Pasta Alla Norman

From Ottolenghi  SIMPLE

The eggplant in this dish was delicious! Basil makes a big difference.  Include some in the cooking, and top with more.   

Can try making the sauce more like we learned in Sorrento - San Marzano tomatoes, just one clove garlic and 1-2 basil leaves.  

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

3 eggplants (2 lb)

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and black pepper 

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1-2 mild dried chiles (seeded if you don't want the heat) - the second time I used these, I had to remove them because they were tough.  Will use ground red pepper flakes next time, or chile powder 

2 - 14.5 oz cans whole peeled plum tomatoes with their juice

5 large oregano sprigs (removed, but I chopped them)

1 tsp sugar

10 oz spaghetti

1.5 oz mature pecorino romano or ricotta salata shaved - he suggests the latter if you can find it.

1 cup basil leaves, torn

DIRECTIONS:

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2) Using a peeler, shave long alternating strips - take most off.  Cut crosswise 1/2" slices and place in bowl with 5 Tbsp oil, 3/4 tsp salt, and generous grind of pepper.  Mix well, then spread on 2 large parchment-lined baking sheets.  Roast for 25-35 minutes, until dark golden brown.  (I turned them once).  Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

3) Put 2 Tbsp oil into a sauté pan and place over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and chiles and fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden brown.  Add the tomatoes and their juice, oregano, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and a grind of pepper.  Decrease heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, until sauce is thick.  Remove the oregano sprigs and stir in the eggplant.  Set aside.

4) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente, then strain, reserving some cooking water.  Add the spaghetti to the sauce and mix  well, adding  2/3 of the pecorino and basil, and a few Tbsp of the cooking water if the sauce has become too thick.

5) Divide the spaghetti among four shallow bowls, then top with the remaining pecorino, basil and 1 Tbsp of oil, and serve.

Amy's Plant Based Cheezy Sauce

 Amy's Plant Based Cheezy Sauce - from Veggie Palette

INGREDIENTS:

1 large potato, peeled and diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1/4 cup raw cashews

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 T lemon juice

pinch of cayenne

DIRECTIONS:

1) Add diced potato and carrots to saucepan, cover with 4 cups of water and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  While they're cooking, cover the cashews with hot water and set them aside.

2) When the veggies are tender, drain them, reserving 1.5 cups of the cooking water.  Rinse the cashews, and add them to a high speed blender with the 1.5 cups of cooking water and all the remaining ingredients.  Blend until creamy.

3) Sauce is great on nachos, potatoes, pasta....  Store refrigerated in a mason jar for up to a week.

1 large potato, peeled and diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1/4 cup raw cashews

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

2 T nutritional yeast

1 T lemon juice

Pinch of cayenne

Arugula and roasted sweet potato salad - forks over knives

From cooking course Forks over Knives 

The salad dressing is great, and goes especially well with pistachios. Would try peaches, or other fruits or vegetables in place of or in addition to the sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

For the potatoes:

• 2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1–inch cubes 

• 2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar 

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 

For the dressing:

1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (I had honey ginger white balsamic from Naked Olive in Berkeley Springs)

3 Tbsp liquid sweetener (I used < 1 Tbsp agave)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp fresh chives minced

For the salad:

4 cups arugula

1 small fennel bulb shaved on mandolin

Toasted nuts or seeds (used sunflower and pistachio - latter really goes well with this)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) for a convection oven or 475°F (245°C) for a conventional oven.

2) Toss the sweet potatoes with the vinegar, freshly-ground black pepper, and cinnamon. 

3) On a non–stick sheet pan, or one lined with parchment or a silpat, spread out the potatoes evenly. Place in the oven and roast, turning vegetables over once, for 15-20 minutes or until tender and slightly browned. Let the potatoes cool until they are near room temperature.

4) Prepare the dressing while the potatoes are roasting. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining balsamic vinegar, honey, cinnamon and chives.

5) Toss arugula with fennel, toss with dressing, add potatoes.  Can add toasted seeds or nuts for crunch.

Roasted Cauliflower with Lime, Chile and Cilantro - forks over knives

This is for the cooking course I took through Forks over Knives - Rouxbe

Task 66 re: development of color

Ingredients

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets 
• 2 to 3 tbsp stock or water 
• 1 lime, halved 
• 1 tbsp Chili Powder 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano 
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 

Description

To start the cauliflower, preheat your oven to 450° degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the large florets from the cauliflower and cut them into even-sized pieces. Any of the very large florets can be sliced in half. 

Next, place the cauliflower into a large bowl and add the stock and squeeze on the lime juice — toss to evenly coat the cauliflower in the liquid. Reserve the squeezed lime for later. Next add the chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and pepper. Note: The amount of chili powder needed will ultimately depend on how spicy you like your food and how spicy your chili powder is. Taste your chili powder before using it. For this recipe, we used this Chili Powder recipe.

Toss to evenly coat the cauliflower in the spices.