The United States of Arugula: ROUNDUP

Hello everyone!
I hope you are having a great weekend. Below you will find a delicious roundup on “United States of Arugula”, by David Kamp. Enjoy!

1. Glennis of Can’t believe We Ate made a strawberry and rhubarb cobbler with mint. Glennis was a young wife in the ’70s and remembers many of the people mentioned in the book. She admits that she somehow missed out on Julia Child, but was a n avid fan of Graham Kerr. Her dish was based on a recipe by Alice Waters and is based on ingredients which are at their peak: strawberries, rhubarb and a touch of basil, instead of mint. Sounds delicious!

2. Andreas of Delta Kitchen, our only male contestant, made a lentil and sweet potato soup . Andreas was inspired by current food trend, where chefs are going back to home-y, uncomplicated food. His soup is rustic, filling and perfect for those chilly nights still with us before we go into full summer mode.

3. Simona of Briciole made a  fava bean and scape spread. Simona is of Italian roots, but has been living in the San Francisco Bay area for the last 18 years. She doesn’t understand what the fuss is about  French food, as she is very content with her Italian heritage. Her dish is inspired by a passage from the book that refers to Alice Waters and combines elements of Italian food (fava beans with pecorino) and new ingredients she has learned to appreciate in the States (garlic scape). It is fresh, seasonal and healthy too and perfect for a spring menu.

4. Eliot of Eliot’s Eats, made a lip-smackingly good smoked goat’s cheese. Eliot really enjoyed the book and cannot picture herself living without goat’s cheese and sun dried tomatoes. The recipe she shares with us comes from a fellow blogger and apparently is also good tossed with pasta.

5. Claudia of Honey from Rock made Creamy Green penne with three cheeses. Claudia also thoroughly enjoyed the book and was inspired to make the dish which is a twist on the classic “mac n’ cheese”, trying to prove that green can also be good for you. I couldn’t agree more!

6. Deb of Kahakai Kitchen made Strawberry, baby arugula and goat’s cheese crostini. Deb, like Claudia, owned the book for a while, but hadn’t read it and she was glad she did for our little club. She was inspired by the title of the book, but also by Alice Waters and the whole Califoarnian food movement, to make these flavoursome crostini. Yum!

7. Tina of Life in the slow lane at Squirrel Head Manor made Chicken Marsala. The recipe is by Julia Child and admits that she “loves the aroma of Marsala as it hits the hot pan”.

8. Rachel of the Crispy Cook made cooked radish greens. She loved Kamp’s book and admits, like others before her, that it has earned a “permanent place in her home library”. Rachel was inspired by the title of the book and was aiming for a cooked version, but she ended up cooking radish greens, which she mistook for arugula! They apparently tasted good too, so no harm done.

9. Finally I, Johanna of Foodjunkie, decided to make a healtier, less sugar-laden version of an American classic, the cupcake. I made black velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and you should definitely try them!