Ranch Herb Garden - Arugula

When I wrote my post on planning the herb garden, I originally omitted arugula in my list of herbs.  I don't know how I could have forgotten this!  I'm glad I realized my mistake and corrected the list.

For anyone not familiar with arugula, it is a peppery green with a nutty flavor.  It is very popular in Europe, and may also be known as rugula, roquette, or rocket.  It is frequently used in salads (try adding some to your next mixed green salad), and I like to substitute it for spinach.   It can also be used to make pesto, for those who like intense flavors.

According to the entry on growing arugula on the Gardening Blog, arugula can be grown in either full sun or partial shade, in loose soil.  It is a good choice for containers as well.  It needs frequent and regular watering, so probably will not be as happy during the hot days of summer.  Though arugula is not a perennial, it will self seed so a few plants will return each year without new planting.  Once the arugula goes to seed, the leaves will be too bitter to eat.

If you don't want to grow your own, you can find baby arugula at Trader Joe's markets, or at many grocery stores.

Here's a really tasty recipe from another of my favorite cookbooks, The New Basics, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  I've made it for dinner parties as an appetizer, serving it alongside crostini or grilled bread.  It also makes a wonderful topping for pizza.

Tomato Arugula Provencal

Ingredients:
20 ripe plum tomatoes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
8 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large bunch arugula, well rinsed and patted dry, stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped (about 2 cups)
15 sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil), drained and coarsely chopped
3 tbs. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.  Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water and leave for 20 seconds.  Then drain and cool under cold water.  Peel, core, and seed the tomatoes, and coarsely chop.  Note: you may be wondering whether you could use canned tomatoes.  You could, but it would not taste nearly so good.  In fact, you may want to make this recipe using heirloom tomatoes (preferably homegrown) instead of the more readily available plum tomatoes.  If you'd rather use a shortcut, you could substitute 2 large cans of diced tomatoes (without seasonings), drained.  I'd go with the fresh tomatoes unless you're trying to make this in the dead of winter.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet.  Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.  Add the garlic, and cook another 5 minutes.  Then add the arugula, mix thoroughly, and remove from the heat.
3. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese to the mixture, and gently fold together.  Let the mixture rest, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving (if you can wait that long).  This dish may be made up to 2 days ahead.

Makes 4 cups.