Italian Dinner: Caprese Salad, Roasted Eggplant Pasta, and Pesto Gnocci

These are three dishes that I made for an Italian dinner - not completely homemade, but still delicious!

Eggplant Pasta
1 box short pasta
2-3 purple eggplants
about 5 tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
about 10 cloves garlic, sliced
herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary (fresh if possible)
Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste

1. Score eggplant skin with a knife. This will allow for easy peeling later. Bake eggplant at 350 degrees F for about an hour. Allow to cool.

2. Once cool, peel eggplant and remove seeds. Skin should come off very easily, and the seeds should all be together in little "pods". Chop eggplant.

3. Prepare pasta. Drain, but do not rinse.

4. In a saucepan, cook onion, garlic, and crushed red pepper in olive oil over low heat. Cook until soft. Add tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes. Add eggplant and herbs. Continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Mix pasta with eggplant sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.

Pesto Gnocci (quick recipe)
1 package prepared potato gnocci (in the pasta aisle)
1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce + extra olive oil (if prepared pesto sauce is dry)
1/4 cup milk or half & half
fresh basil
crushed red pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

1. In a saucepan, heat prepared pesto sauce with crushed red pepper. (add extra olive oil if pesto is dry).

2. While heating the sauce, boil gnocci for a few minutes (until they float to the top of the pot). Transfer gnocci directly to the saucepan with a slotted spoon.

3. Add the milk or cream to the saucepan. Mix gnocci with sauce and cook for a few minutes, until sauce is mostly absorbed.

4. Plate gnocci and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Caprese Salad
My grocery store (Wegmans) had a wonderful selection of interesting tomatoes--colorful heirloom tomatoes, brown tomatoes ("Kumatoes"), etc. that I used in this salad

tomatoes, sliced
fresh Mozzerella, sliced
fresh basil leaves
red onion, thinly sliced
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
black and crushed red pepper

1. Arrange tomatoes, Mozzerella, basil, and red onion on a plate.

2. Top with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper.

Shiitake and Jalapeno Gyoza

These gyoza would make a perfect appetizer for a party.
Special hardware required: frying pan with a cover

1 cup shiitake mushroom caps, finely diced
1 cup finely diced tofu (or salad shrimp, for a non-vegetarian option)
about 3 jalapeno peppers, finely diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 white onion
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped.
about 5 large cloves garlic
fresh ginger root
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce
about 40 gyoza or won-ton wrappers
about 1 tbsp corn starch
A few teaspoons of oil for frying

1. Saute finely diced mushrooms, tofu, and peppers in sesame oil and soy sauce until peppers are soft.

2. In a large bowl, mix cabbage, scallions, mushroom and pepper mixture, and chili sauce. Grate onion, garlic, and ginger into bowl and mix together. Add shrimp if using.

3. In a very small bowl, dissolve corn starch in water. This will serve as a glue for the gyoza.

4. Form gyoza by placing a small spoonful of filling into each gyoza wrapper. Wet edges of the wrapper with the corn starch water. Fold the wrapper in half and seal the edge. Then, crimp the edge by folding over small sections of the edge and pinching.

5. Heat a small amount (about a teaspoon) of vegetable oil in a pan. Place gyoza in the pan, trying to stand them up on their bottoms (so that the crimped edge is pointing upwards). Fry gyoza for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

6. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the pan and cover. The water will turn to steam. Steam for a few minutes until the water has evaporated. Remove from pan and serve!

Pasta with Spinach Cream Sauce

This cream sauce can actually be made without any butter or cream. Potato starch flour gives it a smooth creaminess (I find that wheat flour gives a grainy consistency).

1 small onion
5-10 cloves garlic
1 package frozen spinach
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups milk
1 tbsp. potato starch flour
salt, nutmeg, crushed red pepper, and black pepper (to taste)
prepared pasta

1. Chop onions and garlic.

2. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.

3. Add potato starch flour and stir for a few seconds. Slowly add milk, stirring to incorporate. Cook milk for a few minutes until thick and bubbly.

4. Add frozen spinach (directly from package) and stir until spinach is completely thawed and incorporated into cream sauce.

5. Add a pinch of nutmeg, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper.

6. Add prepared pasta and cook for a few minutes with sauce.

Chick Pea and Fava Bean Salad

Chick peas and fava beans provide a hearty base for this salad. Mint and lemon provide a fresh flavor.

2 cans fava beans
2 cans chick peas
1 quart grape tomatoes
1 English cucumber
1-2 onions (red onion, Vidalia, and/or scallions)
juice of 3 lemons
4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
handful of fresh mint
garlic powder (to taste)
black pepper (to taste)

1. Drain and rinse chick peas and fava beans.

2. Slice tomatoes in half. Finely dice or chop onions, and dice cucumber.

3. In a large bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, mint, garlic powder, and black pepper. Toss with beans and vegetables.

4. Allow salad to marinate overnight before serving.

Spinach and Jalapeno Quiche

Jalapeno peppers make this quiche deliciously spicy.
Special hardware required: quiche pan.

Crust
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white vinegar
A few spoonfuls of ice water

Filling
10 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large or 2 small onions, diced
2 packages frozen spinach
4-5 jalapeno peppers, diced
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup milk
4 eggs
cubed pepper jack cheese (1/2 cup to 1 full cup)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Chill quiche pan in the freezer so that it becomes a cold working surface for preparing the dough for the crust.

2. Dice chilled butter into pea-sized cubes.

3. In the chilled quiche pan, mix butter cubes with flour and salt. Add vinegar and ice water, about a teaspoon at a time, and knead dough. Continue adding water until the dough forms a tacky ball.

4. Place dough ball and quiche pan in the freezer for a few minutes to chill.

5. Remove quiche pan and dough ball from the freezer and flatten dough around the pan. Push up against the sides of the pan to form a crust. Use a fork to poke holes in the crust to prevent bubbles later.

6. Return finished crust to the freezer for about 10 minutes (or until the dough is almost frozen). This will prevent the dough from slipping down the sides during baking.

7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

8. Place frozen crust directly into the oven and bake until golden brown.

9. While crush is cooking, saute onions, garlic, and jalapenos in olive oil. Add frozen spinach and cook until the mixture is very dry (any excess liquid will make the crust soggy).

10. Beat eggs and milk. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.

11. Remove crust from oven and fill with vegetable mixture. Slowly pour egg over vegetable mixture to fill any crevices. Sprinkle with cheese.

12. Carefully transfer to oven and bake about 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the quiche comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Stir Fry with Panko Breaded Tofu

Tofu
1 container extra-firm tofu
about 3 tbsp flour
1 egg
about 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
spices (to taste): garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper
1 cup vegetable oil

Stir Fry
handful of dry udon noodles
stir fry vegetables (I used broccoli and green beans. You could also use red pepper, mushroom, carrot, onion, baby corn, water chestnut, etc.)
10 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
fresh grated ginger
sesame oil
dash of soy sauce
Sriracha (chili sauce)
sesame seeds

1. Prepare noodles.

2. Prepare tofu: slice into rectangles. Coat first with flour, then with egg, and finally with panko bread crumbs that have been seasoned with the salt, garlic powder, and cayenne. Fry in oil until GBD.

3. In a pan, heat up sesame oil. Saute vegetables and garlic with soy sauce and Sriracha. After vegetables have cooked for several minutes, stir in noodes and tofu cubes. Add more Sriracha and soy sauce if necessary. Add fresh ginger and sesame seeds and cook for another minute before serving.

Lentil Soup

This recipe is very inexpensive and makes a lot of soup. I freeze individual servings to warm up on a rainy day.

1 bag dry lentils
60 oz. tomato sauce (mine has: water, tomato paste, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, natural flavors, dried bell pepper).
2 large white onions, diced
5-10 garlic cloves, sliced
3-4 carrots, sliced
4-5 celery sticks, diced
3-5 zucchinis (green squash), diced
2-3 tomatoes
2 packages frozen spinach
2 bay leaves
juice of 1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil
spices (to taste): cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper

In a large pot, sauté onions, garlic, carrots, and celery with about 1/4th cup olive oil, cayenne, and black pepper. When soft, add tomatoes and zucchini. Cook for several minutes. Add spinach, tomato sauce, bay leaves and lentils. Fill pot to the top with water. Cook until lentils are soft, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and spices, and cook until flavorful. After soup has cooled, add fresh lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, and more extra virgin olive oil for flavor.

