Fresh Tomato and Japanese Eggplant Pasta, Baked Beets with Goat Cheese

August 25th, 2009

Today is the day of the week I get my CSA box. Although they send us an email the day before telling what they might send in the boxes, getting to them is like Christmas, as there is always something different than what they told you. So yesterday I have planned to make farro with kale for dinner. But oh, there was not kale in the box! but lots of tomatoes and eggplants instead! There you go, deal with the unexpected and surprise yourself with delicious food!

Fresh Tomato and Eggplant Pasta
Ingredients

2 Japanese eggplant, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices

Coarse grained salt

Olive oil spray

3 cloves garlic, minced

10 medium tomatoes

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and coarsely ground fresh black pepper

1/2 cup basil torn

8 ounces whole wheat farfalle, cooked al dente

Parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

Set oven to broil. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Place eggplant slices on cookie sheet. Sprinkle with coarse grained salt and spray with olive oil. Place in oven. When lightly brown on one side, about 5 to 6 min, flip. Broil on other side until lightly brown, about 5 to 6 additional minutes.

Place a saucepan 3/4 full of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Dip tomatoes that need to be peeled in the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove tomatoes and set aside to cool enough so that you can handle them. Gently pierce, just barely, the skin of the tomatoes with the tip of a sharp knife. Loosen the skin with the knife and peel away. Repeat with all the tomatoes. Cut peeled tomatoes in half lengthwise. Hold tomato half in your hand over a small bowl. Gently squeeze tomato half so that seeds drip into the bowl. Put the seeds and their juice through a strainer. Discard seeds, add the strained juice to the bowl of tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes with your hands leaving big pieces. Add the balsamic vinegar and a couple of basil leaves. Stir.

Place the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cook until it starts to brown, but do be careful not burn it. Add tomatoes and their juice to the pan. Simmer about 5 minutes to reduce sauce a bit. Add broiled eggplant. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add the basil and cook 1 minute more. Add the pasta and heat through. Serve with parmesan and more basil if desired.

Baked beets taste much better than boiled!

Baked Beets with Goat Cheese

Ingredients

3 medium beets, washed and cleaned

1 – 2 oz goat cheese, at room temperature

Extra virgin olive oil

Herbs

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place beets in a roasting pan, cover with foil, and bake 1 hour until al dente. Cool until easy to handle, then peel. Slice, dice into 1” cubes. Place in a bowl. Top with crumbled goat cheese and parsley, or dill. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil.