asked the owner for the ingredients. I wrote them down and made a mental note to make this as soon as I got back to NJ.
The last day of our trip was spent in Rome. We ate dinner at a small trattoria and my husband ordered pasta primavera. Here, when he orders that dish, he is used to getting a plate of pasta with lots of veggies in a tomato sauce. In Rome he got a plate of fresh pasta in a chunky tomato sauce topped with a mound of fresh arugula and mozzarella cheese. It was delicious!
This creation is a combination of the arugula pesto and the pasta dish. I made a typical pasta primavera- which my husband loves; but I topped it with fresh arugula and mozzarella cheese mixed with the arugula pesto. It was really really good- if I do say so myself! The arugula pesto is absolutely out of this world. The slight bitterness comes through but is contrasted really well with the creaminess of the almonds and the olive oil.
Even if you don’t try the pasta, definitely try the pesto. Speaking of pasta- you can definitely use the pesto for a pasta dish- I bet it will be delicious! In fact I will try it and let you know!
- 2 small zucchinis cut into ½ inch dice
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups tomato sauce
- Salt
- 1 pound fresh pasta, cooked al dente
- Pinch of sugar
In a large frying pan, add the olive oil and heat on medium high heat. Add the zucchini and mushrooms. Saute on high heat for 5 to 6 minutes or till the vegetables are soft and golden brown. Add the tomato sauce, sugar and salt.
Cook on medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the fresh pasta and mix well and check for seasonings.
- 2 cups fresh baby arugula
- 1 cup fresh ciliegine mozzarella (small balls)
Arugula Pesto with Almonds
- 3 cups fresh baby arugula
- 1 cup sliced blanched almonds
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons slat
In a food processor, add the almonds and process till fine. Add the arugula and start the processing. While the arugula is processing, slowly drizzle the olive oil. Take out in a bowl and add the salt. Check for seasonings.
Take a cup of mozzarella and mix ½ cup of arugula pesto and the fresh arugula and keep aside.
Serve the pasta with ½ a cup of the arugula mozzarella mixture on top.
Day Eight- Part Spello and Part Rome
Day eight was our last in Spello. The day before I was busy shopping for things to take home. While I was at the local supermarket, I found these cookie like confections. We had tried them earlier through the week and I wanted to eat them one last time before we left. I bought them for breakfast on our last day.
I woke up the next day and got ready and did some last minute packing. I was sad to leave Spello but very excited to be in Rome and ultimately home. No matter where we go I am always very happy to be home. Nothing like your own familiar surroundings and your own bed!
I came down to the kitchen and started breakfast. I made coffee in the similar contraption as what I have at home. This was the first time I didn’t travel with mine. I remember walking into the kitchen the first time in the Spello apartment and smiling as I saw the coffee maker.
I had my coffee and the delicious cookie like cakes covered with sugar and stuffed with a chocolate marzipan filling. They look like mini doughnuts but taste a lot better. I wanted to pack some and take home but I settled on two for breakfast.
After breakfast we headed to Rome. It took us a while to drop our luggage off to the hotel and then return our car. As we drove into Rome, I realized it had been almost 10 years since I had been to this lovely old city. It made me nostalgic as I looked around- it reminded me of Delhi.
We finally got everything done and took a bus to the old part of Rome across the Tiber- Trastevere. It is a section that is a mix between Soho and old Barcelona. It has small cobblestone streets full of restaurants and funky, upscale shops. We walked around and settled on a Trattoria with seating outside. Dinner consisted of lasagna, pasta primavera which was unlike the one we get in the US. This was mostly tomato sauce and pasta, topped with fresh arugula and chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese. It was delicious! I had a rigatoni with sausage in a cheese and cream sauce- very yummy!
After dinner we walked some more and took a bus to the colosseum. What a beautiful structure- especially at night.
It was a very brief stay in Rome- I am glad we did it. It reminded me how I really enjoyed visiting this city last time and how I would like to come back very soon.
Fresh Tuna Salad
This was the first thing I did with the fresh tuna steaks I got from my friend. I was at the mall when I got the call telling me she was on her way to drop the fish off. I immediately left all the shopping and headed home. Ideas began to swim in my head – it’s very hard to drive when that happens- all I could think of was to get in my house and get my hands on those tuna steaks.
It happened to be lunch time and what is more refreshing on a hot day than a freshly made tuna salad? Well, that is what I made. I briefly seared both sides and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I kept them aside to cool off while I went to my back yard to decide what herb to use in the salad. A few years ago I remember eating a lemon thyme chicken salad at a local wrap place in South Orange. It was delicious and I made it at home many times after eating it. While I was outside in my backyard, I thought of that salad and brought some fresh thyme for the tuna salad. I wanted to add a sweet element to the salad- an apple came to mind. I had one left in my fridge and it was my favorite variety- Braeburn. I love the sweet and sour taste paired with the crisp texture of this particular apple. It all came together really well, a little mayo, fresh thyme, lemon juice and an apple.
It was a simple salad but absolutely delicious. I have never had fresher fish before- I couldn’t believe someone caught it just a few days before I put the salad together. Makes me want be more of a locavore.
