Arugula

Apricot and Arugula Salad with Fresh Ricotta

serves 4 (Bi-Rite Market’s Eat Good Food by Sam Mogannam & Dabney Gough) Author’s note: If you prefer, you can swap in ricotta salata or a mild feta for the ricotta; both are saltier than fresh ricotta, so skip the seasoning with zest, salt & pepper. You can substitute any other ripe stone fruit for the apricots.

– 1⁄4 cup fresh ricotta
– 1⁄2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
– Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
– 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar, more if needed
– 1⁄4 tsp. Dijon mustard
– 4 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
– 3 cups lightly packed arugula
– 3 medium apricots, cut into 1⁄4 inch wedges

Directions: In a small bowl, combine ricotta, zest, 1⁄4 tsp. salt and a pinch of black pepper, set aside. Combine the vinegar, mustard and 1⁄4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Whisk to blend, and continue to whisk as you drizzle in olive oil. Put arugula and apricots in a large bowl, drizzle about two-thirds dressing over, and toss gently but thoroughly with your hands. Toss and taste the salad. Add more dressing, vinegar, seasonings or arugula as needed. Spread on a serving platter or divide among 4 salad plates. Scatter teaspoonful’s of the ricotta mixture (or feta) over the salad.

Arugula & Peach Salad with Almonds & Gorgonzola

Farm member, Angela Gustafson passed on this recipe. If I remember correctly, I believe she said she has also made it with blueberries which makes me wonder about trying it with raspberries – maybe even apples.

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 T. Champagne or white wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 T. olive oil
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
4 small bunches arugula (or 2 normal)
2 medium peaches, firm but ripe, sliced
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola (or other mellow blue cheese)

Toast almonds.
In a small bowl, whish together vinegar, shallot and mustard. Whisk in oil, then lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Combine arugula and peaches in a salad bowl and toss with just enough dressing to coat lightly. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola and serve, passing any additional dressing on the side.

Arugula Pesto 

4 cups packed fresh arugula
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup pure olive oil
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 tablespoon
1/8 teaspoon vitamin C (optional)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan 

Prepare an ice water bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge the arugula into the ice water bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well.
Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, and the vitamin C, if using. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In this way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Pull out before dinner to get to room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pinenuts. 

And, this note and recipe from Angela Gustafson: This is our favorite use for Arugula yet, which I improvised from a salad we ordered at a fabulous restaurant in Philadelphia called, Tangerine.

Arugula Pesto #2

1 cup packed arugula, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (more if needed)
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan
2 Tbs chopped toasted walnuts 

Combine all of the ingredients together in a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Pulse until smooth. Serve immediately on pasta, crackers, bread, salmon. You get the idea.

Arugula Salad with Lemon Dressing 

1 lemon, juiced and zested
1/4 cup high quality extra-virgin olive oil
Unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 4 cups of arugula, washed and dried

Arugula Salad with Parmesan

serves 4 (The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters; 2007)
Arugula, stemmed, washed and dried
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
salt
Fresh ground black pepper
3-4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese or other hard grating cheese such as pecorino

Mix together vinegar, salt and pepper, whisk in olive oil, starting with a smaller amount of oil and tasting the dressing with a leaf of arugula. Add more oil and salt to taste. When ready to serve, toss arugula with vinaigrette. With a vegetable peeler cut thin curls of cheese and scatter curls over the top of the salad. Serve.

Arugula w/Honeyed Almonds & Manchego Cheese

Arugula, lightly covered in a Red Wine Vinaigrette* Honeyed Almonds** Manchego Cheese, slivered/shaved
Pile arugula (with vinaigrette) onto a large platter (or on individual servings plates). Top with honeyed almonds and Manchego cheese. Crack pepper over the top and serve with bread. FABULOUS!!

* one recipe I use is: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 T. red wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, salt & pepper to taste
** I’ve tried covering almonds with honey and maple syrup, roasting in low heat oven and on stovetop…all work. One tip is to separate and cool on a plate (wax paper sticks and foil tears).

Braising Mix with Warm Honey Mustard Dressing

Harvested at a larger stage than salad mix, these greens lend themselves to a hot dressing which cooks them slightly.

