This quick and easy recipe, from Buitoni, combines two different types of their refrigerated fresh tortolloni with fresh arugula.

Tortellini are larger versions of the bite-size tortellini.

You can also substitute ravioli or other stuffed pasta (check out the different types of pasta).

Serve it for lunch, dinner, or as a first course for dinner. We also enjoyed the leftovers cold the next day.

Prep time is 10 minutes, total time is 15 minutes.

RECIPE: ARUGULA, PESTO & GOAT CHEESE TORTELLONI

Ingredients For 8 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE pasta according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water.

2. PLACE the pasta and reserved water in large bowl; add pesto and tomatoes. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Add arugula and cheese; toss gently. Top with pine nuts.
 
 
MORE TORTELLONI RECIPES

Tortelloni With Cherry Tomato Sauce

Tortelloni with Roasted Eggplant & Cherry Tomato Sauce

Tortelloni With Shaved Brussels Sprouts & Pomegranate Arils

[1] Chicken & Roasted Garlic Tortellini with fresh arugula and goat cheese. [2] The same tortollini with Brussels sprouts and pomegranate arils. [3] Look for Buitoni Tortellini in the refrigerator case (photos courtesy Buitoni).

Will the real Margarita please stand up? [1] Cherry Margarita (photo courtesy Created By Diane). [2] Grape Margarita (photo courtesy California Table Grape Commission. [3] Guava Margarita (photo courtesy Chef Ingrid Hoffmann). [4] and [5] The real deal, from Casa Noble Tequila: an classic Margarita and the classic with a smoked salt rim. [6] A Margarita made with GranGala orange liqueur in a Margarita glass.

Around this time of year, we get bombarded with every imaginable recipe for National Margarita Day (February 22nd).

In fact, most of these drinks are Margaritas in name only.

Because Margarita and Martini are the two most popular cocktails in America, some tequila companies (who know better) and establishments (who should) call too many concoctions by one of these names. Grape Margarita? Avocado Margarita? Seriously?

Here are just a few of the oh-so-wrong Margarita recipes we’ve received in recent weeks:

 
When did this all begin? In our experience, it was the mid-1980s, when we first saw a “Peach-arita” featured on a menu in East Hampton. It substituted peach schnapps for the Cointreau.

It was delicious—we had two—and the name was delightfully catchy. Many variations have appeared all over the ensuing 30 years. But in retrospect, they aren’t Margaritas at all; just cocktails riding on Margarita’s coattails, appropriating the name.

We are complicit: We’ve published numerous poseur Margarita recipes because they were really good cocktails. But the madness (at least ours) stops today.

We’ll still publish good cocktail recipes, but any faux Margarita will be linked to this conscious-raising rant.
 
 
WHAT IS A MARGARITA?

The original Margarita combined tequila, Cointreau, and lime juice: an orange-flavored tequila cocktail with a salt rim, served with a lime wheel (here’s the Margarita history).

Unless you’re talking Frozen Margarita—where any flavor can be added via fruit purée—Margarita is an orange drink, not a cherry, grape or pineapple one.

Once you take great license with ingredients, you create a different cocktail.

Would you make a Pineapple Cosmo, substituting the standard cranberry juice with pineapple juice? Create a Grapefruit Screwdriver?

A Screwdriver combines orange juice and vodka. Grapefruit juice and vodka create a Greyhound.

Adding cranberry juice to a Greyhound produces a Sea Breeze.

And that’s how it should be. Cocktails should observe a nomenclature, like everything else.
 
 
MARGARITA VARIATIONS

That being said, there is license to slightly vary the original ingredients. Each change marginally alters the original flavor profile, but the drink is still recognizable.

 
If you want to add a fruit flavor (guava, mango, strawberry, whatever), add purée to the original recipe. We’d even grant passage to something like a Mango Basil Margarita, with the purée and torn basil leaves in the shaker.

But a recipe of tequila, lime juice, spicy mango syrup, grapefruit bitters, and basil leaves? Call it something else—even if that’s Margarita’s Sister.

Ditto, an Apple Cider Margarita, tequila, apple cider, lemon juice, and cinnamon sugar for the rim.

Ditto, tequila and lime juice with muddled cilantro.

If you get rid of the orange liqueur and lime, it’s not a Margarita.

Give your raspberry-tequila cocktail another name—or look it up: There aren’t many combinations that haven’t been otherwise named.

(That said, We just looked up “raspberry tequila cocktail” and got the usual slew of Raspberry Margarita recipes, although Deliciously Organic forthrightly called it a Raspberry, Lime and Tequila Cocktail. Right on!)

Final rant:

The Margarita is the most popular† drink in the country. That’s why so many mixologists name their non-traditional creations “Margarita,” instead of a more appropriate name.

