Curry Roasted Jerusalem Artichokes Soup

This past Saturday, at the farmers market, I was able to get Jerusalem Artichokes or Sunchokes. I had found several recipes to make soup, but one in particular caught my attention.

This recipe fascinated me. Unlike many of the other recipes, you roast instead of boil the Jerusalem Artichokes. The recipe had no milk or potatoes in it, and the soup was still cream looking. You can add a splash of milk or cream to the pot if you prefer to make it even more velvety than it already is. I topped my bowl with butter garlic croutons. I did add a handful of cheese to one bowl. I didn’t see that it added to the taste or even enhanced the soup in anyway.

This is simple to make. Just like the Chili Verde, it has a few steps, but is well worth it. When you peel the Jerusalem Artichokes don’t worry if you can’t get every bit of skin off these knobby beauties.

 Ingredients

1 pound Jerusalem Artichokes

1 onion, diced

4 cups water

2 tablespoon Butter

2 Tablespoon Chicken broth base or bullion

2 teaspoons Curry powder

2 teaspoons Garam Masala

3 Tablespoons Olive oil

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 355°F

Peel the Jerusalem artichokes, and then roughly chop

 Rinse the pieces and transfer to a large bowl

To the bowl add Olive Oil, Garam Masala and the Curry Powder

 Mix well until each piece is well coated with oil and spices

 Transfer to a glass roasting dish and place in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

 

 Five minutes before the artichokes are finished roasting

In a 3 quart sauce pot, melt the butter over medium heat

Add onion, lightly sauté until it starts to become translucent

Add water and chicken broth base to pot

Add in the roasted Jerusalem artichokes (make sure you scrape any bits into left in the roasting dish into the pot)

Bring pot to a simmer, cover and lower the temperature slightly

Allow the soup to slowly simmer for about 20 minutes

Blend thoroughly using the Hand Blender until smooth

If adding milk or cream (1/4 cup) do so before serving

Top with croutons before serving

Double chocolate chip cookies

I am always looking for a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I really dislike when you are baking and the last batch hardly has any chocolate chips. I also do not care for how after a few days even when kept in airtight container cookies tend to get hard.

I was playing with another recipe I came up with these. At the moment, I am calling those cow pie cookies, because even though they are chocolaty and chewy, they are flat and look like cow pies… I will post the recipe when I get it perfected.

This recipe is a bit different in that there is no white sugar and has cinnamon in them. The family devoured these. I hid a few and week later they were still fairly soft, this is great news for all those early Christmas cookie makers!

Ingredients

½ cup butter

½ cup shortening

1 ½ cups packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 ½ cups flour

11 ½ ounces milk chocolate chips (I used Nestle)

11 ½ ounces dark chocolate chips (I used Nestle)

 

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 350°F

In large mixing bowl beat butter and shortening, with mixer on medium for 30 seconds

Add brown sugar, baking soda and cinnamon beat until combined

Scrape sides of bowl if needed, beat in eggs and vanilla

Add flour one cup at a time until thoroughly mixed in

With a wooden spoon stir in chocolate chips

Drop heaping teaspoons of dough 2inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until edges are set, remove from oven and let cookies rest for 2 minutes before transferring to wire cooling racks.

Warm and Yummy, Gingerbread Waffles

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went out for breakfast at our neighborhood diner. For the fall, they added gingerbread pancakes. My husband took a bite of mine, even though he is not a real big fan of pancakes. Well one bite turned into two, two turned to three, finally when I asked if he wanted to swap plates, he gave me back my pancakes and mumbled I needed to find that recipe. I laughed and asked if he wanted to finish them off.

I read several recipes for gingerbread pancakes, and the common factor is the spices. So instead of making pancakes, I made waffles because of course the husband enjoys them! They were a big hit and yesterday when I reheated the left over waffle, my husband pouted. He wanted to take it work for lunch and make all the guys drool over the smell… he is so mean sometimes.

You can use any premade pancake or waffle mix. I use Krusteaz brand for both waffles and pancakes. Make batter per the box instructions (I used the portion to make 4 to 5 waffles,) add 1-tablespoon molasses, ¼-teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼-teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼-teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Serve with maple syrup and butter.

Chili Verde

I found this recipe over at Serious Eats. I made this Chili Verde on Friday, for dinner on Saturday since it is suppose to get better over time.

There is little I would change about the ingredients, but would change a few of the processes. The only major suggestions I have is, sweat your peppers in a Ziploc bag. This makes peeling the skins easier and you won’t have to use water that the recipe calls for. DO NOT USE WATER to peel the peppers. This is a major no-no since the water washes away the oils and flavor, you want flavor!!!

If you cannot find the Cubanelle peppers, don’t worry you can substitute with Banana peppers.

 I also didn’t have a large enough pot or Dutch oven that would fit the volume of the recipe; so I used my crock-pot. I would suggest if you use the crock-pot reduce the chicken broth by half and leave the lid slightly ajar to let steam to escape.  Let cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Keeping the kids from dipping into the Chili Verde on Friday since the whole house smelled so amazing from this cooking all day.

Ingredients:

3 pounds trimmed pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

Kosher salt

5 poblano pepper

5 cubanelle peppers

2 pounds tomatillos (about 15 medium), husks removed

6 whole garlic cloves

2 jalapeño peppers, stems removed, split in half lengthwise

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups loosely packed cilantro leaves

1 large onion, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 quart chicken stock

 

Directions:

In large bowl, toss pork with 2 tablespoons salt until thoroughly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

 

Meanwhile, roast poblano and cubanelle peppers by placing them directly over the flame of a gas stove until deeply charred on all surfaces, about 10 minutes total. If you don't have a gas burner, you can achieve similar results under the broiler, or on an outdoor grill. Place peppers in a bowl and cover with a large plate. Let steam for 5 minutes, then peel under cool running water. Dry chilies, discard seeds and stems, and roughly chop. Transfer to bowl of food processor.

 

Preheat broiler to high. Toss tomatillos, garlic, and jalapeños with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Broil until charred, blistered, and just softened, turning once halfway through cooking, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to the food processor along with any exuded liquid.

 

Add 1/2 of cilantro to the food processor and pulse mixture until it is roughly pureed but not smooth, about 8 to 10 one-second pulses. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 225°F. Heat remaining oil in large Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Add half of pork and cook without moving until well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir pot and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until well browned on all sides. Add remaining pork and onions and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, until onions are softened, about 4 minutes. Add cumin and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 minute.

 

Add chicken stock and pureed chilies to pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven, leaving lid slightly ajar. Cook until pork shreds easily with a fork, about 3 hours. Remove from oven and return to stovetop.

 

Skim off and discard any excess fat. Adjust to desired consistency by adding water or boiling and reducing. Stir remaining cilantro into pot and season to taste with more salt. Serve immediately with warm tortillas, diced onions, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, and lime wedges. Chili can be chilled and stored in airtight container in refrigerator for up to 5 days. Flavor will improve with time.

 

Apple Carrot Bread

The original recipe is for muffins. I found this over at Whole Foods Market website. As you know, I cannot leave a recipe alone. I read through the original recipe, and thought what can I do to make this better?

Instead of using applesauce, I used a fresh apple, peeled, cored, and then double grated in the food processor. Since I was losing the liquid from the applesauce, I increased the milk. I also added nutmeg to the recipe to help bring out the cinnamon more. The recipe also called for whole-wheat flour, I used a combination of white and wheat. I also omitted the sea salt.

The recipe makes will yield 8 to 12 muffins and since I was not in the mood to prepare muffins tins, I made this into bread. The house smelt so good when this came out of the oven!

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup flour (whole wheat, white or combination of the two)

¼ cup plus 1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 cup carrots, double grated in the food processor

1 Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored, and then double grated in the food processor

2 large eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare loaf pan, set aside

 In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda

 In a separate bowl, combine carrots, applesauce, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla

 Add half the flour mixture to the carrot mixture stir until blended

Blend in the remaining flour mixture

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan and bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick in the center of a muffin comes out clean

Serve warm

Barley, Potato and Ditalini Soup

I have been trying several recipes and not many of them have been worth writing about. There were a few my family wishes I had never fed them.

