Hi!

After moving to Mumbai, I have explored many more exotic vegetables which were not easily available in Chennai, one of them is the Arugula or Roquette Leaves. I'm in love with this leafy vegetable which has a sharp taste and adds a punch to the food with it’s distinguishing flavour. It has a taste which is a milder combination of radish and mustard leaves put together.

With the winter setting in and loads of winter bounty to cherish, it's soups and salads for us at nights. I'm going to post more recipes using the Arugula, as it's a great ingredient for salads, topping for crostini and appetisers.

Today I'm sharing two pesto recipes using the Arugula leaves, which I have made using the Maharaja Mixer Grinder. The mixer grinder was sent to me for a product review by Maharaja Whiteline. Maharaja Whiteline as a brand is not new to me, I’ve used it's old model of juicer-mixer-grinder extensively during my college days at my Mum's place. My Mum has used the appliance till few years back.

Maharaja Whiteline Flora - Product Review

I've already reviewed the Maharaja TurboMix King Hand Blender a few days back and appreciated it's power and effective usage and I'm more than happy repeating myself with the Flora mixer grinder too. Yes, it's a decently powerful mixer with 550W and grinds quickly. The mixer works like charm with the sharp blades.

To start with I always grind the dosa batter and chutneys to see how fine and quickly the mixer- grinder grinds and I was extremely happy with the outcome. It runs efficiently. I used it for a few weeks to come to a conclusion that it’s a very good quality Mixer Grinder.

The only drawback if I’ve to point out and probably is applicable to all mixer grinders and this one’s no exception too, is the sound made during the functioning of the appliance. Most people will not find it excessive, I found it loud only for the reason that I have been using a mixer grinder for a decade now, whose highlighted feature is that it’s ‘Silent’.

To go along with the Arugula in the first version of the pesto, I have used a winter special green, that's the fresh green garlic, which is abundantly available currently. And in the second version of the Arugula pesto I've added the freshness of basil to the contrasting sharp taste of the Arugula. Both versions make excellent dip, can also be used as a sauce for making pasta or a dressing for salad.

Finally I made a bruschetta using the Arugula Pesto (you can also use basil pesto) and topped it with grilled zucchini, tomato and microgreens. It made an excellent snack/appetiser. My fussy teen kid happily savoured them. This version of bruschetta is perfect for parties as it needs very less effort and can be fixed in no time.

Before I share the recipe, here’s a quick look at the salient features of the Maharaja Whiteline Flora Mixer Grinder

Sleek Model
550W motor
Sharp blades
Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Jars
Ergonomic Handle
Non Slip Feet
Product Warranty- 1year
Affordable price of MRP,INR 3699/-

Arugula Pesto

Preparation Time: 10mins | Grinding Time:5mins | Makes: about a cup of each Pesto | Difficulty Level: Easy | Serves: 4-5

Arugula Basil Pesto

Ingredients For Arugula Basil Pesto

1tightly packed cup of Arugula/Roquette leaves

1tightly packed cup of Italian Basil Leaves

2tbsp roasted pine nuts

6-7 small garlic cloves

1/2cup shredded parmesan cheese

salt to taste

1/2cup or more extra virgin olive oil/EVOO

Method for Arugula Basil Pesto

Take the pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese in the mixer grinder and pulse it.

Add both the leaves and pulse it again.

Add about 1/4cup of EVOO and pulse again. Grind to a coarse paste. Add more oil if required.

Transfer to a jar and pour more of EVOO on top, seal the jar. Can be used for a week or more.

Arugula Green Garlic Pesto

Ingredients for Arugula Green Garlic Pesto

a handful of garlic greens without the garlic part

2-3 small garlic cloves, if required

1tightly packed cup of Arugula leaves

1/4cup of roasted almonds

1/2cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup or more extra virgin olive oil

Method for Arugula Green Garlic Pesto

Take the almonds, garlic, parmesan cheese in the mixer grinder and pulse it.

Add the leaves and greens, pulse it again.

Add about 1/4cupof EVOO and pulse again. Grind to a coarse paste. Add more oil if required.

Transfer to a jar and pour more of EVOO on top, seal the jar. Can be used for a week or more.

Bruschetta With Arugula Pesto & Grilled Veggies

Ingredients For Bruschetta With Arugula Pesto & Veggies

Garlic flavoured baguette or regular baguette

Arugula Pesto

Grilled Zucchini slices

Sunflower Microgreens

a few cherry tomatoes cut into halves

Method

Apply garlic butter on bread slices and grill them.

Grill slices of zucchini.

Slice cherry tomatoes

Dip the microgreens in ice water for 10mins to make them crisp.

Spread pesto on the grilled bread slice and then layer it with slices of grilled zucchini and cherry tomatoes and finally top it with microgreens. Serve immediately.