Give the Margarita the respect it deserves.

Use the creative licenses noted above, but create a new name for your cocktail—just like every other drink recipe has done.

*The Margarita glass is a variation of the classic champagne coupe, and is used to serve blended fruit Margaritas and frozen Margaritas. The same glass can be used to serve shrimp cocktails and other appetizers and desserts. The glass was originally made from recycled Coke bottles, and the mottled green color of the original survive.

†Some industry reports place the Martini first. It depends on the survey and the year.
  

Like chicken salad, but trying to cut back on bread?

If you want to avoid the bread, croissants, and wraps, there’s always a scoop of chicken salad on greens, in lettuce cups, or stuffed into a bell pepper, tomato, or avocado half.

But we thought these ideas from Willow Tree Farm add allure to a long-time favorite.

Whether a filling for celery or fennel stalks, or a base for mini “cucumber sandwiches,” these make fun appetizers or snacks.

Use your own chicken salad or one from Willow Tree Farm.

cucumber sandwiches. Serve #Sriracha Chicken Salad between two cucumbers for a crunchy, cool, and spicy bite.
 
 
RECIPE: CHICKEN SALAD STACKS

For snacks, with beer, or as an amuse bouche before dinner. For something sweeter, you can use apple slices.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. SLICE the cucumber into 1/2″ slices

2. PLACE the chicken salad on half of the cucumber slices. Top with a cucumber slice.

3. ROUND the edges with a spatula. Garnish with cilantro and secure with a toothpick.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CHICKEN SALAD

It may come as a surprise—because modern mayonnaise was invented around 1800——but the Chinese were the first to serve variations of “chicken salad” (see below).

The ingredients were not the same as what we call Chinese chicken salad*, but included pieces of chicken mixed with a variety of spices and oils and another binder, such as rice.

The American form of chicken salad was first served in 1863 by Town Meats, a meat market in Wakefield, Rhode Island. The owner, Liam Gray, mixed leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon, and grapes. It became such a popular item that the meat market was converted into a delicatessen.

Modern Chicken Salad

In the U.S., chicken salad is a cold salad with chicken as the main ingredient and is typically bound with mayonnaise with optional mustard. Other ingredients can include bell pepper, celery, hard-boiled egg, onion, pickles, or pickle relish, plus herbs, such as dill, rosemary, or tarragon.

It can also include diced apples, grapes, or dried fruit, such as cherries, cranberries, or raisins. Diced mango is another popular addition as are nuts, such as almonds, pecans, and walnuts.

In some areas of the U.S., especially the South, chicken salad may be a garden salad topped with fried, grilled, or roasted chicken, sliced.

While today chicken salad is mostly served in a sandwich or wrap, it has a history as a ladies’ luncheon staple, served on a bed of greens with sliced tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, bell pepper rings, and olives or other garnish, served with crackers.

Variations were inevitable, using ingredients specific to regional and international cuisines.

 
Modern recipes expand the concept of chicken salad to pasta salad or Caesar salad with chunks of chicken; add wing sauce and blue cheese for buffalo chicken salad.

Binders can include anything you like: blue cheese dressing, hummus, pesto, remoulade sauce, Russian dressing, Thai peanut sauce, and on and on.

In other countries, chicken salad can be made with any number of dressings, along with couscous, pasta, rice, and vegetables.

So don’t be wary: Experiment!

Fancy presentations serve it in a lettuce-lined coupe; molded into a ring; or scooped into a toast cup, avocado half, or pineapple half.

As with any recipe, add whatever you like; from bacon to capers to pickled jalapeño.
 
 
ABOUT WILLOW TREE FARM

Willow Tree Farm makes pot pies and chicken salad from premium white meat.

In addition to the original chicken salad, there’s a flavorful selection of:

 
The products are sold at major retailers, including BJ’s, Stop & Shop, and Whole Foods in New England and the East Coast. Here’s a store locator.

[2] cucumber stacks (photos #1 and #2 © Willow Tree Farm).

[3] Chicken salad in wonton wrappers. Here’s the recipe (photo © Shared).

[4] Mango chicken salad in an avocado. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Real Food Dieticians).

[5] Southwestern chicken salad. Here’s the recipe (photo © Sally’s Baking Addiction).

[6] Avocado chicken salad. Here’s the recipe (photo © Whole And Heavenly Oven).

[2] Cauliflower with salsa verde.

[3] Castelvetrano olives (photo © DiBruno Bros).

[4] Cerignola olives (photo © Miccio), our favorite green olives..

Many Americans think that salsa is a spicy tomato and chile dip for tortilla chips.

