Remember when I planted the arugula in our yard?  I posted about it back in October.  Well, it’s growing like a weed (it sort of looks like a weed too).

Those of you who have been to Italy know that their rucola or rocket is super nutty, spicy and earthy…. umami to the core.  Baby arugula that you find in the US just doesn’t cut it.  Well, what I’ve recently discovered in harvesting my own arugula is that the larger more mature leaves have the more pungent flavor.  Takes me right back to the Amalfi Coast.  Here’s a salad of arugula, radishes, avocado, carrot and salami that we made.  And a quick dijon dressing of olive oil, dijon, lemon juice, salt and pepper (I remember laughing at a coworker who made her own dressings, thinking “who makes their own salad dressings?”  You do. That’s who.)

Of course, the stems and centers of the larger leaves are a bit sinewy so you have to take those off and throw them back into the compost.