Pizza Margherita

Special hardware required: pizza stone

Crust
1 envelope (1/4 oz) active dry yeast
1 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
3 cups flour, plus extra flour for kneading
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp corn oil

Toppings
1 large ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
fresh basil leaves
thinly sliced tomatoes
crushed red pepper
oregano
extra-virgin olive oil
tomato sauce (I start with canned tomato sauce, which includes: water, tomato paste, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, citric acid, natural flavors, and dried bell pepper. Sometimes I add other ingredients to the sauce, including olive oil, herbs, butter, spices, and white wine)

Crust (prepare at least 1 day before making pizza)

1. In a large bowl, mix yeast and warm water until yeast is dissolved, and allow to sit for a few minutes.

2. Add flour, salt, olive oil, and corn oil. Stir until a dough is formed.

3. Knead dough for about 5-10 minutes, adding more flour until dough is no longer sticky

4. Cover dough and allow to rise for about 45 minutes.

5. Split dough into 2-3 balls and place in plastic bags. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for one day before making pizza, or freeze for later use.

Pizza

1. Preheat oven (with pizza stone inside) to 500 degrees.

2. Cover dough with flour, and roll thin. I like to fold the dough over on itself several times to create flaky layers. Finally, roll out the dough so that it is about 1/4 inch thick.

3. You can use a different technique here, but I find it easiest to quickly build the pizza directly on the pizza stone. I remove the pizza stone from the oven (mine has convenient handles), place the dough on the pizza stone, and then follow with the toppings in the following order:

• olive oil (make sure to get the outside edges of the crust)
• oregano
  
• sauce
• mozzarella slices
• tomatoes
• basil leaves

4. Bake for about 10-15 minutes (or until GBD).

5. Top with crushed red pepper.

6. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Refreshing Herb Pasta Salad

I had something similar at a deli yesterday, and this is my version of the recipe. The mint and lemon juice make this salad very refreshing, and the feta gives it a nice creaminess.

1 box shell pasta
1 quart grape tomatoes
1 English cucumber
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
4 scallions (green onions)
1 bunch chives
1/2 cup feta cheese
3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
spices (to taste): ground black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper

1. Prepare pasta. Drain and rinse.

2. Slice grape tomatoes lengthwise. Chop cucumber, chives, mint, basil, and scallions. Mix in a large bowl.

3. Prepare dressing by mixing olive oil, lemon juice, and spices.

4. Add dressing, pasta, and feta to vegetables. Stir together.

Allow to marinate overnight before serving.

Spicy Asian Salad

This summer salad would be perfect to bring to a pot luck lunch.

Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs
1 bag prepared shredded cabbage and carrots (coleslaw)
1 English cucumber
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers
2 oranges
3 red and/or yellow tomatoes
4 scallions (green onions)
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 cloves fresh garlic
1 handful fresh cilantro

Dressing
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp Sriracha (chili sauce)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp Asian spice mix (mine includes: sugar, paprika, onions, garlic, chili, salt, coriander leaves, cumin, curcuma, chive, lemongrass, and lemon peel).

Toppings
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
crunchy Chinese noodles (optional topping)

1. In a small saucepan, heat sesame oil, Sriracha, soy sauce, sugar, and Asian spice mix. Stir until sugar and spice mix are dissolved.

2. Roughly chop orange, garlic, and jalapenos. Puree until smooth in a blender. Pureeing the jalapenos ensures that the hotness of the jalapenos is evenly distributed throughout the salad.

3. To finish dressing, mix sesame oil mixture from (1) and jalapeno puree from (2) with vinegar and ginger.

4. If sesame seeds and/or slivered almonds are not toasted, lay them flat on a tray and toast in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes.

5. Chop cucumbers, red bell pepper, tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro. Mix in a large bowl with coleslaw.

6. Pour dressing, sesame seeds, and slivered almonds over salad and mix until thoroughly blended.

7. If desired, top with crunchy Chinese noodles immediately before serving.

TIPS:
-The hottest jalapenos are the ones with the most "stretch marks" or scars.
-Always keep sesame seeds and sesame oil in the refrigerator to prevent them from going rancid.
-English cucumbers are usually sold wrapped in plastic, not covered in wax like other cucumbers. You can quickly rinse them off and eat the skin.

Hi! Welcome to my food blog!

Welcome to my food blog! My name is Juliet, I'm a vegetarian, and I like to cook. People often ask for my recipes, so I started this blog.