Pasta alla Norma

From Ottolenghi Simple 

The eggplant is delicious and can be made ahead and refrigerated.  The tomato sauce is simple and excellent as well.  I use either non-dairy cheese or  sprinkle nutritional yeast.

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

30 oz whole peeled plum tomatoes with their juice

5 large oregano sprigs (chopped instead of removed)

1 tsp sugar

10 oz spaghetti

1.5 oz mature pecorino romano or ricotta salada, shaved

1 cup basil leaves, torn

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Shave long alternating strips of peel, then cut 1/2” slices crosswise and place in a bowl with 5 Tbsp of oil, 3/4 tsp salt and generous grind of pepper.  Mix well, then spread out on two large parchment-lined baking sheets.  Roast for 30-35 minutes, until dark golden brown.  Set aside to cool.

3. Put 2 Tbsp oil into a sauté pan and place over medium-high heat.  Add the 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 the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, until the sauce is thick.  Remove the oregano sprigs (I just added the leaves to the dish) and stir in the eggplant.

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 4 shallow bowls, then top with the remaining pecorino, basil and 1 Tbsp of oil, and serve. 

Freekeh with Shiitake Mushrooms, Leeks and Edamame

 This is adapted from a washington post recipe by Joe Yonan October 13, 2021.  It caught my eye because it is made with freakeh, which I've had before, but thought it had an unusual flavor and couldn't figure out what to prepare it with.  Now I know that although there are competing stories about it, the end result is that it is the inner portion after the outside of the wheat has been burned and removed.  So the grain is relatively hearty and has a smoky flavor.  

This dish pairs it with mushrooms and leeks, and was supposed to be with sugar snap peas, snow peas or  green beans.  Any of those would have to be blanched and drained first.  For better or worse, the green beans I thought I purchased didn't make it home with me.  Instead I used a combination of frozen edamame and peas, so all I needed to do was defrost them by rinsing them in warm water.  

At the end I also added some extra lemon, pepper and mint, but feel free to garnish or not as you wish.  This is a great use of freakeh, a healthy 'broken' grain that cooks quickly and has some substance.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (5 ounces) freekeh (I didn't have enough, so I also used cracked bulgur, another quick-cooking grain).

2 cups water

1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt or table salt

2 cups frozen edamame or peas, or combo

1 leek, white and light green parts

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 cups (5 ounces)  fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced

2 cups (2 ounces) baby spinach

2 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste - just as you might on a green salad

DIRECTIONS:

1) In a medium dry saucepan over medium heat, toast the freaked, tossing until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.  Add the water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the freekeh is tender, ~14-16 minutes.  Drain any excess water and transfer the freaked to a large salad bowl. 

2)While the grains are cooking, rinse the frozen veggies with warm water until the centers are defrosted.  Drain.

3) Rinse off the obvious dirt, cut the leek in half lengthwise, then slice into thin half moons.  Put all the slices in a bowl and cover with cold water to remove remained dirt.  Pour into a colander, then rinse again if there is any grit left. 

4) In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, heat 1/4 cup oil until it shimmers.  Add the cleaned leeks and 1/4 tsp of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their liquid, darken and soften, 4-5 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to the salad bowl and let cool.

5) Roughly chop the spinach and add it to the salad bowl. 

6) Pour the lemon juice into a small bowl.  Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a thin, steady stream, while whisking vigorously.  Whisk in the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.  Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to combine.  Taste and season with more salt, and or pepper and/or lemon juice if needed.  

7) Serve at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.