Fettuccine Alla Norma

Baskets of tomatoes...

So, it may seem as though we're eating a lot of pasta, but I've been making my way through the huge basket of grape tomatoes I bought at the farmers' market. Tonight's dinner is an adaptation from a recipe in Jamie Oliver's book "Jamie's Italy".


Fettuccine Alla Norma
Serves 2

1 medium eggplant
olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
1/2 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes, chopped in a food processor or blender
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
whole wheat fettuccine

Chop eggplants and place in colander in the sink. Sprinkle them with salt and let them rest for 30 minutes until they start to 'sweat', then rinse. This will draw out any bitterness.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large cast iron pan and sauteé the eggplant until golden on all sides. Add the chopped oregano and cook for another 2-3 minutes. If you like your sauce spicy, add the dried red pepper flakes. Turn heat down, add a bit more oil if needed and add the garlic and the basil. Cook and toss occasionally for another 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and the tomatoes and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Cook fettuccine according to package directions, drain, and then toss with sauce over heat. Drizzle with olive oil and season with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Brown Lentil Pasta with Tomatoes & Peppers / Macaroni with Tomatoes & Pesto

Fast and fresh...

My weakness when shopping for food is vegetables. I have a habit of buying too much produce and then frantically whipping up three different kinds of soup on the weekend in order to use everything up before it spoils. Lately, I've been trying to buy less, use it up sooner and get creative with what's in my fridge, rather than feeling the need to have everything on hand all the time.

This weekend I shopped at a farmers' market. It was a fresh, sunny day and the veggies were colourful, shiny and all very tempting. Luckily I could only take away what I could carry...a useful limiting strategy. And, this week I've tried to make fast, easy meals with just a few flavourful ingredients. It's amazing what a basket of fresh grape tomatoes can do for pasta.

Brown Lentil Pasta with Tomatoes and Peppers

Brown Lentil Pasta with Tomatoes and Peppers
Serves 2 + leftovers 

brown lentil pasta*
1 white onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 red pepper
2 carrots, peeled and chopped thinly
1 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes
olive oil
sea salt and black pepper

Bring water and salt to boil in a medium pot. Add pasta, bring to a boil again and cook for 2 minutes only. Remove from heat and allow to sit in hot water for 10-15 minutes until tender. In the meantime, make the sauce.

Sauteé the first three vegetables in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil until tender. Add tomatoes and cook until they look swollen and ready to burst. Turn off heat and very carefully pierce tomatoes releasing juice.

Drain pasta and add to sauce. Toss with sauce, a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.

*Brown lentil pasta is not widely available, but a real treat if you can find it. It has a similar texture to rice pasta, so it's essential that you don't overcook it, or it will be sticky. It's got a slightly nutty flavour, is a good source of protein and has exactly one ingredient: brown lentil flour. I bought mine at Maria's Home Made Noodles. 

Macaroni with Tomatoes and Pesto
Serves 2 + leftovers

1/2 box (170 grams) of dried whole wheat macaroni
2 cups of grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons of basil pesto*
1/3 cup of cheddar rice cheese ^
sea salt and black pepper

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Microwave tomatoes in a casserole dish with a lid for about 4-5 minutes. Very carefully pierce tomatoes to release juice – be careful not to burn yourself. Drain macaroni and add to tomatoes. Toss and add pesto and cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted. Season with salt and pepper.

*My pesto had basil, sunflower seeds, and garlic. But choose any pesto you like.

^ I don’t eat cheese, so occasionally, I buy cheddar rice cheese when a recipe needs a little something. It melts well, tastes and feels much like cheddar, and is soy, dairy and gluten free. If you eat cheese, choose your favourite.

Spaghettini with Rapini and Walnuts

Grown-up greens...

Rapini, also known as Broccoli Rabe, is delicious, but it can be very bitter. However, I’ve discovered that if it doesn’t smell bitter, it doesn’t seem to taste bitter. It may be a matter of buying it in season, and since it’s a cool weather crop, in the Northern Hemisphere that means fall to spring.

My dad grew up eating rapini, but he called it “greens” so I didn’t realize they were one and the same until a few years ago. He boiled it, which meant that as a kid, (even a kid who liked vegetables), I thought that it must be slimy. And, I assumed I wouldn’t like it. I can’t believe what I was missing.


Spaghettini with Rapini and Walnuts

whole grain pasta of your choice
one half of a head of rapini
1/4 cup of walnuts
2 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta according to directions. Wash, chop coarsely and sautee rapini in olive oil with garlic until wilted, but still a bit crisp. Add walnuts and toast as rapini cooks for another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Drain pasta and toss with rapini and walnuts. Drizzle with olive oil and toss again. Adjust seasoning to taste.