Arugula, Rocket, Rugola is the star of Spring time

I love this tiny green leaf that grows nicely from Spring to Summer!
Along with other leafy greens, arugula contains very high nitrate levels.
High intakes of dietary nitrate have been shown to lower blood pressure,
reduce the amount of oxygen needed during exercise and enhance
athletic performance.
This means that if you are feeling athletic when the sun comes out,
arugula will give you more energy to keep moving.
I use arugula in salads, but I also make a delicious pesto with it.
My dear friend Piera shared this recipe with me when I was living in
South Africa.

HOMEMADE PASTA WITH ARUGULA PESTO

Ingredients for 4/5 people:

1 bunch of arugula (around 2 cups)
2 cups of small sweet tomatoes (cherry or roma)
half cup pine kernels
half cup grated parmesan cheese
half tsp salt
few basil leaves (optional)
extra virgin olive oil to blend and make it creamy

500 g home made pasta or linguini

Combine the arugula, basil, and pine nuts in a food processor and
pulse until coarsely chopped.
Add 1 cup of tomatoes and pulse.
Add parmesan and salt.
Add 1/2 cup ( or more) of oil and process until fully incorporated
and smooth.

Add 2 TBS of olive oil in a frying pan and roast the rest of tomatoes, cut in halves,
for few minutes , then add the pesto in the pan.

Cook the pasta in boiling water following package instructions,
drain it and mix it with the pesto.

Serve warm or cold.

LEMON CAKES

I love lemons!
They are yellow and happy like the sun, and they smell nice and
refreshing!
I thought the big lemons with thick peel belonged to the
Costiera Amalfitana, the capital of Limoncello (a famous liquor
made with lemon peel).
That is not so!
I have discovered beautiful lemons also here in the Verona area.
Citrus fruits were brought from the Liguria Riviera to Lake Garda
during the 13th century by the monks of the San Francesco Monastery
of Gargnano.
In the 16th century Bongianni Grattarolo wrote,
"For nearly ten miles along the lake, from Salò to Gargnano, there
are many gardens whose amenities do not pale in comparison with what
the poets wrote of Atlantis, Alcino, and the Hesperides, full in every
season of the year of all those fruits with the golden peel."
So here I am with lots of perfect lemons to prepare my favorite lemon
cake, and maybe another time some sweet Limoncello.

LEMON CAKES

Ingredients:

2 free range eggs
half cup plain yogurt
half cup extra virgin olive oil
grated peel of one big lemon with thick peel
juice of one lemon
half cup brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour 6 mini loaf pans or a regular one.
In a bowl mix the eggs with the sugar until creamy.
Add all the wet ingredients and the grated lemon peel.
Add the flour and the baking powder to the mixture.
Divide the batter evenly into the pans, smooth the tops,
sprinkle with granulated sugar,and bake for 30 minutes,
until a cake tester comes out clean.



I serve the small cakes for tea or I give them as a
school snack to my son.