# Arugula



## NeilV (Nov 18, 2006)

We put a little patch of Arugula in and let it go to seed. The bees worked the flowers on it pretty well. 

Also, I've kind of taken to eating Arugula. You can cook the leaves like greens or make them into a pesto that is good stuff.

Neil


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

I've never grown it before. Isn't it similar to kale, or am I thinking of something else?


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## NeilV (Nov 18, 2006)

It also goes by the name "rocket." It grows about like Kale and is a type of green that tolerates cold. But it does not look much like Kale or taste like it. It has a really peppery taste that grows on you (if you are me, anyway). Putting some in a salad is good too to spice things up, but I would not want a whole salad of arugula. 

I like arugula pesto better than basil pesto, but the basil gets growing about the time that it gets too hot for arugula. 

If anybody is interested I'll post my arugula pesto recipe.


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## NewBee2007 (May 6, 2007)

*Please post the arugala recipe*

I love arugala! I'd love to get the recipe if you would like to share it! 




NeilV said:


> It also goes by the name "rocket." It grows about like Kale and is a type of green that tolerates cold. But it does not look much like Kale or taste like it. It has a really peppery taste that grows on you (if you are me, anyway). Putting some in a salad is good too to spice things up, but I would not want a whole salad of arugula.
> 
> I like arugula pesto better than basil pesto, but the basil gets growing about the time that it gets too hot for arugula.
> 
> If anybody is interested I'll post my arugula pesto recipe.


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## NeilV (Nov 18, 2006)

*NeilV's Arugula Pesto Recipe*

Ingredients:

About 4 cups of packed Arugula leaves that have the large stems removed and are cleaned (this is roughly equal to a very full salad spinner load of clean, destemmed Arugula leaves)

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil (make sure its extra virgin)

1/4 cup toasted walnut halves or pine nuts (you can probably skip the toasting, but I do it anyway)

1 cup grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese (it's best if you use the real thing and grate it fresh, but the stuff in the plastic containers would work too if it is 100% cheese and no fillers)

1 Tablespoon of crushed, fresh garlic

1 teaspoon lemon juice

salt to taste (start with about 1/2 teaspoon of course Kosher salt or less fine salt)

dash of black pepper, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon vitamin C crystals (ascorbic acid) (optional, but if you leave this out, add more lemon juice to taste. The purpose of this is to keep the pesto green and fresh looking. I would not bother to buy this just for this recipe, but use it if you have it)

Steps:

1. Bring a big pot of water to boiling. 

2. Get a strainer/colander ready in the sink and make sure you have towels or something to protect your hands from a hot pan and steam. 

3. Tell the kids to get out of the kitchen. (See number 4 below)

4. Add all of the Arugula leaves and quickely stir in and leave in the boiling water just until wilted, about 10 seconds and no more than 15 seconds. 

5. Quickly pour the water and leaves into the colander and rinse with cold water until cool to stop the cooking.

6. Squeeze out the excess water from the wilted Arugula leaves. At this point the big bunch of leaves has been reduced to a ball that can fit in your hand

7. Put the leaves and olive oil in a blender and mix until you have a paste, about 10 seconds.

8. Add everything else and grind the rest of it into a paste, about 30 more seconds or so, depending on how smooth you like it.

9. Adjust the seasonings to your taste, by adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice. Be careful with the lemon juice, since you can get it too lemony by accident.

You can serve this as a dip with crackers, put it on toasted bread, with fresh or sun dried tomatos, serve it as a pasta sauce, or serve it as a sauce for meats (especially good with broiled/grilled shrimp, fish or chicken). You can also take the broiled/grilled fish or meat and mix the meat and pesto with pasta. It's pretty versatile stuff. 

This recipe can be halved or doubled as long as it will all fit in the blender. Also, if you get a big crop of Arugula, you can make several batches and freeze it. 

You can convert this recipe into a basil Pesto by substituting basil leaves for Arugula. However, when I make basil pesto I do not blanch the Basil leaves. We like to use the Basil Pesto in all the same ways. I prefer Arugula pesto to Basil, but that's obviously a matter of personal taste.


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

*She named it Quack Quack. Not me.*

Thanks Neil!! Arugula happens to be Quack Quack's (my daughters russian tortoise) and my favorite. I could just eat a bowl of it and do. I will be making your pesto this weekend.


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## walking bird (Mar 2, 2008)

Interesting... it appears bees like their greens I plant lots of Swiss Chard (had arugula, but just can't get the taste to "grow" on me) and I frequently have bees hanging areound it, even when it's not flowering. Maybe they're after trapped moisture, I don't know.


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## DRUR (May 24, 2009)

*Is there an ulterior motive here?*

Is this the stuff a guy from Italy said drives the women crazy?


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## Durandal (Sep 5, 2007)

Arugula is nice stuff. A nice peppery taste. There are perennial and annual types. I grow both for market and let them flower for the bees. Then I rip out the annual and cut back the perennial.

The roquette variety (we Americans tend to butcher it into "Rocket" and thus named the variety as such) is a perennial. Roquette is simply the French name for Arugula. There are also Italian types that I consider quite tasty as well.


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