I wasn’t too sure how they would react to this soup with having so much barley in it. I guess they have enjoyed it since my daughter and husband have taken it for lunch the past two days.

For those who have high cholesterol, a cup of barley eaten every day, will help lower your levels.

What I like about this recipe is you can play with the ingredients as you wish. If you are a vegan, use vegetable broth. I made my mine with chicken broth, but I think beef broth would be really tasty.

Ingredients

1 cup ditalini pasta

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 onion, diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup uncooked barley

12 cups of broth (your choice veggie, chicken or beef)

4 carrots, diced

½ cup celery, diced

1 medium potato, peeled and diced

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions

In large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat

Cook garlic and onions, for four minutes

Add broth and barley bring to a simmer

Add carrots, celery, potato, ditalini, let simmer for 30 minutes

Add spices simmer for 6 minutes longer

Remove from heat and let rest for 20 minutes before serving.

** The longer this sits, the more liquid the barley and pasta will absorb. I added water, when I served the next day. **

Pepper Jack Cheese Spread

 

So the big game, or in our case, the race will be on today. Cheese, crackers and maybe some summer sausage would be good to snack on while watching.

I was at an upscale grocery store this week, and in the deli they had several “in-store” made cheese spreads. The one that caught my eye was Pepper Jack. After a quick glance at the ingredients, I thought, no problem I can make this at home.

You can make this as spicy as wish by adding more crushed red peppers.  I wrote the recipe so it is extremely mild, my husband would say "why even bother if you do not feel it burning." I actually made this, I added 2 teaspoons of crushed red peppers and let it “age” for a few days in the fridge.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with this as an additive. I made ramen noodles the other night for dinner, added cooked chicken and veggies. I drained off the liquid, and stirred in ¼ cup of this spread, turning it into a spicy, creamy, and inexpensive meal.

 

Ingredients

1 pound cream cheese, softened at room temp

1 pound pepper jack cheese

2 Tablespoons, roasted red peppers, chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

 

Directions

Using food processor, grate cheese

Switch to a chopping blade; add remaining ingredients to the bowl.

Run food processor until mixture is smooth. You may have to scrape the side of the bowl, to make sure all ingredients are blended.

Serve with crackers or celery ribs.  Place any left overs in container and store in the refrigerator

Minestrone Soup, Crock-pot style

It is time to grab you crock-pot! This week seems like it has overly busy and the weekend isn’t looking much better. Nothing is simpler than making a pot soup in the crock-pot. I can start this Saturday morning and by the time we get home from the kids bowling, it will be waiting with minimal effort on my part.

This soup is veggie packed and full of flavor and color. I would not say this is a minestrone soup since there is no spinach, zucchini or pasta. The spinach has been replaced with cabbage, which will hold up better to cooking in the crock-pot. The zucchini is the same way it will become mushy.

If you are not in a hurry to eat and want minestrone, omit the potatoes and cabbage.  Add the spinach, zucchini or cooked pasta a half hour before serving.

28 ounces crushed tomatoes

28 ounces cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups green cabbage, sliced thin

1 pound white potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes

1 onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon dry parsley

1 teaspoon of dried thyme

1 teaspoon of dried basil

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Directions

Combine all ingredients in crock-pot, cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or 3-4 hours on high temperature

Cajun: Dirty Rice and Chicken Gumbo

When you have a congested head, you wish for anything to make you be able to breathe. When any of us are congested, I tend to swing our diet towards a Cajun spice pallet. There is something wonderful about a blend of various peppers, garlic and paprika cutting through the congestion and allowing the gift of smell and taste.

I thought I would share with you a few of our favorite recipes. I hope my family will not read this blog entry, because sometimes knowing what is in a recipe is not always a good thing.

The first recipe falls into one of my favorite topics of wasting money on premade or premixed seasoning packets. Do not waste your money on these when you might have a majority of the spices in your cabinet.

