Two Years of Pasta Celebration with Arugula Pesto

Ruth over at Once Upon a Feast recently celebrated Presto Pasta Night's Big 100 Celebration . This week she will be celebrating another milestone and celebrating PPN's second birthday!!!! Congratulations Ruth on a lasting and very popular event. Naturally I had to take a walk down memory lane with Ruth and check out the years of history over at Presto Pasta Nights.

To honour the celebration I chose to make a dish based on one from renowned chef Emeril Lagasse. BAM!!! The original salad recipe called for making a salad and you will find the original recipe here . I chose to make a spaghetti dish incorporating the same ingredients in honour of Spring...I did see a Robin yesterday!!!!

The dish is based on arugula which is also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola, and is popular in Italian cuisine. It adds a whole new dimension to pesto. Arugula is is high in Vitamins A & C, has only two calories in a one cup serving, and is thought to be a skin clarifier. The other thing I want to mention is that young arugula leaves will make the best pesto with just enough of a "peppery" or "spicy" kick to let you know you are eating arugula. As the leaves mature, they get increasingly stronger and less attractive in flavour. Using toasted walnuts instead of pinenuts balances out the flavours nicely!!

Arugula has been a popular addition in Italian cuisine since Roman times. It was grown for both it's leaves and it's seeds. The seeds were used for flavouring oils. Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. So break out the oysters and the arugula pesto!!! Why not add add some rucolino to round out the meal which is a digestive alcohol made on the island of Ischiain in the Gulf of Naples, which is made from the plant, a drink often enjoyed in small quantities following a meal. The liquor is a local specialty enjoyed in the same way as a limoncello or grappa and has a sweet peppery taste that washes down easily.

**Spaghettini with Arugula Pesto, Grilled Chicken Breasts, and Feta**
based on a recipe from Emeril Lagasse

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Emeril's Essence (recipe follows)
1 bunch fresh arugula, tough stems removed, washed and spun dry, plus baby arugula, for garnish
1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound spaghetti or spaghettini
1 pint red grape tomatoes, halved
1 pint yellow grape tomatoes, halved
1 1/4 cups crumbled feta
1/2 cup roughly chopped pitted olive-cured olives

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Preheat a grill.

In a food processor, or bowl of immersion blender combine the arugula, parsley, walnuts, garlic, cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and process on high speed until the greens are finely chopped. With the machine running, add the extra-virgin olive oil and 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a steady stream and process until smooth.

Drizzle the chicken with oil and season with salt, pepper, and Essence. Place on the grill and cook until cooked through, about 4 minutes on the first side, and 5 minutes on the second side. Remove the chicken from the grill and cut into slices.

While chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta. Toss with some olive oil so it doesn't stick. Toss the pasta with the arugula pesto, to taste. Toss in the red and yellow tomatoes, feta, and olives. Top with sliced chicken and serve.

Serves 8 - 10

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 T paprika
2 T salt
2 T garlic powder
1 T black pepper
1 T onion powder
1 T cayenne pepper
1 T dried leaf oregano
1 T dried thyme

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Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup