When I wasn’t paying attention, the arugula I planted in my vegetable garden last summer came roaring back to life. I’d been under the assumption the remnants of the plants had perished during winter’s frigid frosts, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Apparently, the fast-growing, cool-season leafy green can germinate in soil temperatures as low as 40 degrees, so the wily wonders had re-seeded themselves and were well on their way to once again achieving optimum growth.
The arugula was spreading, and if I didn’t act quickly, it would bolt, reseed and keep doing so until the end of time. At least that’s what I told myself when I entered the garden gate with a trowel and clippers in hand to harvest the unruly 6-foot patch of the mustardy greens also referred to as “rocket.”
As I dug the plants out of the ground, clipped off their dirty roots and stacked the leaves of the rocket in two giant bowls, I was thinking about the ways I’d use them in the kitchen. Fresh basil, parmesan, lemons and pine nuts had already been procured to make a big batch of arugula pesto, but I’d need to expand my repertoire to use up the gargantuan amount of vitamin K-rich produce.
After a springtime surge in growth, an abundance of arugula is harvested. After rinsing in cold water and salt, it can be stored in the fridge for up to two weeks. (Alma Alexander/Cascadia Daily News)
Since the harvest, I’ve added the peppery greens to bowls of ramen; made a taco salad with arugula, leftover ground turkey, cherry tomatoes, cheddar cheese and crunched-up tortilla chips; thrown a big bunch into a white wine linguini dish featuring side-stripe shrimp procured at the Bellingham Dockside Market; stuck it in tuna fish sandwiches; made the pesto (which will be used for other dishes in coming days); and created a delicious brunch dish I’ve since dubbed the Spring Rocket.
Being that the gleaning of the arugula coincided with the week our four backyard chickens started laying regularly again, I wanted the eggs to share top billing with the greens in the savory creation. Since both ingredients symbolize the rapid renewal that happens during the spring, I thought the dish would work well whether it was dressed up for Easter brunch or simplified for an everyday breakfast.
To begin, I cut a premade tube of organic polenta into rounds that covered an extra-large frying pan, adding olive oil, ground pepper and HOSA Dust — a masterful mix of dried fermented chili spices from the local hot sauce purveyor HOSA — and fried at medium heat for about 10 minutes, flipping when they started to brown. Then, I separated the rounds into crumbles with a spatula, cooked the polenta a few minutes longer and put it aside while I sauteed a chopped-up red bell pepper in olive oil and garlic salt.
The ingredients for the Spring Rocket. Additions could include anything from bacon to sausage, avocados, different cheeses, onions or chives. (Amy Kepferle/Cascadia Daily News)
The next step was to steam the farm-fresh eggs in a poaching pan. After 5 minutes, they were perfectly cooked and ready to be added to the plates. But first, the four cups of arugula greens I’d set aside needed a quick sear. They were added to the pan, topped with crushed black pepper and a little salt, then tossed until they were warm and mildly wilted.
The spicy polenta was added to our plates first, followed by sprinklings of parmesan cheese, the sauteed bell pepper, fistfuls of crunched-up tortilla chips, the arugula and two poached eggs apiece. A little more black pepper and parmesan topped off the meal, which we were able to eat at the picnic table under the springtime sun.
By the time the clouds returned to tell us it wasn’t quite warm enough to sit outside indefinitely, our plates had been emptied. Back inside, we agreed the Spring Rocket was amazing, but could’ve been made even better with the addition of bacon or sausage. I posited that slices of a ripe avocado would also be welcome, as would fresh tomatoes.
While enough arugula remains to be able to re-create the recipe for Easter brunch — and beyond — I’m already wondering if I should plant a few more arugula seeds to ensure we’ll be able to continue to eat it through the summer. While I ponder this idea, I’ll be experimenting with the rocket for at least another week or two.
