the arugula files

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. 

Capellini with Lemon and Anchovy Sauce

I want to like anchovies.  I really do. But when I see them: their little, hairy, smelly, brown bodies, I get the willies.  I know, my reaction sounds pedestrian, but there's no other way to say it: anchovies freak me out.  In the past, I've been ok with my unsophisticated fear of anchovies.  But occasionally, I'll hear someone credible, someone I admire, talk about the advantages of cooking with anchovies, and I'll re-think my fear.  Usually, my reconsideration of anchovies as something edible lasts about 30 seconds, but recently Jane Black of the Washington Post wrote this article.   Ms. Black succeeded where many others have failed: she helped push me off the anchovy avoiding fence.  As a first step, I made this simple dish.

Conquering Kale Part 2 (Braised Kale with Farro, Gruyere, Parmesan)

I'm lovin it (the it being kale, my new favorite vegetable).  After last week's success with this nutritional powerhouse, I decided to make another kale dish.  I promised a dish by Dan Barber, the chef at the Stone Barns at Blue Hill, where I enjoyed a creamy, salty, tangy, soft-boiled egg drizzled with a pancetta vinaigrette, placed on a nest of arugula.  It was an amazing egg.  So, after searching for kale on the internets, I was pleased to find a recipe for melted kale and farro by Mr. Barber.

Conquering Kale with Molly (Braised Kale with Spaghetti and Chorizo)

Last night was the first time I tried kale.  Ever.  And, holy shit, I loved it.  Absolutely loved it.  I have one person to thank for my  new found appreciation for kale: Molly Wizenberg.  This past week, while I was traveling from Spokane to Seattle, I picked up a copy of bon appettit in the airport.  On page 74, Molly has a lovely article called, "how I learned to love kale."  She admits, she didn't like it at first.  It grew on her. 

Baked (But Creamy) Mac and Cheese with Sundried Tomatoes

What to do with half a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, a lonely shallot, and some leftover panko crumbs? Add pasta and cheddar cheese.   This dish was diabolically delicious--creamy, crumbly, salty, flavorful.  There's no way else to describe it, except to say it is the ultimate comfort food, which basically means you should make it once in a year, if you know what I mean.

Fried Quinoa

I've been testing some quinoa recipes lately.  Before my Aunty Franny calls me tonight to say, "Mary, What the heck is quinoa?  It sounds weird."  Let me say, yes, it is.  Quinoa (keen-wah) is a little bit like couscous, but less grainy, with a nutty flavor, and it is for that very reason that I think it tastes better than most whole grains. Sounds healthy, right?  Quinoa is 100 percent whole grain, packing protein, vitamin B, zinc and other assorted goodies that you probably won't get in your Fred Flintstone vitamin. It's for that very reason—sounds healthy—that I've had a box of quinoa sitting in my cupboard longer than it is taking Congress to pass healthcare reform (still waiting....). Making "fried rice" with quinoa seemed to me like a great way to make this healthy dish taste delicious.

Melon, Arugula, Prosciutto Israeli Couscous Salad

Summer is almost over.  Sigh.  Here's a light summer salad that's salty, sweet, and perfect for hot days.  It's also mayonnaise-free and features one of my favorite pasta products: Israeli couscous.  If you can't find Israeli couscous at your local supermarket, you can buy it on the internets.