Pasta with Arugula-Pecan Pesto

I was excited to see that there was a large bundle of peppery, leafy arugula in my CSA share this week, and I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it - make pesto and pour it over pasta! There was also a beautiful little head of broccoli, so that went in the dish, too.

Pesto doesn't just have to be made with basil and pine nuts. Now that summer is over, other herbs and green vegetables are showing up in my CSA shares - parsley and arugula are two that make excellent pesto sauces when combined with walnuts or pecans. This arugula was exceptionally delicious, as it was grown locally - it has a wonderful peppery bite and bright green color.

This was originally going to be arugula and walnut pesto, but I had accidentally purchased a bag of pecans instead - luckily, the pesto came out absolutely amazing using pecans instead of my intended walnuts. It was a very happy accident indeed. I did throw in the four or five walnuts I had hanging around, for good measure. Lightly toasting the nuts brings out their warm, mellow flavors and is far superior to using raw nuts of any kind.

Recipe for Whole Wheat Pasta with Arugula-Pecan Pesto and Broccoli (Makes 4 Servings):

What You Need:

• 1 bunch fresh arugula
• 3/4 cup toasted pecans (walnuts work great, too)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 bunch fresh broccoli, chopped into small florets
• 12 oz. whole wheat pasta (I used spaghetti)
• 1 cup pasta water, reserved just before draining the pasta
• salt and pepper, to taste

How to Make It:

1. Begin cooking the pasta according to the package directions. Remember, before you drain it, you'll want to reserve a cup of the pasta water to add to the pesto - there's good flavor in it! 
2. Meanwhile, put the arugula, garlic, toasted nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor.
3. During the last minute or so of the pasta cooking, add the broccoli and cook until the broccoli is bright green and tender. Use a mug or measuring cup to scoop out about 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside to keep warm.
4. Add half of the reserved pasta water (about 1/2 cup) to the blender or food processor. Attach the lid and blend, carefully and slowly at first, until the mixture is smooth. If it seems too thick, add more of the pasta water. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Stir the pesto together with the cooked pasta and broccoli. Serve warm. Enjoy!

This meal only takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare and is very simple to make. But it still somehow manages to be rather elegant and impressive. Paired with a simply dressed salad and some toasted bread, this would be a lovely meal to serve guests - even omnivore guests, because (I swear!) they won't miss the parmesan cheese that is usually included with pesto. Aaron took a bite and thanked me for putting plenty of cheese in his portion, when in actuality I hadn't used any cheese or dairy at all. If arugula seems too frou-frou, or expensive, or difficult to find, or if you prefer a "quieter," more mellow pesto, you could easily use flat-leaf Italian parsley instead. Parsley-walnut pesto is equally delicious, just with a somewhat different personality. Either way, I hope you'll give an alternative pesto a try next time you bring out the blender!

Roasted Broccoli with Almonds and Lemon

Fall means lots of delicious green things to eat, like kale, turnip greens, collards, and my favorite - broccoli! It's delicious cooked a number of different ways, as long as it is not overcooked (the cardinal sin of cooking green vegetables). But one of my very favorite ways to cook broccoli is roasting it in the oven.

Roasting broccoli brings out the slightly nutty flavor and makes even the stalks delicious. Toasted nuts add crunch and complement the nuttiness of the roasted florets. Lemon juice adds a bit of brightness. It is a perfect method for autumn cooking, because the heat from the oven will warm your kitchen and fill it with a delicious, toasty aroma.

The broccoli I used was grown locally by Frog Bottom Farm, and was $3 per pound. I got two huge crowns of the stuff for $5.50 at Richmond's own St. Stephen's Farmer's Market on Saturday.

Here's the recipe for roasted broccoli with almonds and lemon:

What you need:

• 1 crown of broccoli, cut into florets, tender stalks attached
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped raw almonds (or other nuts - hazelnuts would be really nice)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Drizzle the broccoli florets with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread the broccoli florets evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and put the sheet into the oven to cook.
3. Roast the broccoli in the oven until the stalks are tender, about ten minutes. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the broccoli about one minute before the broccoli is cooked, allowing the nuts to toast.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, and toss to coat.
5. Enjoy!

Everyone knows that broccoli is healthy, but here is some nutrition information about this vegetable, just for good measure. According to Nutrition Data, 1/2 cup of chopped, boiled broccoli has only 27 calories, but contains 84% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin C, as well as 138% of the vitamin K, 10% of the fiber, and 21% of the  folate you need for the day. As for almonds, they contain healthy amounts of fiber, vitamin E, riboflavin, magnesium, and manganese.

Enjoy!

(TTFH2EF9R65Z)