1 large clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T prepared mustard
1 T honey
4 tsp apple cider or sherry vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Braising Mix

Wash and dry braising mix. Remove stems – or line them up and chop into 1” pieces.

Heat oil in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sizzle gently to cook the garlic a bit. Do not brown the garlic. Stir in the honey and mustard until blended in. Stir in the vinegar, salt and pepper, sizzle for just a moment to ensure all it quite hot, but not enough to cook off the vinegar. The mixture will still look somewhat separated. Immediately, toss the hot dressing into the Braising Mix until thoroughly blending and wilted a bit.

Lemony White Bean & Arugula Salad 

serves 4 (cookinglight.com) 

  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tsp. grated lemon rind plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice

  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

  • 3/8 tsp. Kosher salt

  • ¼ tsp. black pepper

  • 1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained

  • ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion

  • 3 cups packed arugula

1. Combine oil, rind, juice, mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. In a separate bowl, toss desired amount of dressing with beans and onion; toss well to coat. Add arugula, toss gently to combine. Season to taste and add dressing if desired.

Pasta with Potatoes, Arugula & Rosemary

serves 4 (Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters; 1996)

1 pound firm boiling potatoes
1 small red onion
About ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic
Salt & Pepper
1 sprig rosemary
½ pound arugula
¾ pound penne or other tubular pasta
½ lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
1- Slice the potatoes about 1/3 inch thick and toss them with a small amount of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them in a single layer in an oven proof dish or on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
2- Meanwhile, wash the arugula, drain and set aside. Slice the red onion thin. Peel and chop fine the garlic cloves and the rosemary leaves. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.
3- When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and put the pasta on to boil. Heat a sauté pan, add some of the olive oil and sauté the sliced onion until it is soft and translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat, add the potato slices, the garlic, and the rosemary, and toss together for a minute or two. When the noodles are done, drain them and add to the potatoes and onion along with the arugula. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and toss everything together. Drizzle a little olive oil over and serve.

Ravioli with Arugula and Pecorino

Serves 4

1 lb fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
1 large clove garlic, minced (could use the scapes – cut into 1” pieces and sauté)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, sliced (could use scallions!) 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper to taste
6 cups arugula
½ cup shared Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook ravioli until tender 7-9 minutes or according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, mash garlic (or slice scapes) into a paste with the side of a chef’s knife or back of a spoon. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallots (or scallions) and cook stirring often, until just starting to brown, 2-3 minutes. Stir in vinegar, justard and pepper; remove from heat. Drain the ravioli well. Place in a large bowl and toss with arugula and the dressing. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Summer Melon & Arugula Salad – 6 servings (denisonfarm.com)

  • For the Vinaigrette:

  • ¼ cup lemon juice

  • 1/3 cup canola or other light vegetable oil

  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • For The salad:

  • 1 medium (about 3 cups) cantaloupe, peeled, seeded & cut into 1-inch slices

  • 3 cups seedless watermelon, peeled & cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 3 cups arugula, washed and dried

  • 1 medium red onion, peeled & shaved paper-thin (or use a leek)

  • 6 paper-thin slices of parmesan, for garnish (optional)

  1. Make the vinaigrette: Place the lemon juice in a small bowl and add the oils in a steady stream, whisking vigorously. Add salt and pepper to taste, set aside.

  2. Make the salad: In a medium bowl, combine the cantaloupe, watermelon, arugula, and onion. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Add about ½ cup of the vinaigrette and combine until lightly coated. Top with parmesan if using and drizzle with more vinaigrette if desired. Serve immediately.

Warm Arugula Bread Salad 

serves 4 – (eatingwell.com) Cut this recipe in half or use another green in addition to the arugula.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 slices crusty whole-wheat bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (2 cups)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved OR use cut-up romas!
8 cups arugula, (7 ounces) add komatsuna if needed?
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (1/4 cup) or grated (1/2 cup)
Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in bread; cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and starting to brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add tomatoes and arugula; cook, stirring, until arugula just wilts, about 1 minute. Push the mixture to one side. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to the empty side and cook garlic, stirring constantly, until fragrant and sizzling, 15 seconds. Stir into the bread mixture. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with vinegar and toss to combine. Serve warm, topped with Parmesan.