New Feature: Sunday's Supper

Yes, Supper. In England, supper is a late night snack, or maybe a small meal depending on the region. The word supper in my mother's household was strictly forbidden. We ate dinner, only. No supper. Only Southerner's ate supper, she claimed. We lived in Michigan. Yet, a delicious Sunday meal, eaten mid-day is neither lunch or dinner. To me, it is supper. Sorry, mom- but maybe the South got a few things right. The Sunday's Supper series will feature my recipes. Lovingly created by me; enthusiastically taste tested by Mr. Radar. No calls to poison control have been made thus far. Without further ado, my beloved pesto recipe.

Fusilli with warm Arugula Pesto

Serves 4 dinner portions; 6-8 side portions

Ingredients
1 16 oz box of dry Fusilli
4 cups fresh Arugula
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup grated parmesan, divided
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon course sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, fresh if possible
black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups sweet grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, diced

Directions

First, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Dice the mozzarella and halve the tomatoes, reserve for later. Toast the pine nuts in a skillet on medium to high heat. Watch them like a hawk! They will burn. Put the arugula, olive oil, pine nuts, lemon juice, 1/2 cup of parmesan, garlic, salt, nutmeg, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until creamy. This may take a while- stir everything up with a spatula if necessary. Add more olive oil if the mixture looks course, not creamy. Taste the mixture to ensure the salt and pepper levels are to your liking. Mix the cooked pasta, pesto, tomatoes, and mozzarella in a large bowl. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Today, we enjoyed this meal with a fresh fruit salad. It was a delicious, healthy meal enjoyed by the both of us. In my opinion, the arugula pesto is both healthier for you (more nutrients) and better tasting than a traditional pesto made with basil. You can experiment with other nuts, like walnuts or pistachios. I have tried both, and in the end, prefer the pine nuts. I have also tried this recipe with spinach (curly, not baby) and it worked. Not as peppery- but still good.