This is my favorite salad, and I have a difficult time imagining the salad that will ever replace it as such. It’s something I order every time I go to Via Matta, an upscale Italian restaurant near my office in Boston, and I’ve gotten many of my coworkers addicted to it as well. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share it with you – I’m sorry to have been depriving you all this time. The only excuse that I can offer up is that I only recently acquired my first bottle of truffle oil – the key ingredient. During my quick business trip to Rome a few weeks ago, I loaded up on Italian food products that are really pricey in the states and only sort of pricey in Italy: Myrtle liquor, candied kumquats, truffle sauce, dried squid ink pasta, and a treasured bottle of truffle oil.

Something about the mix of the ultra-rich burrata, zippy arugula, super thinly shaved mushrooms (that are almost creamy in texture), salty capers, and pungent truffle oil in this salad is absolutely intoxicating. Trevor thinks it’s just the fact that anything made with truffle oil and/or burrata (a super luxurious cream-filled fresh mozzarella, for those of you who aren’t familiar with it) is delicious, but I maintain that this is a special combination. The raw mushrooms soak up the truffle oil so that it’s almost like you’re eating a truffle itself when you bite into them, too. I really can’t get enough. I should note that a little bit of truffle oil goes a long way – you only have to use one or two teaspoons of oil per salad – so although it is certainly rich for a salad, it’s not over-the-top indulgent.

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Arugula Salad with Burrata, Shaved Mushrooms, and Truffle Oil

Inspired by Via Matta. Serves 1.

• 2 or 3 large handfuls of fresh arugula
• 3 mushrooms, shaved or sliced as thinly as possible
• 1 TBS very finely chopped red onion
• 2 tsp capers
• 2 oz. fresh burrata
• 2 tsp truffle oil
• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

1. Toss the arugula, shaved mushrooms, red onion, and capers together in a large bowl. Place the piece of burrata on top of the salad, drizzle with truffle oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately.

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Last year, I decided that I wanted to be into wine. I knew that I liked drinking wine in general, and I liked drinking wine with food, but beyond that, my knowledge was pretty limited. If I had to choose a glass of wine at a restaurant, the only thing I knew I liked was Merlot, and I started feeling boring pretty quickly always ordering the same thing. So I started learning. The wine world can be pretty daunting at first, especially because it has something of a reputation for snobbery. But the best way to get past that is just to dive in and start tasting, so that’s what I did. I began trying new wines, writing down whether or not I liked them, and trying to determine why I liked them, using whatever words came to me and not worrying about whether they were real “wine” words or if they were accurate (I use Vivino to keep track of what I’ve tried and how I felt about it). I started going to the tastings at Bacco’s after work and asking whoever was running the tasting a lot of basic questions about each bottle. At IFBC I signed up for all the wine events possible – tasting sessions and winery tours – and paid close attention to the details of each presentation (well, I paid attention at least through the third glass). I discovered that tasting 4 or 5 wines in a row really helped me pinpoint the differences between them, and that if you’re paying attention to it, food can make a huge difference in the way a wine tastes.

And after all this learning? I know that I like Merlot and Chardonnay. But also a really yummy, smoky Pinot Noir from Chile, and a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that’s loaded with grapefruit flavor. And that there are some wines I really don’t like. I feel like I’m just beginning to scratch the surface, but it’s less daunting now, and mostly just fun. And I want to share that fun with you, so I’m starting a “Wine Dinner” series here, where every once in a while I work with a winery or regional wine board to put together a little dinner party focused on the wine they promote, and recipes to pair with them. I kicked things off last weekend with Alamos Wines, an Argentinean winery that I connected with at IFBC. They sent me two bottles of wine and I invited my roommates from last year, Allison and Jane, over for a little dinner – they seemed like safe first guests since they already know that I’m weird and take a lot of pictures of my food. It was so fun to see them, and to come up with the recipes, and to evaluate the wine – but it turns out I need to practice my dinner party photography! Don’t judge me too harshly, I’m still learning.

Wine #1: Torrontés – For the first course, Alamos sent me a bottle of their 2012 Torrontés. I’d never tried Torrontés before, but I read that it’s a fairly sweet white wine, sometimes compared to Gewürtztraminer and Riesling. Pairing suggestions included sweet fruits, rich meats such as salmon and foie gras, and spicy food. I went the sweet/rich route and prepared an arugula salad, lightly dressed with a Meyer lemon and maple dressing, then tossed with poached quince, manchego, and prosciutto. Most of the quinces available in the U.S. come from Argentina, so it seemed like an appropriate ingredient. I was really into this salad – sweet, salty, bitter, and rich, it hit all my flavor high points. The Torrontés was indeed a bit sweet, but with a crisp, dry finish. The Alamos wines are on the lower end of the price scale, with the Torrontés coming in at under $10 a bottle, so I wasn’t expecting very much complexity, and didn’t find it, but for a $10 bottle of wine it was full-flavored and very drinkable. No complaints here.

Wine #2: Malbec – Malbec was the varietal of choice for the second course. Another wine that I don’t have a ton of experience with, Malbec is frequently characterized as an intensely fruity wine with berry and plum flavors, and a good budget alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. I liked this particular bottle – my first thought was “mmm, tastes like Merlot” (I was relieved to see other writers compare it to Merlot, as well). Another good value, this medium-bodied wine would make a good everyday red. Since Malbec pairs well with rich flavors, red meat, and aromatic herbs, we served this with a beef short rib braise and potato gnocchi. Argentina’s cuisine has a lot of Italian influence, so the gnocchi aren’t at all out of place in this dish, and the pillowy dumplings soak up the beefy red wine sauce really well.

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Disclaimer: Alamos provided me with two bottles of wine to use in this post, but I was not otherwise compensated and all thought and opinions are my own.

Arugula Salad with Poached Quince, Prosciutto, and Manchego

Adapted from Food52. Serves 4.

• 3 quince
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 c. water
• 1 Meyer lemon
• 1 TBS maple syrup
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 5 oz. baby arugula
• 4 oz. manchego cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 oz. prosciutto, sliced into thin strips

1. At least 3 hours before you’d like to serve the salad, poach the quince. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the quince, then very carefully slice the fruit away from the core and seeds  in wedges – careful, quince can be kind of slippery. Place the sugar and the water in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Place the quince wedges in the simmering syrup, and place a plate over the top of the fruit to keep them submerged. Keep at a gentle simmer until quince have turned rosy and are very tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Add a little more water if the syrup gets too low. Pour the quince and their syrup into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until chilled.
2.  Cut the lemon in half and remove as many seeds as possible. Squeeze the lemon juice into a jar or small bowl. Add the maple syrup, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover jar with lid and shake to mix dressing, or whisk vigorously if using a bowl. Set aside.
3. About 15 minutes before serving, add the arugula to a large salad bowl and gently toss with the dressing. Let sit for a few minutes, then divide dressed greens between four plates. Top each plate with a few slices of quince, cubes of manchego, and strips of prosciutto. Serve immediately.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Inspired by Bon Appetit and Emeril Lagasse. Serves 6-8.

• 2 TBS paprika
• 2 TBS sea salt
• 1 TBS garlic powder
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp cayenne powder
• 4 lbs. bone-in beef short ribs
• 2 TBS vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 TBS flour
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 2 c. red wine
• 8 sprigs thyme
• 2 c. crushed tomatoes
• 2 c. beef stock
• Potato Gnocchi, to serve (store bought is fine, too)

1. In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, sea salt, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano, and cayenne until evenly combined. Rub this spice mixture all over the short ribs, covering all sides. Heat the vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add as many short ribs as will comfortably fit, and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes total per rib. Once browned, transfer the ribs to a plate and set aside. Repeat until all the ribs are browned.
2. Discard all but 2 TBS of the fat from the pan, and return to the heat. Add the diced onions and carrots and cook for 5-7 minutes, until onions are translucent, stirring frequently. Add the flour and stir to coat the veggies, and allow to cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the tomato paste, and slowly add the red wine, stirring and allowing the mixture to thicken slightly between each addition. Once you’ve added all the wine to the pot, return the ribs to the pot. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and let simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. After the ribs have simmered for 25 minutes, add the tomatoes and beef stock to the pan, stir to combine, and cover with a lid. Place in the oven and cook, turning every hour or so, until ribs are very tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from oven, and skim as much fat from the surface as possible. If you want a more elegant preparation, remove the ribs, strain the sauce and discard the vegetables – this is optional, and we served this rustic-style. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper, and serve the ribs and their sauce over freshly cooked potato gnocchi.

