Let's arugula everything

Still Life of Pizza, Pre-Baked
If this summer is going to be remembered for anything at all, it should go down in the books as the Summer of Endless Cookery.  Even more than the Recovery of Mum or the Antics of my Overgrown Pet.  Once the weekend hits, my feet are planted squarely in the kitchen and budge only to make occasional quick trips to the store for more ingredients.  I've baked and broiled, stirred and simmered, sauteed and stir fried my cares and worries to a boiling point and watched them evaporate like steam.  Cooking for people (and caring for people) has always done that for me.

Critical to the kitchen, and particularly to my parents' kitchen where I concoct pan after pan of  weekend meals, are leftovers.  Nothing is wasted and everything is either eaten or frozen.  Only if there is visible evidence of spoilage is something tossed, and reluctantly at that.  Which is why, when I whipped up a large jar of arugula pesto to slather on some sandwiches, the remainder was kept and has been used as some component of every meal I prepared this past weekend.  I've added it as globs of bright green on to a homemade spinach artichoke white pizza, and when melted amidst the mozzarella, it created bubbly green swirls of nutty garlicly flavour.  Even odder yet, I added it to my quinoa fried rice, right after dumping in the soy sauce.  You wouldn't think the fusion of Asian and Italian palettes would complement each other so well, but surprisingly, it works rather well together.

The neon green sauce has been marinating in its own juices and the flavours have become more intense the longer I've let it sit in the fridge.  Sure, we could freeze it in ice cube trays and bring it out on a more "normal" basis but then what would be the fun or challenge in that?  I'm having fun throwing it into random dishes and seeing what it adds.  Who knew arugula pesto could be the jack of all trades in the kitchen?


Comments

  1. I've never had arugula pesto before. Who knew it could be so versatile?

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  2. Mmmmm can you please come cook for me one day? All your food posts just make my mouth water:) But like Emmylou said above, I've never had arugula pesto before. I've had the usual pesto and have put it on pizza though. It was delicious:)
    xo Olivia

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  3. We had arugula on all our salads at our friends last Thanksgiving, and we've been having it ever since. Spicy! Yum! :)

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  4. Oh, yum! I've eaten entirely too much fast food as of late. I hate to say it out loud. But it's probably partly to blame for my grumpy disposition . . . :)

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  5. I am an arugula junkie. Especially on pizza! I'll have to make J-man whip up some arugula pesto to add to our arsenal! xo

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  6. I wish I've been as motivated and creative in the kitchen this summer :-) Arugula pesto sounds SO good - what's the recipe you use?

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  7. Picture a little boy sitting at a table, lips tightly sealed, shaking his head side to side, making that two syllable sound that means "NO!" That would be me. :) But you made it, so it can't be bad. It would be a difficult decision if it was in front of me, but I would try it...and I'm sure I would like it.

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  8. I've never had or made arugula pesto, sounds intriguing! I love that you waste nothing because there's definitely a "wasting problem" in the US in a lot of aspects of our daily lives. I kinda pride myself on being able to clear-out the fridge at the end of the week by re-purposing leftovers or shopping in my pantry :).

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  9. I love arugula and eat it with almost anything. It's just so good. The bunnies love it too.

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  10. Umm... Arugula pesto sounds amazing!

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  11. All sounds lush - if I were you, I'd chuck some asparagus in there. Always more asparagus!

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  12. Thanks for sahring, what do you think of Salatul Hajaat - When wanting help from?

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  13. Oh yum yum yum. Would you mind please sending a jar this way? Sydney, Australia plllleeeeaase!

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  14. care to share the recipe? I've never had this before!

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  15. Yummy! I'll have to get your recipe some time. I've been so excited about summer foods and all the farm stands this summer, your cooking frenzies make me happy. I'm not surprised our people's foods go well together, in a way it makes sense. :)

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  16. I want this in my face. Also, more food posts please. x

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