10-8…Arugula Rustica

Today a most thoughtful and generous friend gave me some fresh Arugula from his garden, and I have spent the past several hours thinking about how I will use it in tonight’s dinner. On July 2nd I posted a recipe using Arugula in a pesto form, and on June 25th I used it as a garnish. Tonight I’m looking for something different; I want the dish to be simple and rustic, and after several intense hours of thinking…OK…maybe intense is a little over the top…how about serious hours? This is what I’ve come up with.



INGREDIENTS:

Linguine or Angel hair pasta
Olive oil
Garlic
Tomato paste
Arugula coarsely chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
Toasted ciabatta breadcrumbs
Lemon juice

PROCESS:

Cook the garlic and about 1 tsp. of tomato paste in the olive oil for several minutes before adding half of the arugula and just a bit of lemon juice. When the pasta is cooked…not overcooked…just cooked…add it to the “sauce” along with some pasta water and mix well. Toss in the rest of the arugula plus the breadcrumbs and black pepper, mix well, and drizzle with olive oil before serving.

Now if only it tastes as good as it sounds to me.

COMMENTS:

I hit it out of the park tonight! This dish was everything I hoped it would be. Thank you John…your Arugula made the day.