arugula.

Lately I have been having an Arugula obsession; I don’t know why.  Maybe back to my younger years working in the French Bistro and eating hamburgers with Arugula piled on top.  That was my first exposure to the lovely little green lettuce.  It has been popular in Italy and France for ages, but caught on in the US and Britain somewhat more recently.

Arugula is a spicy little leaf, some may describe it as bitter, but I consider it to have a "peppery" flavor.  It is a very aromatic salad green and like most salad greens—low in calories and high in vitamins A and C.  A half cup serving is only 2 calories- who can complain about that!

Here is a very simple recipe I found on Trader Joe’s (my favorite place to grocery shop) website:

This salad really doesn't require measuring, but I included some measurements below. If you love pine nuts, add more pine nuts. If you love Parmesan, then load it on.

Arugula Salad with Pine Nuts and Parmesan

Ingredients
- 1 bag Arugula
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
- 3/4 cup shaved Parmesan
- Salt
- Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions:
1) Toss the arugula with the olive oil till coated.
2) Add the pine nuts and Parmesan.
3) Add a little salt to taste and the lemon juice. Toss lightly and serve.

If you want to make this salad into a light meal, boil some pasta (say half a bag of penne) and toss it all together, allowing the arugula to wilt slightly.