Goat Cheese Shells with Arugula Pesto and Sweet 100's

This is a Spring/Summer recipe...But, today is so sunny and warm that it seemed apropos. This recipe emerged from my attempt to reverse engineer a particularly delicious meal at a now-defunct eatery in La Canada California...Not exactly a bastion of culinary innovation, but this place (name long forgotten) was really lovely. I like to make this dish for parties and serve it with simple veggie dishes like sauteed patty pan squash, fresh greens and wildflower salads, etc. It's so rich, that the recipe can easily feed a crowd when served in this way. It's been so long since I wrote this recipe out (and knew where the paper was that I wrote it on), that I am guesstimating a bit when it comes to the amount of cheese to use. I think this is also an issue of personal taste, so you should be sure to taste the spoon a lot when prepping this one.

I've made some nice variations on this over the years, adding cayenne and paprika and serving with spicy grilled shrimp and corn instead of the arugula; adding a ton of spring veggies and some dill into the mix, and on and on...But, this version is still my favorite. I might also mention that this pairs really nicely with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Gruner Veltliner...Sigh, summer.

Goat Cheese Shells with Arugula Pesto and Slow Roasted tomatoes

Arugula Pesto (Can be made 1-2 days ahead)
- Several large handfuls of fresh arugula. I like to mix the softer baby leaves with the larger and more peppery "mature" leaves.
- Good quality olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt and Pepper (gray sea salt is great in this)
- The juice of one lemon
- toasted almonds or pine nuts

In a food processor, blend the garlic, oil and nuts until smooth. Add the arugula a bit at a time, using the lemon juice to keep it moving. Once you have a thick green paste, add salt and pepper to taste and blend one last time to combine. If you're making ahead, pour into an airtight jar and cover the mixture with olive oil.

For the Shells & Cheese
- 1/2 pint fresh sweet 100 tomatoes halved
- 1/2 pint sweet 100 tomatoes halved and slow roasted (spread on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, salted and peppered, and cooked until mostly dry in a 150- 200 degree oven...about 45m)
- 1/2-1 cup good quality french goat cheese
- 1-2 cups grated gruyere or similar cheese, sharp white cheddar can be nice, but sometimes makes the sauce grainy
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2-4 cups whole milk (Depends on how much cheese you plan on using)
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 clove of garlic, minced and sweated in butter
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large bag of large shells, cooked al dente


- In a heavy saucepan melt the butter over low heat, add the flour and make a roux (whisking briskly for about 2-3 minutes)

- Add the milk in a stream, whisking continuously and bring to a boil, still whisking and reduce heat to a low simmer.

- Add salt, pepper, and garlic.

- Whisk the sauce gently until thickened, and then remove from heat.

- Stir in the cheese until fully melted and incorporated (if you like, you can do this over very, very low heat or just keep the pan on the warm burner with the flame off).

- Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked pasta, you can thin
the sauce with a bit of the warm pasta water if you need to. Stir in roasted tomatoes.

- Serve on a bed of the arugula pesto, garnished well with fresh, halved sweet 100's. If you want to go all out stir in a BIG handful of chopped flat leaf parsley and fresh basil with the roasted tomatoes and add a garnish of chopped kalamata olives in addition to the pesto and fresh tomatoes.