Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper

Oooooh the sun. Did it come out where you are this weekend? It finally showed its face on the East Coast, and made the last two days about 100x better. Winter can make me so grumpy!

This pasta has spring written all over it. Spring and Thursday night. Here’s what I’m thinking- this Thursday night you come home after work, pour yourself a drink (preferably a glass of Verdejo),  and revel in the fact that it’s only one more day til the weekend. Then start leisurely making this pasta. Begin by pulling out your butter, setting a big pot of water to boil, chopping your arugula, and grating your cheese. Use your pasta water boiling time to prep the ingredients, and your pasta cooking time to tidy up the kitchen so you can eat and then reeeelax. I upped the ante on the arugula in this recipe to pack in more veggies, and if you’re feeling the need to make it even healthier, you could certainly use whole wheat pasta. I’m crazy about arugula, so an arugula salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil would, in my mind, be the perfect thing to serve alongside! A pretty perfect weeknight, don’t you think?

Linguine with Butter, Pecorino, Arugula, and Black Pepper adapted from Everyday Italian
Serves 4

• 1 pound linguine
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups very finely grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups coarsely chopped arugula, packed

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the linguine and cook until it is al dente, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.

Immediately toss the hot pasta in a large bowl with the butter to coat. While tossing the linguine, gradually sprinkle the cheese, pepper, and enough of the reserved cooking liquid evenly over the linguine to moisten. Add the arugula and toss to combine. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt. Serve immediately