wrote:
> OK, my palate is perhaps a bit unsophisticated, but I can't eat bitter
> greens. Just. Can't. (For scale - I ate a single leaf of raw arugula
> last night. Had to wash it down with water.)
>
> Anyway, I think I'll be getting a lot of them in my new-to-me-this-
> year CSA subscription. So... what can I do to make them tasty? Any way
> to tone down the bitterness?

I would say if you're going to use them for salads, use them in a
mixture of greens so that the bitterness you dislike is balanced out
with less strongly flavored greens.

I love escarole with its slight bitterness in soups. Perhaps arugula
would work well for you there?

Goomba38 wrote:

> I love escarole with its slight bitterness in soups. Perhaps arugula would
> work well for you there?

This is a wintry soup, what with the chestnuts, but perhaps it could be
adapted to summertime without much difficulty:

(Posted November 2005)

I made this for Thanksgiving and it was very, very good. I *think* that the
chestnut-arugula combination is my own invention. Prior to this, I hadn't
been all that fond of chestnuts, since they'd usually had a mealy quality
that I didn't like. But this soup was velvety, lush, and luscious.

Cream of Chestnut soup

15 oz roasted chestnuts
4 cups chicken broth
1 small onion, peeled and chunked
about 10 good-sized arugula leaves
3 tablespoons soft butter
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
Salt & pepper to taste

In a blender, combine chestnuts, chicken stock, and onion; liquefy. (You
might have to work in batches.) Set aside a few arugula leaves for garnish;
chop the remaining arugula roughly. Add the chopped arugula, butter, salt,
and white pepper to the soup. Bring mixture just to a boil, reduce the heat,
and simmer it gently for 15 minutes.

Cut the reserved arugula leaves into chiffonade.

Add the cream, stirring to blend the mixture. Season with salt and pepper to
taste, and garnish with the arugula chiffonade.


NOTES:

1. When cooked, arugula's taste changes quite a bit. This soup presents both
the cooked and the uncooked flavors.

2. I used fresh-ground white pepper; I imagine that pre-ground would be more
subdued. I also eyeballed the measurement, but probably added a full
teaspoon rather than the half-teaspoon I wrote above.

3. I think a blender is the best tool for making this soup, but feel free to
use a stick blender or a food processor. Just don't cry to me if the texture
isn't velvety.


Bob

Bob Terwilliger wrote:

> This is a wintry soup, what with the chestnuts, but perhaps it could be
> adapted to summertime without much difficulty:
>
> (Posted November 2005)
>
> I made this for Thanksgiving and it was very, very good. I *think* that the
> chestnut-arugula combination is my own invention. Prior to this, I hadn't
> been all that fond of chestnuts, since they'd usually had a mealy quality
> that I didn't like. But this soup was velvety, lush, and luscious.
>
> Cream of Chestnut soup


He made this for me at Christmas and I must say it was VERY good! I
wonder if the arugula would work well in pumpkin soup? With just a
little bit of diced ham .... yum.

--Lin

Replying to myself, a sure sign of schizophrenia...I wrote:

> This is a wintry soup, what with the chestnuts, but perhaps it could be
> adapted to summertime without much difficulty:
<snip>
> Cream of Chestnut soup
<snip>

Here's a cold soup using cooked arugula:

Arugula-Soymilk-Sesame (Yes, I know that it would be abbreviated ASS.) Soup

1 leek
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and white pepper
about 10 good-sized leaves arugula
1 quart soymilk
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
toasted sesame seeds

Cut off and discard the roots and green leaves from the leek. Slice the
remaining leek section crosswise thinly and soak in a basin with plenty of
cold water, agitating the leeks to dislodge any grit. Allow grit to sink to
the bottom of the basin for about five minutes, then scoop out the leeks
(carefully, so as not to stir the grit up again).

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, sprinkle
lightly with salt, and cover. Allow the leeks to sweat for about five
minutes, or until soft and translucent. Coarsely chop the arugula leaves.
Add the arugula leaves, raise the heat to medium, and cook until the arugula
is softened, about 2 minutes.

Add the soymilk and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Add
salt and white pepper to taste. Remove from the heat, add sesame oil, and
blend. Chill for at least one hour. Taste again and add salt or white
pepper if needed. When serving, sprinkle each helping with toasted sesame
seeds.

Bob