Pasta With Roasted Eggplant, Pepper and Garlic Published: October 12, 2010 Time: 1 hour 2 1/4 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 teaspoon pepper 2 small red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch strips 9 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar, more to taste 3/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/2 pound whole-wheat pasta, like penne or rigatoni 3/4 cup ricotta cheese Chopped basil or chives. 1. Turn on the broiler and set a rack 6 inches from the heat. Toss the eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and spread it in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Broil, tossing once halfway through, until the eggplant is golden but not cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the broiler and heat the oven to 375 degrees. 2. Toss the peppers and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread on another baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the eggplant, peppers and garlic until they are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. 3. Slip the garlic cloves from their peels and mash them in a small bowl with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, the vinegar and the pepper flakes. 4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss with the vegetables, the mashed garlic, the ricotta and the herbs. Add more salt and vinegar to taste. Yield: 3 to 4 servings. Chipotle Peanut Brittle Yield: 28 servings (serving size: 1 ounce) Cooking spray 1 cup sugar 1 cup light-colored corn syrup 1 tablespoon butter 1 (11.5-ounce) container salted, dry-roasted peanuts 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder Preparation 1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray. 2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cook 18 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 275°, stirring frequently. Add peanuts; cook 3 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 295°, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and chile powder. (The baking soda will cause the mixture to bubble and become opaque.) 3. Quickly pour mixture onto prepared pan; cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll mixture to an even thickness. Discard top parchment sheet. Cool mixture completely; break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Creamy, Light Macaroni and Cheese Ingredients: 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 [1-pound] squash) 1 1/4 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 1 1/2 cups fat-free milk 2 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese 1 cup (4 ounces) grated pecorino Romano cheese 1/4 cup (1 ounce) finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided 1 pound uncooked cavatappi Cooking spray 1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 375°. 2. Combine squash, broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until squash is tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat. 3. Place the hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and Greek yogurt. Remove the center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; stir in Gruyère, pecorino Romano, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until combined. 4. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well. Add pasta to squash mixture, and stir until combined. Spread mixture evenly into a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. 5. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add panko, and cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Sprinkle evenly over the hot pasta mixture. Lightly coat topping with cooking spray. 6. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately. Butternut Squash and Mushroom Wellington Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 4 tablespoons butter 1 small butternut squash (1 1/4 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1 teaspoon maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme 1/8 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika or regular paprika 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 large shallot, finely chopped 3/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and roughly chopped 1/3 cup dry white wine 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 2 tablespoons chopped parsley Flour 1 (14-to-16-ounce) package puff pastry 1 cup crumbled goat cheese 1 egg, whisked with 1/2 teaspoon water. 1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment. 2. In a very large skillet over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes. (If squash won’t fit in a single layer, cook it in batches). Stir and continue to cook until squash is golden, 7 to 10 minutes more. Stir in the syrup, thyme, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook one minute. Scrape mixture into a bowl. 3. Turn the heat down to medium and melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Stir in garlic and shallot; cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and remaining salt. Cook until mushrooms are soft and their juices evaporate, about 10 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook until the mixture is dry, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pepper and parsley. Taste and add more salt if needed. 4. On a lightly floured surface, unwrap the puff pastry. Cut into 2 5-by-15-inch rectangles. Spread mushrooms on each pastry rectangle leaving 1/4-inch border. Spoon the cheese crumbles over the mushrooms. Then spoon the squash over the cheese, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border (it will look like a stripe of squash lying on a bed of cheese and mushrooms). 5. Brush the exposed borders of dough on each rectangle with the egg wash. Fold the long sides up to meet in the middle and pinch together to seal; pinch the ends, too. Transfer the pastries to the baking sheet and turn them over so that the seam is face down. Brush the tops with more egg wash. Bake until they are puffed golden, and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, slice and serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings. Fast No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread 2 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup whole rye flour 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal 1 teaspoon instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons salt Oil as needed. 1. Combine flours, cornmeal, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 2. Oil a standard loaf pan (8 or 9 inches by 4 inches; nonstick works well). Lightly oil your hands and shape dough into a rough rectangle. Put it in pan, pressing it out to the edges. Brush top with a little more oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour more. 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake bread about 45 minutes, or until loaf reaches an internal temperature of 210 degrees. Remove bread from pan and cool on a rack. Yield: 1 loaf. Speedy No-Knead Bread 3 cups bread flour 1 packet ( 1/4 ounce) instant yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons salt Oil as needed. 1. Combine flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest about 4 hours at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees. 2. Lightly oil a work surface and place dough on it; fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes more. 3. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-to-8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under dough and put it into pot, seam side up. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. 4. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: 1 big loaf. Zucchini Pasta Time: 30 minutes Salt and pepper 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 5 or 6 medium zucchini, rinsed, trimmed and cut into ribbons or coins 1 large onion, chopped 2 or 3 sprigs thyme 2 tomatoes, in wedges or roughly chopped, with their juice 1/2 pound cut pasta, like ziti or penne Freshly grated Parmesan or freshly chopped parsley for garnish. 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, onion and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper and adjust heat so onion and zucchini release their liquid without browning. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until very tender. 2. Add tomatoes and their liquid to zucchini and raise heat a bit so mixture bubbles. Cook pasta until it is nearly but not quite tender. If sauce threatens to dry out, add a little pasta cooking water. 3. Drain pasta and finish cooking it in sauce. Serve, garnished with parsley or Parmesan. Yield: 4 servings. Grated Beet Salad 1/2 pound beets 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoon minced chives, mint or parsley (or a combination) Salt to taste Leaves of 1 romaine heart 1. Peel the beets with a vegetable peeler, and grate in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade. 2. Combine the orange juice, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss with the beets and herbs. Season to taste with salt. Line a salad bowl or platter with romaine lettuce leaves, top with the grated beets and serve. Yield: Serves four. Advance preparation: The grated beets can be dressed and kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. They become more tender but don’t lose their texture, and the mixture becomes even sweeter as the beet juices mingle with the citrus. Toss again before serving.