Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Fresh from the Garden: Penne with Wild Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, and Herbed Goat Cheese


Ok, so the cherry tomatoes aren't fresh from the garden-yet.  But the arugula is!  Our first harvest of the season was about a pound of wild arugula.  My husband was actually cleaning up the vegetable beds and checking out what herbs had re-sown themselves after going to seed in the fall, when he started pulling up arugula thinking it was a weed!  I had my back to him, but almost instantly I smelled the familiar spicy aroma and I said "Wait!  That's arugula that you're pulling!"  Sure enough.  He had a couple good clumps up by the roots.  All was not lost, we still have several thriving plants in the herb bed.  The goat cheese in this recipe is from a local goat farm and apiary.  It is a secret gourmet blend, so I can't tell you exactly what herbs and spices are in it, but any herbed goat cheese will do and if you want you can add a sprinkle of cayenne for an extra kick.  This is a delicious, fresh, no-cook sauce that you can have ready by the time the pasta is cooked.

Ingredients:

12 oz. penne pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Several handfuls of fresh, wild arugula, coarsely chopped
4 oz. herbed goat cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
Pinch cayenne (optional)
Sea salt to taste
Approx. 2 Tbsp. olive oil



Cook penne according to package directions.  In the meantime combine tomatoes, arugula, and garlic in a bowl.  Crumble over goat cheese and season as desired.  Drizzle oil over the fresh ingredients and toss to combine.  When penne is 'al dente' drain and add to the bowl tossing to coat in the sauce.  Taste and add seasoning or more oil as desired.

2 comments:

Kate said...

Heather that looks amazing! I have a similar dish (http://katiekateskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/10/penne-with-beef-and-arugula.html) that I'd love to combine with this one for even more flavor!! Thanks for sharing!

Sharon said...

oooh I will have to make this when our arugula is grown!