Cajun Seasoning

5 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

3 Tablespoon black pepper

3 Tablespoon white pepper

3  Tablespoon onion powder

3 Tablespoon garlic powder

3 Tablespoon chili powder

2 Tablespoon Paprika

1 Tablespoon thyme

1 Tablespoon  basil

1 Tablespoon bay leaf

3 Tablespoon table salt

 Combine all ingredients in a jar with a lid shake until combined, you will have a uniform color

You can mix this with a food processor. The jar method keeps all the dust contained and less likely of you having a sneezing fit from breathing in the pepper!

 

Dirty Rice

My son loves rice, any variety I serve he will devour it. One of his favorites is dirty rice. (psst, just don’t tell him there are chicken livers in here. He might stop eating this if he knew.)

Ingredients

2 Tablespoon oil

1 pound ground sausage

5 chicken livers, diced

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 celery ribs, diced

1 green pepper,chopped

4 Tablespoons Cajun Seasoning

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups uncooked rice, brown or white

Directions

In large skillet heat oil, on high until it sizzles

Sautee onion, garlic, celery and peppers until soft

Remove from pan

Brown sausage and livers in skillet, add vegetables and seasonings cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally

Add rice and broth to skillet cook for another 15 minutes or until the broth has been absorbed

 

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Gumbo is pure comfort food! With this recipe you will have to make a roux unless you are lucky enough to live somewhere it is sold. In my case, have a Crazy Cajun who takes pity and readily supplies it and Andouille Sausage. If you can find Andouille Sausage, get it, it is well worth the cost,if not substitute with smoked sausage.

If you cannot find the Andouille Sausage or feel like making roux, order it from The Cajun Supermarket. I need to order some Alligator meat, to try a few recipes I have!  

Ingredients

½ cup canola or extra light olive oil

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped white onions

½ cup chopped green bell peppers

½ cup chopped celery

3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

8 oz. Andouille sausage, cut into crosswise slices

2 chicken breast halves, cubed

5 ½ cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 cups rice

1 cup okra, cut into crosswise slices

1/3 cup loosely packed, chopped fresh parsley

Hot sauce, as desired

To make Roux: Combine the oil and flour together in a large, heavy saucepan. Cook over low-medium heat, whisking constantly, for about 12-15 minutes, until it turns the color of rich milk chocolate.

 Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, and Cajun seasoning to the roux and continue cooking and stirring for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to turn tender. Add the smoked sausage and chicken and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir the stock, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves into the gumbo; bring it to a gentle simmer and cook it, uncovered, for 1 hour.

Cook the rice according to package directions and set aside to keep warm.

Add the okra to the gumbo and continue simmering it for 15-20 minutes, until the okra is tender. Remove the gumbo from the heat.

To serve the gumbo; place a scoop of warm rice in the center of a large soup bowl and add a ladleful of hot gumbo. Sprinkle it with a bit of fresh parsley and add hot sauce, as desired.

 

Carrot and Cheese Salad

Sometimes the simplest, easiest recipes are also the best tasting and most nutritious. This morning, I woke up a cold. This would not be too bad, if I also wasn’t getting my flu shot today.

It is time for an extra boost the immune system.

I made a mistake, when I made this salad. I took a taste before taking the picture. I have to tell you that the picture of the finished salad never was taken. It was too good not to eat it!

The original recipe called for mayonnaise, just the thought of it, did not set well with digestive system.  I used a bit of olive oil instead to keep it healthier. There is no salt in this recipe; the cheese gives it just enough taste that you do not need it.

You could easily double this recipe to use for a holiday or potluck type dish. I cut the recipe in half when I made it for myself. Even at that you could use it for a side dish for two people.

Ingredients:

4 carrots, washed, peeled and grated

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 ½ to 2 cups shredded cheese, I used a Colby Jack blend, but feel free to try Gruyere or cheddar

1 – 2 Tablespoons olive oil

 

 Directions:

Combine carrots, cheese and garlic in a bowl

Drizzle olive oil, before folding into mixture

Chill if needed in refrigerator

Counterfeit Refried Beans

A month ago, my family told me they wanted tacos for dinner. I was happy with this because it is an easy meal to make. Brown some meat, open some cans, chop some vegetables and you're done.

