Go-To Meal #3--- Penne with Tomatoes, Arugula and Goat Cheese

Ah California, let me count the ways I love you. Number one has to be the sheer number of farmers' markets scattered throughout LA. Pick a day and chances are there is a farmers' market close by that you can go explore. We have a great farmers' market close by in Encino every Sunday morning, one on the way home from work on Wednesdays, and one right next to work Friday afternoons. Last week another one started up on Saturday mornings...walking distance from the condo. Dangerous. I don't want to lecture you on buying local, but aside from helping save the planet, it is also cheaper. Also every farmers' market has a unicorn that grants wishes.

A few words on goat cheese. Delicious? Yes. Does it kind of gross me out when I think of where it comes from? Yes. Why?  Probably because one of my neighbors growing up had goats that started bleating at 5AM.  Perhaps it's because bleating goats sound strangely similar to crying babies. It also could have something to do with having their rectangular pupils staring at me while I waited for the bus every morning...surely I don't know, I'm just guessing.  What I do know is that I can't think about where the cheese comes from when I eat it. I try to focus on the deliciousness instead. There is a great goat cheese seller at our farmers' market, and it is unbelievably fresh...something like the goats are milked on Monday and made into cheese to be sold on Saturday.  You can literally taste the crying babies..it's that fresh.

So when it comes to delicious, easy, and cheap...this recipe takes the proverbial cake. The majority of the ingredients can be picked up at a the farmers market, it takes about 15 minutes to make, and is great hot or cold!

Penne with Tomatoes, Arugula and Goat Cheese

• 1 box whole wheat penne pasta
• 1 Quart Grape Tomatoes
• 3 cups baby arugula
• 8 oz goat cheese
• 3 tbs fresh oregano, finely chopped
  (I had some on-hand but not necessary)
• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.  Reserve approximately 1 cup of the cooking water to toss with cheese and arugula.
2. While the pasta is cooking, add oil to large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the tomatoes, you don't want to "cook" the tomatoes, just warm them gently. If the tomatoes start to burst, reduce the heat. Add the garlic and allow to warm through. Just before the pasta is done, crumble goat cheese into tomatoes and garlic mixture, making a goat cheese sauce.  Sprinkle with fresh oregano
3. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.  Return pasta to pot and add arugula, cover to allow the arugula to wilt for about 1 minute.
4. Toss pasta and arugula with the tomato and goat cheese sauce.  Slowly add reserved pasta water until you get a desired thickness to the sauce.

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