"You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces - just good food from fresh ingredients." -Julia Child

Let's hear it for Chick Food! And being a chick myself, also a chick who is always on the prowl for new pasta recipes, I dove right into this one. I mean really; lemon, heavy cream & Barefoot Contessa. What could be better? Oh, I forgot to mention the parmesan shavings. How good is that?


Lemon Fusilli with Arugula

1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken.

Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot.

* In my opinion, this recipe doesn't need to broccoli; it weighs down the dish.

And below you see the damage. Take a breath. No really, take one. I did. The night I made this pasta dish I also brought dinner to a friend & emerged from my Kitchen Trance to see...this.


It took me 2 days to clean it up.
Signing Off!
Crystal