In fact, salsa is the Spanish word for sauce of any kind. Salsa de chocolate, for example, is chocolate sauce.

The Spanish word salsa derives from the Latin salsa, meaning salty, which itself derives from the Latin sal, salt (most Spanish salsas are not salty, however, but spicy).

Not all salsas are Mexican in origin; in fact, each Spanish-heritage country has its own variety of salsa (Mexico has dozens, a different specialty in each state).

 
The list goes on. Check out our Salsa Glossary for different types of salsa.

Today, we’re yet another variety of salsa. This one is a salsa verde* (green sauce) featuring green olives. It can be used over fish, chicken, rice, eggs, and in the recipe below, vegetables.
 
 
RECIPE: SALSA VERDE WITH OLIVES ON FISH & VEGETABLES

Not your typical salsa verde, this recipe is chunky with olives and almonds. Any leftovers are equally good at room temperature for lunch the next day.

Ingredients For 2-3 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Spread the florets in a single layer on one half of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. PLACE the fish, skin-side down on the other half of the sheet. Run your fingers over the flesh to check for pin bones and remove them with kitchen tweezers. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. BAKE until the florets just start to brown, about 20 to 25 minutes (longer if you prefer a softer texture or more well-done fish). While the food is baking…

4. MAKE the salsa verde. In a small mixing bowl, combine the chopped greens, olives, almonds, vinegar and enough olive oil to bind without. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5. REMOVE the baking sheet from the oven. Plate and spoon the salsa over the cauliflower and the fish and. Serve with a lemon or lime wedge.  

 
 
 > 15 MORE USES FOR SALSA
 
________________

*Salsa verde is typically made with green chiles, tomatillos and cilantro. Used primarily as a garnish rather than a dip, it is much thinner than a tomato-based salsa roja/red sauce (this recipe, laden with olives and almonds, is an exception). A salsa verde can be fresh or cooked.
 
  

The question isn’t what you can do with dried cherries; but rather, what you can’t. They’re so versatile!

Some of our favorite uses for dried cherries:

 
 
RECIPE: GOAT CHEESE SALAD WITH DRIED CHERRIES, CANDIED WALNUTS & CHERRY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

This recipe came to us from Melanie Flinn, MS, RD, for ChooseCherries.com, the consumer website of the Cherry Marketing Institute. There you’ll find recipes for every form of cherry, including fresh, dried, juice.

You can make the candied walnuts and dressing ahead of time so that when you’re ready to eat there is little prep involved.

The dressing is a keeper, by the way. You can add cherry juice to a vinaigrette or creamy dressing for a flavor lilt.

If you don’t like goat cheese, substitute butterkäse, halloumi or queso blanco for a crusted cheese, or simply add chunks of blue cheese or feta.

Ingredients For 4 Servings

 
For The Walnuts

 
For The Goat Cheese Medallions

 
For The Cherry Balsamic Vinaigrette

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the dressing. Place 1/2 cup cherry juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup.

Meanwhile, place the minced garlic in a medium bowl and add reduced cherry juice. Whisk in the vinegar and honey. Slowly whisk in the oil drop by drop until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

2. MAKE the candied walnuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.

In a medium nonstick skillet heated to medium heat, add walnuts and sugar and stir constantly until sugar has melted and coated the walnuts, no more than 5 minutes. Turn onto the prepared baking sheet and spread out to prevent clumping. Once dry, store in an airtight container.

3. MAKE the goat cheese medallions. The best way to slice neat pieces from the log is to freeze the log for about 5 minutes before slicing.

[2] Cherry vinaigrette for the salad.

[3] Salmon with cherry sauce.

[4] Veal chop with cherry sauce.

[5] Cereal with a sprinkle of cherries

4. ASSEMBLE the salad. Combine the greens, dried cranberries, and walnuts. Toss with the desired amount of dressing or serve the dressing in a gravy boat or pitcher so people can drizzle their own. Divide the salad onto plates and top each with one warm goat cheese medallion.

[8] Finally: dried to enjoy year-long (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

Closely related to plums and other stone fruits, cherries Prunus cerasus have been eaten since cavemen plucked them off trees: Cherry pits have been found in Stone Age caves.

The cherry is believed to have originated as a natural hybrid between two other Prunus genera (the plural of genus) in the Iranian Plateau. The hybrids stabilized and interbred to form a new, distinct species. Extremely popular among Persians, the Greeks were cultivating them by 300 B.C.E.

 
Alas, the health benefits of cherries could not come to his rescue.

A superfruit with more than 12,000 ORAC units per hundred grams, cherries have a higher antioxidant capacity than grapes, oranges, plums, raspberries, and strawberries combined.

> MORE ABOUT CHERRIES

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHERRIES