Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree

We're back!  Our vacation was amazing.  We explored all over the Pacific Northwest then hung out at the beach in California for a few days.  We were out in the mountains and forests without cell service and it was the perfect excuse to check out from every day life for a little while.  There are lots of pictures up on my tumblr, strangeplaceforyoga, so go check them out!



Cooking on our trip was well... minimal.  We picked up food from a few farmer's markets and cooked it over an open fire in the woods.  Usually this resulted in charred burgers and more baked potatoes than we'd ever eat at home, but we found a few treats as well.  Corn over the open fire was charred and absolutely delicious! I didn't even miss the butter.  Still, I was happy to get back home and start cooking again.



The Monkey Scientist stayed out in California for a fellowship for a week after I left.  I have to admit - before he got back I was lazy.  But when he flew in the other night I put this meal together while his brother picked up him up at the airport.  It had just the amount of cutting necessary to relax me and remind me why I love cooking so much.  Plus, pasta = comfort food.  And pine nuts are my favorite.  I made a few pan-seared chicken breasts to throw on top because I knew he'd want some meat and they were an easy addition.  The dish is warm, cozy and comforting.  Despite the reliance on summer veggies, I'll definitely be bringing it back out this winter!



Rigatoni with Eggplant Puree
from smitten kitchen

Ingredients
1 small eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (I used the golden variety)
3 cloves garlic, whole
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 pound rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 oz balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. Combine the cubed eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a large bowl and toss to coat. Spread the mixture evenly on the foil-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 35 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden and beginning to brown on the edges.
3. Meanwhile, in a very small frying pan (I use one designed for 1 egg) add just the pine nuts.  Toast over medium heat, stirring nearly constantly, until they begin to brown.  Remove to a small plate or jar and set aside.
4. At the same time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook according to package instructions then drain, reserving at least 2 cups of the pasta water.
5. Combine 3 tbsp olive oil and the mint leaves in the bowl of your food processor.  Add the roasted vegetables, then puree.
6. Pour the pureed vegetables, Parmesan, balsamic vinegar, and lemon juice over the pasta.  The sauce will be thick, so add the reserved pasta water 1/2 cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

Spicy Roasted Okra

Let's talk okra.  Have you ever tried okra?  I grew up just north of Boston, so needless to say we were not a big okra-eating family.  Actually, we weren't an okra-eating family at all.  I'm not sure I'd ever even seen okra before I moved to DC, never mind tried it.  I mean, the stuff looks like it's covered in dog slobber.  Not exactly on my top 10 "must try" list.



Strangely enough, the grocery store by my apartment in Chicago almost always has okra. (Except the first time I'd worked up the nerve to try it.  Obviously, that day they had no okra whatsoever.)  In my store, it's up on the shelf with the Brussels sprouts.  And that is another food - Brussels sprouts - that I never thought I liked until I found out they're actually my favorite thing in the world when sauteed in bacon fat and mixed with Israeli couscous.  So if I could give Brussels sprouts a shot, why not okra?



My first instinct was that the dog slobber oozing out of the okra needs to be dried up.  Please. And that means we are not making okra in a pan.  We are not sauteing it down to a puddle of dog slobber.  I'm not quite ready for that, even if I was using bacon fat.  When I found this recipe for roasting the okra, I figured this was the best way to go.

By the way, as long as we're talking bacon fat, I have a confession to make.  For Easter, I made a quiche (which obviously included bacon) and ever since I've been saving leftover bacon fat in my fridge.  I only use it for things like quick brussels sprouts on a weeknight.  But yeah, there's that.  Don't judge me.  Especially if you're my sweet Kosher-keeping Bubby.



Right, so okra.  Okra rocks.  Or at least this okra recipe does.  I'm not quite ready to venture out and try any others yet, but I'm pretty stoked about what we had going on here.  I'm always looking for a new vegetable to change up our routine (which, come summer, is asparagus, asparagus, asparagus....and our roommate hates asparagus) so this is a really nice change of pace.  Plus it's seriously easy.  You don't even have to trim the tops off if you don't want to!  And the chili-infused olive oil the Monkey Scientist's mom gave us has some serious kick to it, so you know he was loving this recipe, too. (But if you're a weirdo and don't like spicy foods, you could use olive oil instead and I think you'll be just fine!)  I'm excited. It's going into the rotation.

Oh, P.S. those glorious little nuggets on the plate that look like tater tots are actually roasted gnocchi.  In this case, Cajun roasted gnocchi.  My old co-worker's sister gave me this recipe months ago and it is one of my favorite things ever.  I really need to share it with you one of these days! 



Spicy Roasted Okra
from Tartlette

Ingredients
1 lb okra
1/4 c chili-infused olive oil (we bought it, but you can make your own)
1/2 tsp ground sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Wash the okra and slice in half vertically.  I cut the tops off first, but this is optional.
3.  Put the okra in a large bowl with the chili-infused olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat.
4.  Place the okra in a single layer on a foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the okra is browned and crispy.  Serve immediately.

Roasted Farm Fresh Carrots

My favorite part of living in the section of DC that I do is that it is really more of a neighborhood than a city.  Sure, it's pretty busy right on Connecticut Avenue, but if you step off of the main road there is a quiet neighborhood full of little houses with yards and dogs and children (behind fences, fortunately) (and you know I meant the dogs and the kids).  There are also several schools.

 

This morning, when I went for a run, I discovered that a farmer from southeast Pennsylvania has a small stand selling fruits and veggies outside of a neighborhood school on Saturday mornings.  Right around the corner from my house! I was thrilled!  Once a month or so a few other local growers come and sell things like meats and baked goods (breads) as well.

I circled the block a few more times before my chest cold made running a lot less than fun and then stopped to explore.  I noticed that they had several varieties of carrots.  I remembered starring a roasted baby carrot recipe in my google reader but not knowing where to get baby carrots - so this was my chance!

 

For a little change from the typical orange carrot, I picked out yellow and purple varieties (in retrospect probably not the best color combo to choose this week).  I wish I had remembered that the recipe called for a red onion because I would have bought that from the farmer as well.  Next week I'll be more prepared!

 

The carrots were DELISH!  The best part by far, though, were the onions.  They were crispy, sweet and perfect!  I think the farm-fresh carrots made a big difference - they were so good. Definitely have to head back to this farmers market next week as well!

 What did I serve with it? Stay tuned! 

 

Roasted Farm Fresh Carrots
from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs of 5 inch long thin carrots, carefully washed, patted dry, greens cropped to 1 inch above top of carrot
• 1 medium red onion, peeled, cut lengthwise (root to top) into 8-12 wedges
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 400°F. Gently toss together the carrots, red onion, rosemary to coat with the olive oil. Lay out on a rimmed baking pan, lined with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.


2 Roast for 30 to 40 minutes on middle rack or bottom rack, until well browned.
Serves 4.