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Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence, the folks behind The Chubby Vegetarian, do some seriously creative things with vegetables. Think Baked Potato Skins with Smoked Coconut Bacon, BBQ Eggplant, Tomato Pie and Pimento Cheese, and  Italian-Style Eggplant Sausages to get your mind moving in the right direction. The Chubby Vegetarian was one of the first blogs I stumbled upon back in the day and it is continually a source of inspiration, so when I saw that they were publishing a book, The Southern Vegetarian, I knew that I’d have to check it out.

The food served up in The Southern Vegetarian is loaded with classic, All-American appeal. Not every recipe is particularly Southern – sloppy Joes, meatballs, and bran muffins all fall pretty solidly into the general American food category in my mind – but the ones that are bring me straight back to the rich, saucy, flavorful dishes I enjoyed while living in North Carolina. Except, all the meat has disappeared – and I don’t think you’ll miss it. Need proof? How does this menu sound to you: Bourbon with Basil and Lemonade Granita, Okra Fritters with Creole Mushroom Sauce, Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice with Andouille Eggplant, and Grilled Peach Ice Cream? Southern through and through, packed with spice and flavor, and fruits and vegetables are doing all the hard work. Plus, as you flip through the book thinking about whipping up a menu like this, you’ll find a photograph with every single recipe – always a good thing!

Unlike many of the vegetarian cookbooks I find myself gravitating toward, The Southern Vegetarian is not about keeping vegetables raw or barely processed and making them the only thing on the plate – i.e., you’re not going to find a lot of veggie and whole grain salads or gluten-free vegan raw breakfast bowls. Much more frequently, you’ll find that vegetables have simply infiltrated a dish where you would be expecting meat, and all the other rich flavors are still in play. In some cases, this means using tofu, seitan, and other meat substitutes as a replacement for the main component of a classic dish, like using seitan in a Vegetarian “Chicken” Pot Pie. Since I’m not a vegetarian, but simply enjoy cooking with vegetables, this is not my favorite type of recipe – if I want chicken pot pie, I’m just going to have chicken pot pie. However, other times, the way they accomplish meat replacement is genius, like using sausage spices to give eggplant that same smoky flavor, or using liquid smoke, hot sauce, and Worcestershire to make a convincing vegetarian gumbo.

Although they aren’t particularly Southern, I made these crispy eggplant sandwiches as a test recipe and they were seriously delicious, in a very satisfying, comfort food sort of way. I also made some (much more Southern) savory cheddar-pecan cookies with spicy pepper jelly, which were great as well, but for now let’s focus on the sandwiches. I chose to go the super homemade route with these – homemade tomato sauce, homemade breadcrumbs, even homemade ricotta (out of necessity!) – and they came out amazing, but I have the feeling they’d be just as good using mostly store-bought ingredients. And if that were the route you chose, you’d have an easy, satisfying, flavorful and balanced dinner to serve in under forty minutes. The eggplant really does get quite crispy, and the roasted garlic and ricotta spread makes the meal feel richer than it really is. As a bonus, making this recipe taught me a new, quick way to roast garlic – dry roast individual cloves in a hot skillet while still in their papery skins. Worked like a charm!

A quick note about the ricotta – when I opened the fancy high-end ricotta I had in the fridge while making this recipe, I gave it a whiff and quickly tossed it in the trash. Going back to the store wasn’t an option, but I happened to have all the ingredients you need to make ricotta (milk, heavy cream, vinegar, and salt) on hand, so I decided to go for it. It came out better than the cheap stuff I get at the store but not as good as the expensive stuff I get out the store – it was sweet and mild but a teeny bit rubberry. Although making ricotta from heavy cream and milk feels a little bit wasteful (ricotta is usually a byproduct of making a different cheese – it is made from the leftover acidified whey), it was definitely a great quick fix.

