Today’s recipe, pasta with arugula, is a simple first course, appetizing and very easy — a quick dish that appeals to many at the table and will also be excellent if prepared with a short pasta shape such as penne, sedanini, etc.
The arugula (also called rocket) with its slightly peppery flavor turns into an irresistible creamy sauce, ideal for dressing pasta in a simple but different way.
During boiling vegetables tend to lose their bright color; if you need to serve them cold, put them in a bowl of ice water to halt the cooking.
This rapid cooling sets the color and quickly stops the cooking.
Indicative cooking times (not accounting for the sizes of the individual vegetables) are:
– 3-4 minutes: chard leaves, spinach;
– 6-8 minutes: broccoli (with the stem cut into pieces), sliced cabbage;
– 10 minutes: asparagus, chard ribs, Brussels sprouts, leeks, turnips;
– 15 minutes: cauliflower, green beans, fennel, small potatoes, pumpkin pieces, zucchini;
– 30-40 minutes: artichokes, carrots, onions, medium potatoes, celeriac.
– 50-60 minutes: beets, cardoons.
If you love the slightly bitter taste of arugula I suggest: 
SAVORY ROLL WITH ARUGULA AND MORTADELLA 
PASTA WITH ARUGULA AND MINT PESTO
LASAGNE WITH ARUGULA, ZUCCHINI AND GOAT CHEESE
LONG PASTA WITH ARUGULA
ASI’s Kitchen
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 11 oz troccoli (fresh long pasta)
- 2 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/4 clove garlic
- 1 sprig thyme
- to taste Parmigiano Reggiano (grated)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- Bowl
- Saucepan
- Immersion blender
Preparation
After thoroughly washing the arugula, dry it well and set aside a few stems for decorating the plates.
Blanch most of it in salted boiling water, then cool it by placing it in a bowl of ice water*.
Drain it well and put it in the jar of an immersion blender with the garlic, the thyme leaves, the pine nuts, a pinch of salt and about 7 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Blend well to obtain a smooth cream.
Cook the pasta you chose (I used fresh troccoli) in plenty of salted water, drain it al dente and in a bowl mix it with the freshly made arugula pesto.
Portion the plates and, if you like, add plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
All that’s left is to serve immediately, decorating with the raw arugula stems set aside earlier. Enjoy your long pasta with arugula!
Annalisa