Everything was coming together smoothly until I noticed I had no refried beans, ugh. Dinner was ready all but ready, and there was not time to run the store. I could have made black beans, but Tyler requested refried beans.

So what to do… I have used kidney beans before to make refried beans. I had plenty in the pantry, but the taste to me was always something lacking. I rummaged around a bit more and decided to try something. I mean if I failed, I had that back option.

Surprise surprise, I did not fail! To be honest, my family declared my attempt better than refried beans.

So what do you need?

1 can of Ranch Style Beans    

1 can of kidney beans, drained, washed and drained again

1 Tablespoon bacon grease

Diced onions (optional)

Shredded jack cheese (optional)

 

 Directions

Over medium heat in a 2 qt saucepan, melt bacon grease

Add beans, cook for five minutes, and stir occasionally

With a potato masher, mash beans until semi-smooth

Garnish with onions and cheese if using

 

How to Freeze Tomatoes

 

 

 

 

If you love tomatoes like we do, you probably always have a few cans of several varieties in your pantry, or you plant more plants you know what to do with.

 I do not think I have ever taken a count of how many cans of tomatoes I use each year. I know the number has to be quite high, since in the cold season it seems I reach for a can or two every few days.

Since the tomatoes plants, I planted did not care for all of the rain we had this summer, I bought a twenty-five pound box of tomatoes from my good friends Marshall Farms, over the state border in Ararat, Virginia.

My birthday was a few short months ago and I asked my husband for one of two things, a pressure cooker or a freezer. I got the freezer, and I have been doing my best to fill with produce from the farmers market for the winter. With tomatoes, you safely cannot water bath process unless you increase the acid with citric acid or lemon juice, plus salt.

A few things you need to know before you decide to freeze tomatoes:

Look for tomatoes that are firm, deeply colored, well shaped, and heavy for their size .

They should be free from blemishes, pests, and have a fragrant aroma.

Perfectly ripe tomatoes will give just slightly to palm pressure.

Ready to get started?

In a 4-5 quart pot, heat water to boiling

While waiting for the water to boil, wash tomatoes thoroughly to remove any dirt or pesticides

Once water is boiling

Place tomatoes in batches of four to five tomatoes in the pot,

Scald for up to 1 minute, or until skin splits. You may cut a shallow X on the bottom of each tomato to promote skin splitting. I usually do not do this step, myself.

Remove from the hot water and immediately dunk into cold water. If you are doing a large amount of tomatoes, you will need to replace this water frequently or add ice to keep the water cold.

Why do you need to dunk the tomatoes in cold water? Dunking in cold water will prevent the tomatoes from continuing to cook.

When the tomatoes are cool, enough to handle you can use either a knife or your hands and peel the skin away. I like to remove the core at this time as well. The tomatoes that did not split, you can usually get the entire skin to remove at the same time.

I chose to leave the tomatoes whole for freezing. You may slice, chop, or crush them to your liking.

If you choose to store your tomatoes in containers (such as jars) to freeze, make sure you leave about 1 inch of headspace, otherwise you will run the risk of popping the tops.

I personally use freezer storage bags, and place about six tomatoes in each bag.

Make sure label each bag or container with the contents and the date.

The date is important; tomatoes in the freezer are usually only good for ten months.

Ice Cream Muffins

When I first came across this recipe this past summer, I thought there is no way. Well I was wrong. This was super simple. There are only three things; you need to know to make this successful:

1.    Use good quality ice cream that is high in eggs or cream, such as Ben and Jerry’s

2.    The ice cream has to be almost completely melted, to make sure it mixes well with the flour

3.    Yes, you do have to sift the flour, if you want muffins. If you don’t sift you will end up with a heavy dense product that will be more like a scone.

Most recipes I found for the muffins all stated “you only need two ingredients.” That is fine if you happen to have self-rising flour lying around. Which I don’t.

So to truly make this a simple recipe you can use with what you have at home, I used all-purpose flour, added the baking powder and salt to it.

