1 Combine yogurt and mustard in a bowl and mix well. Stir in chopped arugula and season with pepper. Store, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

2 Char bell peppers over a gas flame or broil until the skin is blistered and blackened on all sides. Immediately place the bell peppers in a resealable plastic bag and seal tightly. Allow to steam in the bag for 10 minutes. Peel and seed the bell peppers and cut into ½-inch strips.

3 Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Brush a nonstick skillet with the olive oil and sauté the chicken in the oil for 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Cool slightly and slice diagonally into strips.

4 Spread 2 teaspoons of the yogurt mixture on the cut sides of each bread half. Layer 1 bunch of arugula and the chicken over bottom halves. Top with roasted bell pepper strips, remaining arugula and remaining bread halves. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for up to 4 hours.

Yield: 6 sandwiches

 

Penne or spagetti All'Arrabbiata

 

Ingredients
" 1 pound penne pasta
" 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
" 1/2 tsp garlic, finely chopped
" 2 oz pancetta, cut into thin strips
" 3 cups canned, whole, peeled tomatoes, coarsely chopped (keep the juice)
" 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
" salt
" 12 fresh basil leaves, torn into 1/2 in pieces
" 2 Tbs pecorino romano cheese, freshly grated

 

Directions
1. Pour the olive oil into a large skilled, over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it just begins to sizzle.
2. Add the pancetta and cook until it is brown, but not crisp.
3. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt.
4. Allow to simmer until the tomatoes have reduced and sparated from the oil. This will take approximately 30 minutes.
5. Add the basil leaves and let simmer for five minutes.
6. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain and toss with the sauce in the skillet. Stir in the grated cheese and serve at once.

Note: If you don't have penne, this sauce works well with spaghetti.

Arrabbiata is Italian for "angry" and often refers to the classic combination of tomatoes, pancetta, and hot pepper. Substitute bacon for the pancetta, if you prefer.

This is home made pasta, which is why the ribbons above are thicker than normal linguine.

What's so cool about this pasta sauce is how flavorful it is for how quickly it came together. In less than 10 minutes, dinner is done. Woo! We like an "angrier" arrabiata, so I probably used double the called-for red pepper flakes. My other change was to use fire-roasted canned tomatoes. I love the depth of flavor it provides to sauces, especially this one.

All in all, this was a real keeper. It wasn't fancy, sure, but it was spicy and delicious.

Ingredients

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain. Set aside and keep warm.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and scallops to pan; sprinkle with salt. Sauté 3 minutes or until almost done. Remove shrimp mixture from pan.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, pepper, and pancetta to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return shrimp mixture to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat. Serve shrimp mixture over pasta. Sprinkle with basil.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup pasta, 2 cups shrimp mixture, and 2 teaspoons basil)

Arugula is often viewed as a salad green, but it's actually an herb, a member of the mustard family, which explains it's bold, nippy flavor. If you want a more muted flavor, choose young arugula, which has small leaves. Older, bigger leaves have a more pronounced flavor.
Arugula is known by other names. In England it's called rocket, roquette in France, and rochetta in Italy. Whatever it's called, it's a wonderful herb that lifts the flavor of any dish. And it's perfect tossed with hot pasta. The heat from the pasta makes the tender arugula wilt quickly, adding almost instant flavor.

This recipe uses canned tuna, but it's important to use an imported variety packed in olive oil. This isn't based on snobbery. American brand tuna, particularly the kind canned in water, is dry and lacks the flavor and texture of tuna canned in Italy, or Sardenia. I used a moderately priced brand, Tonno, that's available in most grocery stores. The tuna cooked briefly with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper, creating a very fast sauce for the pasta.

Once the pasta is cooked, it's mixed with the tuna sauce and arugula .
Within a couple of minutes, it wilts and coats the pasta, along with the tuna sauce. This was a great hit in our house. Even Bob, who doesn't like canned tuna, enjoyed this dish very much. I think it's delicious.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound dried linguine
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, or more to taste, finely minced (I used 4 cloves.)
• Generous pinch hot red pepper flakes
• 7 ounce (200-milligram) can imported tuna in olive oil, drained salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 pound baby arugula ( I used 3/4 pound because I like the taste of arugula.)
  

INSTRUCTIONS:
Instructions: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and boil until al dente.
While pasta cooks, heat olive oil, garlic and hot pepper flakes over moderately low heat until garlic is fragrant and sizzling.

Add tuna and shred it into fine flakes with a fork.

 

Season with salt and add a few tablespoons of boiling water from the pasta pot to make the mixture moist and sauce-like.

Keep warm over low heat.

Just before the pasta is ready, set aside 1 cup of boiling water. Drain pasta and return it to the warm pot set over moderate heat.

 

Add arugula and contents of the skillet and toss vigorously with tongs, moistening with some of the reserved pasta water. The arugula will wilt in the heat of the pasta.

 

Divide among warm bowls and serve immediately.
For those cheese lovers you may add some grated parmigiano or romano cheese.

Serves 4 to 6
For a more healthful dish, substitute whole-wheat linguine.

Season the steak with salt and freshly ground black pepper, herbs de Provence, and minced garlic. In a skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook steak about 7 minutes per side. Remove the meat from pan and let it rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, fresh herbs, and 3/4 cup olive oil. In a large bowl toss the pasta with half of the salad dressing and the reserved pasta water. Add the arugula and steak, more dressing, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed. Toss, and serve.

Parmiggiano popovers