GREENS AND ICE CREAM
The baby arugula is so nice these late spring days but, once I got it home from the market, I suddenly didn’t feel like salad. I wanted something more substantive, with a bit of body to it. So I made arugula pesto.
You can make pesto out of practically anything green (my personal favorite, something I love even more than traditional basil pesto, is a combo of cilantro and mint, which I spike with ginger root and garlic, thin with lime juice and use to dress Asian noodles, seafood -- and chicken that otherwise would taste ho-hum plain), so I just went at it: I toasted pine nuts, then I whirred arugula and the toasted nuts in my food processor, drizzled in olive oil and added grated Parmigiano Reggiano. I tasted, decided it needed something more, and so squeezed the juice of a couple of lemons into the mix. Bingo. A little sea salt, pepper and I was done.
Literally. There’s no more to the story. It’s a simple pesto. I tossed it with spaghetti and plan to use the rest of it to dress sandwiches and such over the weekend. I’m quite certain it would be terrific alongside a slab of beef you’ve grilled, a condiment of another color that would add nuance to the meat. You know those Tuscan steak platters so many of us love? The ones that set a steak over a bed of balsamic-splashed arugula? Well, it’s the same flavor concept. Marinate your steak for a spell in a mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, grill, then serve with a slather of arugula pesto. Sounds like a fine Father’s Day dinner to me.
OK: Now, a favor. What LOCAL (this means NO chains allowed) ice creamery do you favor? And what flavor there do you crave? I want to know your ice favorites, both place and flavor. Thanks!
Cheers,
Andy
6.8.07
You can make pesto out of practically anything green (my personal favorite, something I love even more than traditional basil pesto, is a combo of cilantro and mint, which I spike with ginger root and garlic, thin with lime juice and use to dress Asian noodles, seafood -- and chicken that otherwise would taste ho-hum plain), so I just went at it: I toasted pine nuts, then I whirred arugula and the toasted nuts in my food processor, drizzled in olive oil and added grated Parmigiano Reggiano. I tasted, decided it needed something more, and so squeezed the juice of a couple of lemons into the mix. Bingo. A little sea salt, pepper and I was done.
Literally. There’s no more to the story. It’s a simple pesto. I tossed it with spaghetti and plan to use the rest of it to dress sandwiches and such over the weekend. I’m quite certain it would be terrific alongside a slab of beef you’ve grilled, a condiment of another color that would add nuance to the meat. You know those Tuscan steak platters so many of us love? The ones that set a steak over a bed of balsamic-splashed arugula? Well, it’s the same flavor concept. Marinate your steak for a spell in a mix of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, grill, then serve with a slather of arugula pesto. Sounds like a fine Father’s Day dinner to me.
OK: Now, a favor. What LOCAL (this means NO chains allowed) ice creamery do you favor? And what flavor there do you crave? I want to know your ice favorites, both place and flavor. Thanks!
Cheers,
Andy
6.8.07
posted by Andrea Clurfeld at 6:17 AM
1 Comments:
Ice cream flavors and places I love:
Hoffman's - there are many, among them Beach Plum, Brownie Nut Fudge, and Chunky Chimp... in Spring Lake and Point Pleasant.
Halo Pub - tons of great flavors - I favor Chocolate Peanut Paradise, Creme De Menthe Chocolate Chip, and Tahitian Vanilla... on Route 33 in Hamilton Square and in Princeton in Palmer Square.
At Strollo's LightHouse - twist of soft vanilla and lemon or orange ice, occassionally they will have fresh cantaloupe ice...in Long Branch
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