Ingredients:

 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 ½  tsp baking powder

½  tsp salt

1 pint Ben and Jerry’s ice cream

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F

Remove ice cream from container and place in a bowl, allow to soften. I set my bowl on the stovetop while the oven was heating.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together

When ice cream is soften (almost milk shake consistency) combine with flour. You can actually mix this together with a whisk or wood spoon.

Ladle mix into muffin pan that has paper-liners. I was able to get nine muffins using a 1/3 cup measuring cup.

Cook for 15-20 mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

 

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Flambéed Chorizo

So it is football season… again. Are you going to roll out the same ole game food or try something new?

How about trying Flambéed Chorizo?

As simple and easy as this is to do, just remember, you should have appropriate fire suppression nearby if need be. Okay fire safety warning taken care of, let’s get started!

You will need 10 ounces of Chorizo, 3 Tablespoons of Vodka, and cocktail picks.

I bought my Chorizo at Cost Plus, for you east of the Rockies that would be World Market.

Slice the Chorizo about 1 to 1 ½ inch thick on the diagonal  

Place in a flameproof dish, pour vodka over the top, and ignite!

When the vodka burns off and the flame has extinguished, hand out the cocktail picks.

I would stand back a bit so you don’t get trampled.

Inspired from Good Food

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to some of the most Ancient Civilizations in our world? There is a special young woman who dreams of seeing Rome, Sicily and Greece. Please click here to learn about her dream. If you cannot help her financially, please spread word of her campaign on Facebook and other social medias.

Chef Celestino Drago’s Rigatoni Alla Norma

Even though I grew up near the Napa Valley, I am not a real big fan of wine. I make my big sister cringe when I pull out the blackberry wine.  For whatever reason, my sister generously gave me a subscription to Wine Spectator. While I do not really get too interested in the art of wine making, I do enjoy reading it.

In the September 2013 Wine Spectator issue, they focused on the flavors of Italy. Chef Celestino Drago, of L.A.'s Drago Centro shared his Sicilian-inspired recipe for Rigatoni Alla Norma. This is an eggplant pasta dish. Since the eggplant is pureed, I thought it would be easy to sneak past the family…or so I thought.

My family dug into this dish when I made it. A few bites into eating my son asked what flavor he was tasting. I stated eggplant and he said he liked it, while the other two stated it was not favorite they did clean their plates.

Even though the written recipe seems a bit involved, it is very easy to make. I did not fry the eggplant skins as a garnish as the recipe calls for; in fact, I just omitted them all together. The recipe calls for heirloom cherry tomatoes. I could not find any heirloom variety, so I substituted a mix of yellow and red cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients

5 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

5 cups (1 ¾ pounds) heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 bunch fresh basil, destemmed, large leaves torn in half

1 teaspoon dried oregano

4 Japanese eggplants

Vegetable oil

3 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 pound small rigatoni

3 Tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 Tablespoons chopped mozzarella

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In large saucepan, combine 4 Tablespoons of olive oil and garlic, cook over medium heat until the garlic has turned golden

 Add tomatoes, basil and oregano, cook for 10 minutes, season with salt remove from heat, set aside

 

Preheat oven to 450°F

Peel the eggplants using vegetable peeler. Reserve the skin for later

 

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise and place on a sheet

Coat eggplant vegetable oil than season with thyme and salt

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until soft

Remove pan from oven and place eggplant and 1-Tablespoon olive oil in a blender, puree until smooth, reserve

 

Julienne the eggplant skins on the diagonal into pieces 2 inches long

In a large saucepan heat ¼ inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat

Fry the skins in the oil until crispy, remove and drain on a paper towel covered plate, reserve

In a large pot of salted water, boil and cook the pasta according to the package directions.

 

Strain and toss pasta with the tomato sauce and parmigiano-reggiano.

Divided into six bowls, top each bowl with chopped mozzarella, 1-Tablespoon eggplant puree and fried eggplant skins.

Garnish with chopped basil leaves (optional)

 

Have you ever dreamed of traveling to some of the most Ancient Civilizations in our world? There is a special young woman who dreams of seeing Rome, Sicily and Greece. Please click here to learn about her dream. If you cannot help her financially, please spread word of her campaign on Facebook and other social medias.