The bottom line: The Southern Vegetarian turns vegetables into serious omfort food. The recipes included here are rich, saucy, and flavorful, and will be definite crowd pleasers, especially in true vegetarian households. Non-vegetarians looking to increase their vegetable intake will also find recipes of interest, but they may not appreciate the classic meat recipe “re-dos” as much as vegetarians will.

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of The Southern Vegetarian from Thomas Nelson. I was not otherwise compensated and all opinions are my own.

Crispy Eggplant Sandwiches with Roasted Garlic Ricotta Spread

Adapted slightly from The Southern Vegetarian. Serves 4-5.

• 3 c. torn pieces of fresh French bread
• 1 TBS Italian seasoning mix (or 1 tsp dried parsley + 1 tsp dried oregano + 1/2 tsp garlic powder + 1/2 tsp salt)
• 1 medium globe eggplant
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• olive oil
• 4-5 ciabatta rolls
• 1 c. arugula
• 1 c. warm tomato sauce (homemade or store bought)
• 1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 c. roasted garlic and ricotta spread (see below)

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place French bread pieces and Italian seasoning in a food processor and pulse until the bread has broken down into fine crumbs. Pour onto a dinner plate and set aside.
2. Wash the eggplant and remove the stem ends. Slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Sprinkle each slice with salt and pepper.
3. Set up two bowls next to the breadcrumb plate – one with the flour and one with the beaten eggs. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, tapping off the excess, then dip in the eggs, then coat with breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray. Drizzle with a small amount of oil (about 1/8 of a teaspoon per slice).
4. Bake eggplant for 15 minutes, then flip each slice over and drizzle the opposite side with olive oil. Bake for another 15 minutes then remove from the oven. Coating should be golden brown and crispy.
5. To assemble the sandwiches, place a handful of arugula leaves on top of the bottom bun, then cover with 2-3 slices of eggplant. Drizzle a spoonful of the warm tomato sauce on top of the eggplant and sprinkle 2 TBS of parmesan cheese on top. Spread the garlic and ricotta mixture on the top bun, then close the sandwich and serve.

Roasted Garlic Ricotta Spread

Recipe adapted slightly from The Southern Vegetarian. Makes about 1 cup.

• 5 cloves of garlic, skin left on
• 1 c. whole milk ricotta, homemade (see below) or store bought
• 1/4 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Place the garlic cloves with their skin on in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast, flipping occasionally, until skins have started to blacken and garlic is fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Let them cool, then remove the skins – the inside of the clove should be soft and roasted.
2. In a small bowl, mash the roasted garlic cloves with a fork, then mix with the ricotta and the parmesan. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Easy Homemade Ricotta

Adapted from Anne Burrell via The Food Network. Makes about 1 cup.

• 2 c. skim milk
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 TBS distilled white vinegar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt

1. Mix the milk, heavy cream, vinegar, and salt together in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring infrequently just to ensure that nothing is sticking to the bottom or sides of the pot. Once the milk has reached a simmer, simmer for 1-2 minutes – curds will form continuously as you simmer the milk.
2. Place a sieve or strainer lined with damp cheesecloth over a large bowl. Pour the curds and whey into the strainer, and let drain for 15 minutes. After it has drained and cooled to a point where it is comfortable to touch, gently squeeze out any remaining whey from the ricotta. Unmold from the cheesecloth and serve, or store in the fridge.

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Alright, guys – one more salad recipe, then I’ll post the week two menu and groceries tomorrow, and then I’ll shut up about cleansing for a good long while. In fact, I have two decidedly non-cleanse-friendly recipes coming up in the next week – think comforting Italian, then think Valentine’s Day planning. I’m excited already. Not that I’m going to give up all my cleanse habits – on the contrary, I plan to continue eating a lot of salads and veggie-based dishes for at least the near future. It’s just that I’m sneaking some indulgences back in there too.

But first thing’s first – salad. This salad is from the November issue of Food and Wine, and was actually developed by chef/blogger/recent-cookbook-author Aida Mollenkamp (check out her new book, Keys to the Kitchen, if you haven’t already). It’s very simple and refreshing and sweet, with juicy pomegranate seeds and fresh pears, just the thing for when you’re not feeling too much like eating a traditional salad but want to get your greens in. Making the dressing, which uses pomegranate molasses, honey, and mustard, is a must. The only thing I changed was the ratios of the pomegranate gremolata to the greens and of the greens to the dressing – the original recipe was made to serve 10, and I certainly can’t eat 10 servings worth of the same salad before it goes bad. I also like my salads a little bit fruit-heavy, so that’s reflected below.

Arugula Salad with Pears and Pomegranate Gremolata

Recipe adapted slightly from Food and Wine magazine. Serves 4.

• 1/2 c. pomegranate arils
• 2 TBS fresh, finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 small shallot, peeled and finely minced
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated orange zest
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1 TBS pomegranate molasses
• 1 TBS red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp mustard
• 5 oz. arugula, washed and dried
• 1-2 ripe Bosc pears, thinly sliced

1. To make the gremolata, combine the pomegranate, parsley, shallot, and orange zest in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Make the dressing by vigorously whisking together the olive oil, pomegranate molasses, vinegar, honey, and mustard. Season to taste with salt. Pour the dressing over the greens and toss to coat. Divide the greens among 4 plates, and top each plate with a few slices of pear and 2 heaping TBS of the pomegranate gremolata. Serve immediately.

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Just here to quickly share the recipe for this salad, which is one of the first recipes in this year’s winter cleanse. I started the cleanse today, and so far haven’t cheated! (Except I had one single sour peach ring, because I haven’t seen them in ages, and I love them. I don’t feel bad about it.) I’ll be posting the full menu for week one of the cleanse on Sunday, along with some additional healthy breakfast recipes tomorrow or Saturday. Until then, you can take a peek at last year’s cleanse (week one, week two), or just enjoy this healthy salad, which manages to be both filling and refreshing at the same time.

Hope everyone’s resolutions are off to a good start!

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Ginger-Cassis Dressing

Adapted from Bon Appetit. Serves 1.

• 1/2 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 large grapefruit
• 2 large handfuls spinach or arugula
• 2 TBS ginger-cassis dressing (see below)

Cut peel off grapefruit and cut supremes away from inner membranes. Layer grapefruit segments and avocado slices over the greens and drizzle with the dressing.

Ginger-Cassis Dressing

Recipe from Bon Appetit. Makes ~2/3 c.

• 2 TBS finely chopped shallot
• 2 TBS finely minced fresh ginger
• 3 TBS high-quality olive oil
• 3 TBS creme de cassis (black-currant liqueur)
• 4 tsp sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small tupperware with a lid and shake vigorously to blend. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store extra dressing in the fridge and shake before serving.

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I didn’t do a whole lot of cooking last week.  Do you have weeks like that?  Where the whole shebang – planning out your meals, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning up – just feels like a little bit too much effort for the return?  I assume everyone but the most energetic people does, at least every once in a while.  It didn’t help that our kitchen sink wasn’t draining properly – washing dishes in a sink full of murky standing water is even less appealing than washing dishes regularly is.  Luckily for me, my life is still flexible enough that if I don’t feel like cooking for a week, I don’t have to.  And cheap eats in Boston aren’t hard to find, so I enjoyed a week of takeout, dinners with friends, scrambled eggs, fruit smoothies, and leftovers from the freezer.  It was nice.

What I have been doing for the past week is reading cookbooks – lots of cookbooks.  It seems I went on a bit of a library spree (OK, I do that every time I go to the library), and I now have 8 cookbooks on my “read soon!” shelf.  Some of the titles I picked up on a whim (River Cottage Every Day, Good Meat: The Complete Guide to Sourcing and Cooking Sustainable Meat), and others I’ve been waiting to get my hands on for a while (In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite, Falling Cloudberries). And now, with the kitchen sink fixed and the type of inspiration that only comes from taking a real break, I’m back in the kitchen.  What better way to dive back into cooking than to test out some of the borrowed cookbooks?  (And decide if they’re worth permanently adding to my collection).

