Arugula

Arugula is a leafy green in the mustard family with a peppery, slightly nutty and bitter taste. The leaves are dark green and often deeply lobed. It is eaten raw in salads, piled onto pizza after baking, blended into sauces, or wilted into pasta. Young leaves are mild, and older, larger leaves are much sharper.

How to use it

The same leaf goes by several names:

• Arugula in the US and Canada, from a southern Italian dialect word.
• Rocket in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Rucola in Italy and Germany, and ruccola in Sweden.
• Roquette in France.
• Wild rocket is a related plant with thinner, more jagged leaves and a stronger, more peppery taste. It is sold under that name in the UK and Europe, and can be used the same way.

Good ways to use it:

• Dress it lightly with olive oil, lemon juice and salt, or a sharp vinaigrette, just before serving.
• Scatter it over pizza and flatbreads as they come out of the oven, so it stays fresh, or over beef carpaccio just before serving.
• Blend it with nuts, cheese and oil into a peppery pesto.
• Stir a few handfuls into hot pasta or soup off the heat until wilted.

Substitutes

Watercress is the closest match, with a similar peppery bite. Baby spinach or mixed salad leaves work where you want greens without the pepper. Mizuna and young mustard greens are good too.

How to store it

Arugula wilts quickly. Keep it in the fridge in its bag or in a container lined with a paper towel, and use it within 2 to 4 days. Bunched arugula with roots is often sandy. Wash it in a big bowl of cold water, lift it out, and dry it in a salad spinner.

Common mistakes

• Dressing it too early. The leaves go limp and dark within minutes.
• Using big, mature leaves where a recipe wants a gentle green. Taste a leaf first. If it is very hot, mix it with a milder lettuce.
• Cooking it like spinach. It shrinks to almost nothing and loses its fresh taste. Add it at the very end.

In recipes

You will see "a handful of arugula", "100 g rocket" and "baby arugula", which means young, milder leaves.