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Great Leftover Recipe: Shrimp and Arugula Quesadilla
The weather has been very kind to us lately- I guess we deserve it after the spring we have had. We decided to keep my daughter home from camp one day and visit a lake. Everyone was responsible for packing their own food, snacks and fruit, etc. I thought of cherries and nectarines for fruit; gogurts and fruit leather for snacks- but was having trouble deciding on the lunch part.
My daughter has been into quesadillas lately- which is good since she doesn’t like to eat sandwiches. So- quesadillas came to mind- cheese for her but what about me?? The left over shrimps from the shrimp rolls came to mind.. hmm.. I thought of chopping those up with the grated Mexican cheese blend- perfect- but what about veggies?? I thought of packing a salad but the idea of lettuce on a warm day wilting away didn’t seem very appealing. I instead thought of adding a bit of arugula right into the quesadilla.
Now, ideally I like to dip my quesadilla into something spicy- like a tomato salsa or guacamole. I didn’t have any made and I was too lazy to go buy some and pack tiny containers- too complicated. I used my favorite hot sauce instead- the sriracha sauce. I love using this particular one, it has great flavor with the heat. It has a bit of garlic and sugar paired with the tang and saltiness- perfection in my book! The combination was yum- the quesadilla tasted great room temperature- the shrimp gave it nice substance while the greens gave it a nice crunch- yup they were still a bit crunchy. The hot sauce put it over the top- it was delicious! I devoured the entire quesadilla in less than a minute and wished I had made another one. We ate sweet and juicy nectarines and thoroughly enjoyed the day.
A great picnic or pool item to pack along- no reason to have the not so healthy and not so tasty food you tend to get at those places.
Arugula Prosciutto and Nectarine Salad with a Yogurt Dressing
I wait for this time all year long. The summer produce is coming out and there is lot to cook with. About a week or two ago I started buying nectarines and apricots- my favorite. I love the firm texture of the nectarines and of course their delicious flavor. In the past I devour them just as they are but now since I write this blog, I decided to use them in different dishes. I recently made a beef stir fry where I used some nectarines and cooked everything in an apricot sauce- it was delicious! I will post the recipe soon. I also made an apricot kuchen the other day which was so good with coffee. I have also been cooking with dried apricots. They remind me of Moroccan cooking. I used them in a chicken dish and I made some banana apricot scones with white chocolate- don’t worry, all these recipes will be posted soon. My point was that even tough it’s been a very rainy start to the summer season- it still feels like summer to me since the produce is out. Nothing like biting into a delicious juicy nectarine- I especially like the white ones- they are extremely sweet. Somehow peaches don’t do it for me- most people cook with and prefer peaches- I don’t like their fuzzy skin and soft texture- I prefer the smooth exterior and the firm interior of a nectarine.
I was watching Jamie Oliver making a grilled peach salad with a yogurt dressing. That is where this recipe came from- or at least the inspiration did. I used arugula for my greens since I love the bitter bite they have. I thought pairing nectarines would be extra delicious with arugula. Prosciutto and feta add a nice salty and creamy balance to the salad- all the taste buds are awakened in the palette. The yogurt dressing on top is quite interesting as well. I added some honey and lemon for a balance and ancho chili powder for a bit of a kick to the dish. Somehow oregano came to mind so I went outside to my herb garden and picked some fresh oregano and chives. It was a yummy creamy, salty, spicy and sweet sauce to pour over the salad. We ate it with the plain and white pizza– and yes we actually got to sit outside for a change- it was a beautiful day!
Garlic Chicken with Pancetta served with Couscous with Pine nuts and Currants
I was watching food television the other day and saw someone make chicken with 40 cloves of garlic. It looked delicious but it seemed quite labor intensive. I have been meaning to make this dish for a while but have been lazy – so I made it simpler. I decided to use less garlic- it takes too long to peel 40 cloves. I used one head of garlic instead and it was more than enough. I also coated the chicken pieces with seasoned flour before I browned them. I saved a step by doing this- I don’t have to take the chicken out and make a roux separately. I also decided to add pancetta for an extra layer of flavor – boy, what intense flavor bacon gives to a dish! Everything is good with bacon! The fresh thyme is a great addition- it brings a very earthy flavor to the dish. I served the chicken with couscous that I made with pine nuts and currants. I usually add golden raisins to my savory dishes- never used currants before- well I am a fan! They are great tiny little balls of sweetness and go really well in the couscous. My daughter who usually takes the raisins out, somehow didn’t mind the currants in the couscous. I added a little extra chicken broth to the dish so we can enjoy extra sauce with the couscous.
So, since the dish didn’t have any vegetables, I was planning on serving a salad. I had baby arugula in the fridge and decided to make it simple and add some lemon juice and salt. It suddenly occurred to me maybe I should serve the seasoned arugula on top of the dish! What a brilliant idea- actually it’s not mine- I have seen it many times on food television– they usually add seasoned greens on pizza, pasta, etc. Well it is a great idea- it tasted fantastic! The lemony arugula was perfect with the creamy chicken and the sweet couscous. It really was a brilliant dish and I think great for company. We drank a Riesling with the chicken- the same one I used to make the sauce. It stood up to the strong flavors of the chicken dish but was light at the same time. It was a very enjoyable meal indeed- nothing better in life than to enjoy great food and wine with the people you love most!