Rocket - very versatile and healthy!
Rocket is very versatile and healthy! The wonderful salad plant was already known in ancient times as a crop, even the ancient Germans had eaten them, and they even considered them as a sexual enhancer. In Germany, rocket, the original name is actually Rauke, but in the course of time forgotten and was only rediscovered in the 80s by the trend towards Mediterranean cuisine.
For a long time, rocket was not popular because of its slightly sharp, sometimes slightly bitter taste. The mixture with green salads is typical of Tuscany, hence its name.
There are several types of it, but the classic Rauke is the Garden Senfrauke (Eruca sativa), also called Ölrauke, which is not only used as a salad plant, but also also for the production of oil from the seeds is grown, but only in very small extent.
Arugula has an appetizing and diuretic effect and a high content of mustard oils, which are the reason for the aromatic and sometimes slightly bitter taste. In addition, rocket has a very high iodine content (good for hypothyroidism!). Other ingredients include beta-carotene, vitamin C and folic acid as well as minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium and iron.
For a rocket salad, it is best to use only the young leaves, as the older ones can taste very intense and spicy, sometimes even slightly bitter.
The very spicy rocket can be used in many ways, it tastes not only pure, but also goes well with tomatoes, iceberg, frisée, head or Schnittsalat, but also to chicory and radicchio or even to potato, rice or egg salad, even with strawberries it tastes wonderful. Even for a tomato-mozzarella salad, arugula with its aromatic taste is a wonderful addition and even pizzas, tarte flambée and scrambled eggs can be well enhanced with some fresh rocket leaves. Also tasty is mashed potato with finely sliced rocket and especially a sandwich tastes good - topped with fresh rocket, egg and tomato slices or mini tomatoes!
The older leaves can be dried and used as herbs, they are very suitable as a seasoning for rice or pasta dishes, soups, ragouts, pesto or pizzas.
Certainly, rocket has been offered for some time in the vegetable departments, but I've never actually paid any attention to it until my daughter brought a pack with me one day and then made it into a fresh, very tasty salad.
Since then, I have come to the taste and took rocket in my weekly shopping list. However, I found that the packs are not cheap and unfortunately often not quite fresh. Since you do not consume such a whole pack at once, and keeping fresh does not always work so well, you often have to throw away a part of it.
That's why we bought a package of rocket seed ribbon this year and pulled a row of rocket in a 1 meter long planter on the patio. After 4 or 5 weeks we were able to harvest the first leaves. Now, depending on your needs, we can always harvest and use the right amount of rocket and nothing will be bad. Also, the seed band is enough for another 4 m, and you can save a whole lot of money, really a very good thing! ;-)
