Tag Archives: arugula

Poached Egg and Arugula Salad Bruschetta

This might be a little embarrassing for me to admit but I’ve never poached an egg before. The primary reason for this, as I’ve mentioned before, is I didn’t start eating runny yolks until recently. Now that I’m really starting to understand the runny yolk goodness (or dippy egg as my friend calls it), there was no longer a reason to not attempt the poached egg. I really love Eggs Benedict but it’s the hollandaise sauce, not the poached egg, that makes me weary about making it at home. This Poached Egg and Arugula Salad Bruschetta is a perfectly simple recipe for a first-time egg poacher to try at home.

Fresh arugula is tossed with a simple shallot/Dijon mustard/white wine vinaigrette, draped over browned baguette slices and topped with crispy, crumbled bacon and a perfectly poached egg. The vinaigrette is light and the arugula’s peppery flavors pair so perfectly with the creaminess of the runny yolk and poached egg white. The bacon (I used turkey bacon) adds just another layer of flavor but vegetarians will be just as impressed with this even without the bacon. I’m a big brunch person and a big egg person but I honestly didn’t expect to love this dish as much as I do. I could easily eat this for brunch every weekend, hands down.

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Combine shallots, oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, stirring with a whisk.

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Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat (or pre-heat broiler). Lightly coat both sides of each bread slice with cooking spray. If using grill, add bread to grill pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until toasted. If using broiler, place bread on sheet pan and broil both sides until desired brownness (about 3 minutes each side).

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Add water to a large skillet, filling two-thirds full; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; add remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar to pan. Break eggs into custard cups. When water cools to a simmer, gently pour eggs into pan; cook 3 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Carefully remove eggs from pan using a slotted spoon.

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Place 2 toast slices on each of 4 plates. Add arugula to oil mixture; toss. Arrange about 1 cup arugula mixture on each serving; sprinkle evenly with bacon.

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Top each serving with 1 egg. Serve immediately.

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Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Turkey bacon

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza

I admit I’m a basic, plain cheese pizza kind of girl and probably never would have tried this Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza if it weren’t for a restaurant in Philadelphia called Pizzeria Stella.  Stella makes a pistachio pizza – yes pistachio! – and I kid you not, it is one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had and (gulp!) there isn’t a tomato anywhere in sight.  Before trying the pistachio pizza, I might have ordinarily passed by a pizza with apple, pecans, and arugula but not this time.  I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this.  The original recipe called for goat cheese (which I think tastes the way a dirty sock might taste, bleh!) so I swapped that out for ricotta cheese.  I like the contrasts in this pizza – smooth ricotta and crunchy pecans, sweet apples and bitter arugula – which help to keep the dish interesting.  The honey-mustard dressing on the arugula provided an added tasty flavor to each bite.  If you aren’t an arugula fan, I think you’d enjoy this even if you left it off but I’d recommend keeping the dressing.  If you’re still not sure about this kind of pizza, I’ll tell you I wasn’t at all sure about a pistachio pizza either.  Now…I dream about it.

The ingredients:

Arrange apple slices over the pizza crust.

Top apples with ricotta cheese and fresh thyme.

Bake for 8 minutes in a 450°F oven.  After the pizza has cooked, top with pecans.

While the pizza bakes, prepare the dressing by mixing olive oil, dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice.  Pour the dressing over arugula and toss.

When pizza has finished baking, top it with the arugula salad.  Slice and enjoy!

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Part-skim ricotta cheese for goat cheese
  • Boboli for six-grain pizza crust
  • McIntosh apples for Fuji

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine

I usually substitute spinach in recipes calling for arugula but I decided to give it another try with Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine.  The peppery flavor of the arugula is usually a bit much for me but in this case where it is wilted, the flavor is more subtle, not overpowering, and blends well with the turkey sausage (I used sweet turkey sausage but spicy will work just as well).  The fresh fettucine and juicy cherry tomatoes help keep this pasta dish light while the sausage makes it satisfying.  It didn’t take long to make either which is a plus for those of us with full-time jobs or busy moms.  I’ve become a big fan of using fresh pasta (as I did with Spring Linguine with Basil) instead of dried pasta since it cooks much faster but I’m just wondering why there’s no whole wheat available yet? 😦 

Additions:  None

Omissions:  None

Substitutions:

  • Parmesan cheese for pecorino romano

Overall Rating:  Love It

Source:  Cooking Light Magazine

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