Strozzapreti with Cherry Tomatoes, Basil, and Fontina

This week we got tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes. Cherry, beefsteak, heirloom, green, red, yellow... What to do? Pasta. No question.

-1/4 lb. strozzapreti
-2-3 T. olive oil
-1/4 t. red pepper flakes
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
-8-10 basil leaves, shredded
-2 oz. fontina, cubed
-salt and pepper

1. Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the pepper flakes and minced garlic. Add the tomatoes, stirring periodically.
2. Return the drained pasta to the pot, and toss with oil and tomatoes. Add the shredded basil leaves and fontina.
3. Serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and garnish with additional basil.

This was excellent. It was very fast to throw together, it tasted exceptionally fresh, and it was just the excuse I needed to buy fontina. Absolute summer comfort food.

Summer Vegetable Tian

I had to look up the word "tian", and from what I can gather, it's a kind of casserole. I put this together using a handful of vegetables I had around one night. With some herbs, this was exceptionally flavorful.

-2 T. olive oil
-6-8 green onions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
-salt and pepper
-1 medium zucchini, sliced
-1-2 red potatoes, sliced
-1 tomato, sliced
-2 t. Herbes de Provence
-1/4 c. water
-ricotta

1. Heat the oil in a small skillet, and saute the green onions for several minutes until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add the green onions to the bottom of an oven-safe dish, and sprinkle with 1 t. Herbes de Provence. Arrange the zucchini, potato, and tomato slices over the onion, and sprinkle with the remaining herbs.
3. Pour the water over the vegetables, cover, and bake at 375* for 30 minutes until the water is bubbling and the vegetables have softened.
4. Serve immediately, with a spoonful of fresh ricotta.

I thought this was great! The flavors were a little different, and the ricotta took the dish from very good to wonderful. And it was really healthy--apart from the oil (yeah, yeah, and the cheese) it's just vegetables and herbs. Wonderful for summer! I look forward to trying variations on this with other vegetables; I think it could very easily change from season to season.

Baked Eggplant with Meat Sauce

This came about as an attempt to use a handful of things that were waiting in my fridge. It was sort of a fusion of other recipes--not really eggplant parmesan, but not too far off, either.

-1 eggplant, sliced into ~1/2 inch rounds
-1 egg, beaten
-1/3 c. panko breadcrumbs
-salt & pepper

1. Mix the breadcrumbs with salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg, and, then coat each slice with breadcrumbs.
2. Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 450* for 10-12 minutes until the slices are soft and easily pierced.

-2 T. olive oil
-1/4 t. red pepper flakes
-2 small onions, roughly chopped
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-3/4 lb. ground meat (beef, lamb, etc.)
-1 c. tomato sauce
-2 sprigs fresh oregano
-fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
-salt and pepper
-parmesan cheese, grated
-mozzarella cheese, cubed (~1 oz.)

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and pepper flakes and saute for several minutes. Add the garlic and ground meat and stir until cooked thoroughly.
2. Add the tomato sauce, fresh oregano, salt and pepper, and simmer for several minutes.
3. Layer the meat sauce and the eggplant in a dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with basil, parmesan, and mozzarella.

This was very good. It would have served 3 pretty easily, so I was eating it for a while (not that that's a bad thing...). It seemed a lot lighter than regular eggplant parmesan, and the panko added a unique element, but all the expected flavors were still there. And even though there were quite a few steps, it all came together surprisingly quickly.

Cherry Tomato Tart

Okay, I have to admit--I am probably more proud of this tart than of any other dish so far. It came out of the tart pan beautifully and I didn't break it or ruin it or anything! (Confession: there are plenty of recipes that never make it to the blog because they come out looking awful, or else they start by looking great and I somehow manage to destroy them before taking photos...) So the fact that this looked more or less the same in the before and after shots is highly exciting. I'm getting better at this kitchen stuff...

I had seen a tomato tart recipe several months ago, and I held onto the idea until I felt truly inspired--these cherry tomatoes in the CSA share this week gave me the final push! They were gorgeous reds and yellows, and they tasted incredibly fresh, so I thought I might try to showcase them instead of just tossing them in salads all week. This is what I ended up with.

-1 c. flour
-1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
-1/2 t. salt
-1 stick unsalted butter
-1 egg
-2 T ice water

1. In a food processor, pulse the flours and salt together a few times. Working quickly, add cold cubes of butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a course meal.
2. Whisk together the egg and the ice water. Switch the processor on, and pour in the liquid. If the dough does not come together, add another tablespoon of ice water.
3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly for a few minutes. Roll the dough out into the shape of your tart pan. Coil the dough onto the rolling pin, and then uncoil it over the pan.
4. Anchor the dough to the bottom with your fingertips, and make sure it evenly covers the pan. Run the rolling pin over the top of the pan to neatly trip the edges. If the dough feels too soft, cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

-Dijon mustard
-15 cherry tomatoes, halved
-2 oz. goat cheese, sliced
-2 T. fresh chopped herbs (chives, thyme, and tarragon)

1. Brush the bottom of the tart crust with a layer of Dijon mustard (as much or as little as you like--I used a fairly thick layer and the flavor did not overwhelm).
2. Sprinkle half of the chopped herbs over the mustard. Then add the halved tomatoes. Finish with the slices of goat cheese, and the remainder of the herbs.
3. Bake for 30 minutes at 400* F. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

I was a big fan of this! The Dijon added a kind of unidentifiable tang to the finished product, and the tomatoes and cheese hold up really nicely to baking. I was pleasantly surprised with the dough! It definitely held it's structure, and had a nice mild flavor. And the herbs! Sometimes I get into a rut of using only the Italian herbs, but these three together were great, and all from my window box (they seem to be thriving now that I've stopped abandoning them for trips...) Bottom line: this was pretty and flavorful and I will certainly make it again!

Stuffed Eggplant Rolls

I had a handful of Asian eggplants to use this week. I decided that a recipe calling for a lot of cheese probably couldn't be the wrong choice. The creamery got some good business from me again!

-3 Asian eggplants
-olive oil
-salt and pepper
-1 c. fresh ricotta
-1/2 c. grated or finely chopped mozzarella
-2 T. grated parmesan
-1/4 t. red pepper flakes
-several sprigs fresh oregano
-1 1/2 c. marinara sauce

1. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Spread the slices on a baking sheet, brushing both sides with olive oil and seasoning with salt. Bake at 450* F for 10 minutes, turn the slices over, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
2. Combine ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, red pepper flakes, and some of the oregano in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pour enough marinara in a baking dish to cover the bottom. Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture at the end of each slice of eggplant, roll, and place in the baking dish with the open edge down. Spoon the remaining marinara around the rolls, sprinkle with additional parmesan and the remaining oregano. Bake for 20 minutes at 350* F.

I thought this was excellent! I'm pretty much guaranteed to love anything with cheese and marinara, and this was no exception. It was easy to put together, so there's a good chance all the eggplants I get in the coming weeks will share a similar fate...