the arugula files

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer Pasta with Fresh Peas

It feels like Spring has long passed.  I find hints of her here and there, hiding behind the summer heat.  There she is: a cool breeze at night, Sunday rain showers, tulips at the market, and these North Carolina peas.  I bought them on the last day of May, an appropriate way to say goodbye to Spring and hello to Summer, I thought.  Making a Spring pasta isn't difficult.  Fresh herbs are a must, but beyond that you can throw anything into your pot.  

Taco Party with Homemade Corn Tortillas, Plus All the Fixins

I'm vacationing on the Outer Banks this week.  It's wonderful.  I get to do things I never have time for, like read books and cook without the pressure of a clock weighing on me.  So far there have been lots of delicious dinners.    I ordered a tortilla press one year ago.  A year passed and no handmade tortillas.  Then I saw this article in the June issue of Bon Appettit for tacos and thought there is no better place for a taco party then on vacation, at the beach, so I packed my tortilla press.  One of the first nights we were on vacation, we made homemade corn tortillas.

Pasta Making Class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow

If I tell you what I did today, you will be totally jealous.  Ready?  I took a pasta making class with Mrs. Wheelbarrow.   Taking a class with Cathy was on my culinary resolutions list from 2011.  So, finally, a few years later, I can check it off.  It was totally fun, informative, and tasty.  Cathy really knows her stuff and shared lots of helpful tips.  We made pasta dough, ricotta and potato gnocchi, and, my favorite, spinach and ricotta gnudi.  Oh, and how could I almost forget? We also made super fancy raviolis with spinach, ricotta, and a soft boiled egg gently placed inside.   You cut into the ravioli and it runs a river of creamy, yolky deliciousness through your pasta, creating a creamy sauce.  How impressive is that?

Penne with Gorgonzola, Spinach, Walnuts, and Proscuitto (My Last Supper and Then Jillian)

The smorgasbord is over.  It's been a 39 days since I gave birth.  And after 9 months of gaining weight--a whopping 45 pounds--the jig is up.  Yes, that's right.  Forty.  Five.  Pounds.  Surprise!  That's what happens when you lay in bed and eat a steady diet of pasta with butter and cheese.

Post birth, my friends and family spoiled us, dropping off dish after dish.  They just kept coming.  Not wanting to offend anyone I ate every delicious bite.  I. had. to. eat. it. all.  I just had to.  Not to mention there was no time to cook.  No time to shower.  No time to [insert any adult related activity here].  

Despite the family and friends cook for you diet, about 25 pounds of my weight gain just disappeared...slid off or out of my body.  The remaining twenty? No so much. I can see that it wants to hang around.  Literally. It's time to get back to moderation and some exercise.  But, before I make like Jennifer Hudson, how about a some creamy pasta, a so-called last supper?  In other famous last diet words: I'll start tomorrow!

Minestra di Pasta e Piselli From The Glorious Pasta of Italy

You know how they say, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover?  Well, when it comes to cookbooks, I have a hard time following that adage.  I just love pretty cookbooks, and, call me shallow, but I often buy them completely based on looks.  There's obviously a reason for that saying, and, yes, I often end up with cookbooks that are pretty to look at, but don't deliver any substance.  They sit on my shelf, trophies for people to admire. My one night stands that won't go away.  But sometimes I find a cookbook that has it all.  Domenica Marchetti's newest book, The Glorious Pasta of Italy, is such a cookbook: gorgeous on the inside and out, full of recipes that I've marked off to try, a companion I could spend a life time with.

Israeli Couscous with Golden Raisins, Mint, and Almonds

I recently served this dish for a dinner party with a few friends.  Dinner was Mediterranean inspired: lamb, tzatziki, baba ganoush, and pitas.  I was planning to serve rice, but thought it too boring.  This dish, with its bright herb flavors, mild sweetness from the raisins, and crunch from the almonds, is packed with flavor.  It added something interesting to the table.  Bonus: leftovers made for a yummy breakfast the next day.

Farfelle with Brie, Basil, and Cherry Tomatoes

I've had this dish a million times before.  Tomatoes, basil, and cheese (and maybe a little garlic).  It's  amazingly simple.  Usually I make it with fresh mozzarella.  This time around I tried it with brie, after a friend in Boston served me something similar.  Using brie gives it a mellow creamy flavor.  It melts nicely, coating the farfelle with a light cheesy sauce.  (As you can see from the photo above, I like red pepper flakes.)

Israeli Couscous with Asparagus, Peas, and Sugar Snaps (Plus Why I always Liked Bon Appetit better than Gourmet)

A friend made this dish for me a few weeks ago.  It includes some of my favorite ingredients: Israeli couscous (which is not really couscous at all, but by my standards qualifies as pasta), asparagus, peas, snap peas, lemon, and parmesan cheese.  It's a great summer side and can serve as a substantial meal (or breakfast the next day, just as I ate the leftovers my friend gave me to take home).   The recipe is from Bon Appetit.

And now I'm going to say something controversial: I always liked Bon Appetit better than Gourmet, and I do not miss Gourmet at all.  In fact, if I had to choose between the two magazines, as Conde Naste did, I would have axed Gourmet and saved Bon Appetit, just as they decided to do.  There are two reasons for this.  First, Bon Appetit includes recipes I want to cook that don't require 17 special ingredients and, second, because I love Molly Wizenberg's monthly column.  There I said.