RCP: Pasta with Lemon, Capers, and Arugula

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From a recipe compiled by Debra Fioritto Weber on the "Your Guide to French Cuisine" section from the website About.com ...

12 oz. Cappellini pasta
2 T Olive oil
1/4 C Salted capers, rinsed and drained
2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
1 Roasted red pepper, skinned, seeded, and cut into thin slices
2 T Grated lemon rind
1/4 C Fresh lemon juice
2 C Arugula, loosely packed then roughly chopped
1/4 C Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package directions ... drain, place in a large bowl, and keep warm ... pour olive oil into a skillet over medium to medium-high heat ... add the capers and garlic and cook while stirring for 1 minute ... add the red pepper, lemon rind, and lemon juice, bring to a simmer, and cook for an additional minute ... put the arugula on top of the pasta, add the cooked mixture, and toss lightly to mix ... add the cheese, salt, and pepper and toss lightly to mix one more time ... serve immediately ...

4 Servings

Clink !

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Bill,


Interesting recipe. What wine would you serve with this? I was thinking NZ Sauvignon Blanc, or maybe a Sancerre with the lemon character of the dish?

Or is it hearty enough for a red?

Richard

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... it's hearty enough for a light red ... like a light Rhone style ... 2005 Tobin James Chateau le Cacheflo Paso Robles ?

Clink !

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Hey, that sounds great, Bill!

A variation on that theme is one we took from one of Patricia Well's French cookbooks---I think it is actually the Paris Bistro cookbook, actually.

In her original, Well's used kalamata olives and chopped prosciutto along with the lemon and capellini. We love that recipe, and often use it as an appetizer course.

Then we started tinkering around a bit---partly because I loooooove capers and caperberries, and think they naturally go with lemon. And varying the recipe from time to time gives us more variety, which is a good thing.

The changes worked well, and we do that variation a lot now. I especially like the meat-eaters version, because the salty taste of the prosciutto makes a wonderful counterpoint to the other sharper flavors.

Thanks for the recipe!