has anyone made arugula pesto? how did it taste? I had some arugual and thought

R

randi

Well-known member
I would try it. what wouldn't be great about arugula, garlic and some walnuts? it was horrible! it had a grassy taste like you might get from licking a lawn mower blade :-0 (now I can cross the lawn mower off my to try list)

has anyone else tried this and was it good? took forever to get the taste out of my mouth last night.

 
Randi, I think arugula has to be very young to be edible. The older plants are just plain rank.

 
I've made it. I've bought it. Arugula is one of my favourite flavours but I don't care for the

pesto AT ALL. It's available in jars in odd shops.

I prefer young arugula but my garden abounds with it and I am very often eating older, fatter leaves, and for years (not enough actually because the stores here have been selling it for only about 5 years) the fat stuff was all you could get. For me...it's all good.

Older arugula works better in sandwiches, I find. Baguette, goat cheese, roasted red pepper, olive oil and arugula...big old honking arugula. Great sandwich.

Were you using wild arugula Randi, or our domesticated stuff?

 
the super markets carry it here in those plastic containers, it was baby arugula and the

leaves were small. it makes a wonderfull salad and I sure didn't see that taste coming. if you've ever had wheat grass juice, that's the what it tasted like and right back to the lawn mower. I'm just thankfull it was just me and I didn't serve it to friends.

Marg, I just found some more of the seeds you sent me and I'll be planting them when it warms up here. just love your arugula!

if you guys have made it and liked it then maybe I'll try again with garden arugula in the summer.

 
It wouldn't happen to be this recipe from FC. would it? I've been wanting to make it, am having

second thoughts. I buy arugula that is larger than the baby stuff, but very tasty, from an organic farm. As the weather warms up, it gets pretty peppery, but has a good taste.

* Exported for MasterCook 4 by Living Cookbook *

Fettuccine with Arugula-Walnut Pesto

Recipe By : The Best of Fine Cooking: Fresh 2007
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time: 0:00
Categories : Main Dish Pasta
Sauce


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method

kosher salt
1/4 lb arugula, washed and spun dry (about 3
-- lightly packed cups)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano;
-- more for sprinkling
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup walnut oil
1 lb dried fettuccine

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat.

2. Meanwhile, put the arugula, Parmigiano, walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, and
1 teaspoon salt into a food processor, and process until the mixture is
finely ground, 30 to 60 seconds. In a measuring cup, combine the olive oil
and walnut oil. With the food processor running, drizzle the oil through the
feed tube, and process the mixture until mostly smooth.

3. Cook the fettuccine in the boiling water until it's al dente, 6 to 8
minutes. Drain. In a medium bowl, toss the fettuccine with enough of the
pesto to generously coat the pasta. Serve sprinkled with extra Parmigiano,
if you like.

Comments: Walnut oil smooths out the peppery bite of the arugula, but you
can omit it and just use more extra-virgin olive oil instead. A Caesar
salad, served either with or after the pasta, is a good complement.

Recipe Source: The Best of Fine Cooking: Fresh 2007


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/fettuccine-arugula-walnut-pesto.aspx

 
no but that looks good smileys/smile.gif I just threw it in the blender like I do with basil. I've been making

pesto for so long now I don't bother with a recipe.

what I do make that is really good is "winter" pesto and that's just walnuts and garlic, in the processor and add olive oil. if you're not carefull you make it too thick so I usually get the "paste" and then toss some with the wet pasta and add more oil or some of the hot water the pasta cooked in. salt, pepper and grated parm.... simple and sooo good!

if you make the gourmet recipe, let me know how it turns out. the lemon juice sounds like an interesting addition.

 
PS Joe reminded me earlier that I told him how to make it some time ago and I think I even

sent him some of mine, frozen. now that I remember that I remember it was good but with home grown arugula. he thinks the packaged stuff might have been on the grocer's shelf too long even though it looked fresh enough.

maybe I'll try again in the summer smileys/smile.gif

 
Did you use the old Gourmet recipe? I'm not sure what year it was and it's not online. 2 bunches

arugula, 1-1/2 cups walnuts, 1 garlic clove, etc. We've made it many times and like it a lot, but we use our home-grown peppery arugula, not store-bought, which is usually disappointing as others have noted.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top