30 Nov The Revenge of Rucola: The famous magazine “Gambero Rosso” celebrates the role of this green treasure in the kitchens of starred chefs.
“For decades, arugula has been relegated to a supporting role in gourmet kitchens worldwide, often serving as a mere garnish without truly adding value to the dish. ‘On a bed of arugula’ was the recurring phrase used by waiters in the ’80s. However, the perception, especially in recent years, is changing. Recently, an article from Gambero Rosso has celebrated the role of arugula in the recipes of top chefs, promoting its reevaluation in the gastronomic scene.
The aforementioned article, recently published in the renowned culinary magazine, has opened a window to a new chapter in the history of arugula, transforming its image from a simple accompaniment to a protagonist in the kitchen. The author, with enthusiastic tones, highlighted the organoleptic value that this precious green brings to the dishes of starred chefs, labeling it as a long-underestimated treasure.
“For decades mistreated, arugula should be reevaluated by everyone. Here are examples of great chefs who recognize the organoleptic value that this vegetable deserves,” read the evocative title of the article—a battle cry for those who have overlooked arugula over the years.
Arugula, with its unique spiciness and pleasantly bitter aftertaste, has always had its reasons in the kitchen. Here are three recipes from three great chefs who have used arugula in a completely innovative way.”
Rucola for the Chef Mauro Uliassi
Fonte gamberorosso.it
“During the 1970s, when a chef proposed steak with arugula, dressed with vinegar,” Mauro Uliassi recounted during a Lab event a couple of years ago, “he added a bitter vegetable element and an acidic one with the aim of inducing salivation. This way, the diner takes a bite and immediately craves a second, continuing to enjoy the steak without getting bored.” Going beyond a comfort and rounded taste, linked to a desire for more ancestral food but staying within an understandable sphere. Indeed, Uliassi employs arugula in these terms; think of the Oyster Salad with arugula pesto, arugula, lemon, and borage from the 2023 Lab, or one of the classic dishes where arugula is paired with amberjack (raw) in a puttanesca style.”.
Ravioli alle erbe e rapa bianca di Antonia Klugmann
Fonte gamberorosso.it
“Another chef who, in our opinion, revalues arugula is Antonia Klugmann. For her, nature is closely correlated with culture. If almost all the herbs and flowers that Klugmann dispenses in her dishes come from the adjacent wild garden – experienced not so much as a vegetable garden but as her ‘training ground, thanks to which I understand my suppliers’ – the Friulian chef knows well that chefs must justify their ‘existence on the globe by complicating the matter!’ Complicating it without, however, becoming exclusive or, worse yet, excessive. The stylistic hallmark at L’Argine a Vencò can be summarized in the three words of the gastronomic critic Marco Bolasco: ‘Remove to add.’ This is how the White Turnip with hemp seed milk and arugula (2022) was born, somehow a prelude to the current Herb and White Turnip Ravioli, where arugula, often underrated, appears in all its complexity in the filling.”
The celeriac scaloppa with cocoa nibs, arugula, coffee, and mandarin caviar.
Fonte lucianopignataro.it
“We conclude our very brief journey dedicated to the reevaluation of vegetables with the dish created by Davide Scabin, in the menu dedicated to Los Dias de los Muertos, where he pairs celeriac scaloppa (another ingredient once overused) with cocoa nibs, coffee, and arugula. In a beautiful range of bitters (and acidity), which, upon reflection – and expressing it with the title of the new book by Massimo Montanari – bitterness is indeed an Italian taste, lately revalued even by Americans. Let’s reevaluate arugula as well, please.”
