Steak
 

Arugula, with its peppery flavor; offers a perfect bed for a grand steak dinner (or any meat, for that matter). For a lighter meal, try a steak and arugula salad topped with shaved Parmesan and dressed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Soup
 

A simple late-summer tomato soup, topped with croutons, is made more bright (and healthy) with a toss of arugula. Saute an onion and a few garlic cloves in olive oil until translucent, add several fresh tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. Puree if desired, add fresh herbs, croutons and a handful of baby arugula. This arugula trick also works with other soups, such as minestrone.

Pesto
 

Swap arugula for basil in your favorite pesto recipe; the color is more intense and the flavor more earthy (but it feels like summer nonetheless). No need to measure, but 2 cups of arugula pair well with A cup grated Parmesan, some roasted pine nuts, a clove of garlic, salt and pepper Whir the ingredients in a food processer; then drizzle in 1 cup olive oil while the motor’s still running.

Fig and Goat Cheese
 

In London, arugula is called rocket, a name that makes itself especially clear on a sandwich, when the greens energize the experience. Arugula adds spark to goat cheese and ripe figs; we also love olive bread with farmers’ cheese and arugula, heightened by a mustard seed dressing.