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.

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.

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.