So far, the book I’m loving the most is Girl in the Kitchen, by Stephanie Izard, winner of Top Chef and chef at Chicago’s Girl and the Goat restaurant.  Something about the book is very inviting – it’s got big, colorful pictures, great graphic design, and fun side blurbs like drink pairings and ingredient spotlights.  This book just has energy.  And the recipes?  They’re fun too.  None of Stephanie’s recipes are tired or overdone; in fact, most of them are entirely new-to-me flavor combinations, like asparagus, goat cheese, and rhubarb salad, or chestnut confit with roasted potatoes, bacon, and kumquats.  Her food also sticks to seasonal pairings, and her techniques and ingredients aren’t on the cutting edge of gastronomy.  It’s just good, honest food, but slightly elevated.  This book makes me want to cook – now.

The first recipe I tried was this asparagus linguine with almond butter crisp, and oh man was it good.  The crisp, which is made from roasted garlic, butter, toasted almonds, bread crumbs, parmesan, and a dash of red pepper, is like crack – it’s not good for you and you just can’t stop.  Good thing there’s a bit of nutrition in the rest of the dish – it’s by no means diet food, but the large quantities of arugula and asparagus bulk up its health factor a little.  I played around with the proportions of this recipe based on what I had on hand and what I like – e.g. doubling the roasted garlic, slightly reducing the arugula (typical, huh?), etc.  I also didn’t think it needed any added salt as called for in the crisp or the sauce, given that the soy sauce, preserved lemon, and parmesan all provide a salty punch.  It’s a stellar combination of ingredients though.  I’m looking forward to trying more recipes from this book, like this pear, parsnip, and pistachio soup that’s on the menu for later this week… and to eating these leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Asparagus Linguine with Almond Butter Crisp

Recipe adapted from  Girl in the Kitchen.  Serves 4.

• 2 heads garlic
• 3 TBS butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 c. panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3/4 c. slivered almonds, toasted
• 3/4 lb. linguine
• 1 TBS olive oil
• 1 lb asparagus, sliced diagonally into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 5 oz. (1 standard grocery store container) baby arugula
• 2 TBS preserved lemon, sliced thinly
• 8 sprigs fresh mint

1. Roast the garlic – cut off the top of the garlic heads, and place heads, skins and all, in a tinfoil pouch with a bit of olive oil and sea salt.  Roast in the oven for 40 minutes at 400ºF.  Let cool, then squeeze the cloves out of the skins and into a bowl.  (I did this step the morning before, so the dinner-making process would take less time).
2. Mash the roasted garlic with the butter, parmesan, panko, and red pepper flakes, until crumbly.  Stir in toasted almonds, and place mixture in fridge until just before toasting.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add linguine, and cook according to package directions.
4. At the same time you add the linguine to the water, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.  Add the asparagus pieces, and sautee for 3-4 minutes, or until bright green.  At this point, add the chicken broth, soy sauce, and 1/3 c. of the pasta water (just dip a cup measure into the pot while it’s cooking and add it to the sauce).  Turn the heat up to medium high, and let cook until sauce is reduced by 1/2, about 3 minutes.  Add the preserved lemon and arugula and turn off heat, stirring to wilt the arugula.  If you’re lucky, your pasta will have finished while the sauce is reducing, and you can just add the sauce to the drained pasta.  If not, wait for the pasta to finish cooking, drain, then add the asparagus and arugula sauce to the pasta pot.
5. Return the frying pan (now empty of sauce) to the stove, over medium heat.  Add the chilled almond-butter mixture to the pan in a single layer, and fry, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Turn off heat.  Plate the pasta, and top each portion with some of the almond crisp and 2 sprigs of mint.  (Alternatively, you can add the mint to the sauce with the arugula).

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Arugula Mashed Potatoes

Serves 3.

• 3 medium yukon gold potatoes, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes
• approx 4 cups arugula, rinsed
• 3 TBS olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.  Add about 1 TBS salt.  Bring potatoes to a boil and then cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Remove potatoes from pot with a pasta skimmer and place in a large bowl.  Add arugula to the still boiling water, and blanch until bright green, about 1 minutes.  Quickly drain and run under cold water to stop the cooking process, then blend the arugula, potatoes, and olive oil until they form a smooth puree.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

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