Eggplant - Pasta Alla Norma

My Mother brought over a bunch of little organic eggplants and I was excited to cook with them. I have to admit (rather sheepishly) that I actually am not that crazy about eggplant. The reason I'm a little embarrassed to admit this is because I feel like eggplant is one of those things that all girls like. AND unfortunately, I do not. Same goes for artichoke. Everyone oohs and ahhs about artichoke, but not this gal. I sorta also feel this way about dark chocolate (gasp!). Nevertheless, I wanted to experiment and make something that I would begin to like. I asked Joanne, my favorite food blogger, for eggplant suggestions and she quickly replied that this pasta dish was one of her favorites. It sounded amazing and it did not disappoint. This dish will become a regular in my home for sure!

 Pasta Alla Norma
(by Joanne from Week of Menus)
Ingredients
2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or use 24 to 26 ounce bottled sauce)
1 pound dried rigatoni or penne pasta
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions
Toss eggplant with 2 teaspoon salt in a colander. Drain 30 minutes. Rinse, then squeeze out excess liquid and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Spinkle and toss warm eggplant with dried oregano.

Discard all but 2 tablespoons oil from skillet, then sauté onion with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until golden, about 8 minutes. Stir in sauce and eggplant and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook rigatoni in a pasta pot of boiling salted water (2 tablespoons salt for 6 quart water) until al dente, then drain. (basically cook pasta for 1 minute less than you would normally in order that it doesn't turn into total mush during baking.)

Stir together pasta, sauce, and half of mozzarella in pot.

Transfer to a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and golden in spots, about 45 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

**I wish I used more mozzarella or maybe even burrata next time!

J's Pasta Mish Mash

The other night I left work feeling exhausted and emotionally drained. I called my Husband on the way home and immediately began whining about my day. He is an amazing listener and knows just what to say to validate me. He then said that tonight he would cook for me so I could take a load off and decompress. He used to cook for me all the time before we were married, but lately since I have more time, I almost always cook for him. I was thrilled when he offered, because making dinner was the last thing that I wanted to do at that moment, but I was a little worried, because we didn't have much in the fridge to work with. He said he would figure something out, so I decided to put my control issues on the back burner for that night and just let him take care of it.

Dinner turned out to be amazing!! He grilled some chicken and garlic in olive oil and then threw in some asparagus when the chicken was cooked through. He added that to some pasta and topped it with fresh chopped tomatoes. Such a simple recipe and one that was thrown together so quickly. He's good at making dishes just using what we have, whereas I'm always running to the market. The chicken was well seasoned, the asparagus was crunchy and the pasta was perfectly al dente. It was delicious and more importantly, made with love.

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

My Husband and I both love pasta, but we rarely eat it because of the carbs. Also, I prefer tomato-based savory sauces, whereas he enjoys the heavier creamy sauces. However, a pasta dish that we both love is good ol' fashioned spaghetti and meatballs. This is a dish where making things from scratch does not take much time. It's simple and easy to make a big batch if you have people over. Tonight my parents unexpectedly decided to stay over for dinner after cheering on the Dodgers, but it was not a problem. With this dish, I had more than enough.

Homemade Spaghetti and Meatballs

Makes about 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti

Meatballs:

1 pound ground sirloin

1/2 onion, chopped very finely

3 cloves of garlic, chopped very finely

1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned)

1/4 grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 egg, beaten

1 egg white, beaten (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

1 can (28oz) crushed tomatos

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

handful of chopped fresh basil

handful of chopped fresh parsley

olive oil

Directions:

Spaghetti:

Bring a large pot of water to boil. When boiling add salt and pasta and cook to al dente.

Meatballs:

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix beef, Worcestershire, 1 beaten egg, garlic, onion, bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper.

Some say that the meatballs taste better after sitting in the fridge for a bit. But it's optional.

I put the beef mixture into the fridge for 2 hours. When I pulled it out I added the extra egg white to give it a bit of moisture.

Roll meat into 1 inch medium sized balls and place on nonstick cookie sheet

Bake for about 15 minutes, until no longer pink

Feel free to add the meatballs to the sauce while it is simmering

Sauce:

In a medium pot heat a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, crushed red pepper, oregano. After 5 minutes or when onion is soft add the broth, crushed tomatoes, paste and fresh herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

Serve with a side of Caesar salad, some garlic bread and a nice glass of red wine!

(For the garlic bread, I used a loaf of Italian bread. I spread a mixture of butter, garlic and fresh parsley. I baked the bread for about 10 minutes on 350F. After 10 minutes I pulled out the pan and sprinkled grated Parmesan cheese on each piece and put the pan back in for another 2-3 minutes.)

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