Eggplant Lasagna

I bought a bunch of eggplants in the market and wanted to put them to good use. I scoured the internet for ideas for how to make lasagna and found a good recipe for the cheese mixture. I also found a recipe for homemade pasta and embarked on the mission. It was a bit labour-intensive but so tasty and well worth it for the thanks from my friends.

Prepare lasagna sheets:
-On a clean, wide surface make a mound of 3 cups of flour with a dip in the middle (volcano)
-Crack an egg into the middle and beat with a fork within the volcano, picking up flour on the way; repeat with 2 more eggs for a total of 3

-Once you can't beat anymore with the fork, knead with your hands for a while - at least 5 minutes
-Set aside for about 30 minutes-On floured surface, roll (and roll and roll). It will most likely be easier to divide the dough in half and roll that way, otherwise it takes up too much space.
-Once it's flat enough to almost be transparent, cut into rectangular sheets-Get the widest slightly-deep pan you have and fill it an inch or two with water and set to boil
-Cook the sheets for a minute or two in the boiling water and then place aside to drain

Prepare eggplant:
-Preheat oven to about 200C/400F
-Cut a couple eggplants into 1/2inch thick slices.

-Place on a tray and coat with olive or canola oil
-Roast for about 5 or 10 minutes, then flip over and roast again

Prepare cheeses:
-Cube about 2 1/2 cups of fresh mozzarella, 1 cup provolone, 2 cups ricotta, 1 cup grated parmesan
-Mix in a large bowl with 2 or 3 cloves of minced garlic and an egg to hold it together

Prepare sauce:
-Make or buy a tomato sauce. I have a couple recipes on the site. I just made a basic one: sautee onion and garlic in olive oil with a bit of balsamic vinagrette. Add 2 or 3 tins of peeled tomatoes, 1 fresh tomato, some bay leaves, 1 tsp of stock powder, 1 tbsp tomato/chili paste, 1 tsp oregano, a bit of honey and some salt and pepper. Let simmer for about an hour (so start this before the pasta sheets)

Prepare lasagna:
-Line the bottom of a deep baking dish with eggplant
-Pour some sauce to cover eggplant
-Add the layer of cheese
-Repeat until everything is used up, trying to end with sauce on top. On the top place large pieces of mozarella
Cook lasagna:
-In an oven preheat to about 190C/380F, bake for about 30 or 40 minutes
-Take out and let cool for about 10 minutes so you don't burn the roof of your mouth
-Enjoy

Tips:
-I know it's labour-intensive. I made everything from scratch and from start to eating took less than 3 hours. But it was 3 full hours. Timewise, the best way to do this is to start the sauce, then make the pasta dough and roll it out; once it's flat and cut do the eggplant and while the eggplant is in the oven, cook the eggplant sheets in the boiling water. This way the oven can still be on once the eggplant is taken out of the oven and the lasagna can go right in.
-Rolling is pretty hard (especially with a wine bottle!). The best strategy, I find, is to roll a bit and then flip the dough over and rotate 1/4 of a circle clockwise. Once it gets pretty flat, it's harder to roll and you have to kind of press down as you slide the roller. Make sure stretch your fingers every now and then.
-This recipe for pasta is the same as any kind of pasta, so you can use it for any shape you'd like etc (I had more sheets than other material and so cut it into fettuccine and froze it)
-I don't peel eggplants because I like the texture and taste of the skin. I also have stopped salting them before hand since the newer varieties aren't as bitter and don't need that done

Cauliflower-based Risotto with Mushroom and Broccoli

At the markets, I saw a gigantic head of cauliflower on sale and promptly purchased it. I'm a sucker for cauliflower and was keen on doing some experimentation, as well. This metafilter forum had a tremendous amount of awesome ideas, but this one really stuck out to me as being key. I set about making it following the loose steps in the post as well as adding from my own experience with risotto and food. It was pretty nice as a risotto but, honestly, I feel like the cauliflower taste was too subdued and almost a waste. But I regret nothing!
Prepare:
-Chop and separate about 1 medium cauliflower or half of a huge one
-Sprinkle oil through, mix, and then add salt, pepper, and cumin seeds
-Roast at 200C/400F for about 1 hr, mixing in the middle. 40 minutes into it, add several cloves of garlic, still in the peel-Once cauliflower is cooked, place in a pot with the garlic, some bay leaves, cover with water and bring to a boil
-After about 10 minutes, puree til even consistency. Set aside-Dice 1 large onion
-Prepare about 2 cups rice (you should use arborio but I just use medium grain)
-Chop some broccoli and some mushroom
-Grate 1/2 - 1 cup of parmesan
-Optional: have some previously toasted/roasted pumpkin seeds
Cook:
-In a large pot, lightly sautée onion in olive oil or butter for 5 minutes on medium heat
-Add rice and toast for several minutes, tossing often to get full area coated and cooked
-Add in the cauliflower soup
-Bring to boil, lower to simmer and keep stirring for a while
-As the rice absorbs the water/soup, add more water (with or without stock powder)-In the meantime, in a different pan, sautée mushroom and broccoli in some olive oil and salt on medium heat, turn off flame when veggies are cooked-Taste the rice every 5 minutes or so to check doneness
-Once rice is cooked through turn off heat, mix parmesan through, then add mushroom, broccoli, pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper
-Garnish bowls with fresh basil and a tiny bit of olive oil

Tips:
-As I mentioned above, this was very nice but not nearly cauliflowery enough. What I would do is maybe cook the risotto the same way, only solely with stock, and then at the end mix through with cauliflower soup instead of the parmesan (perhaps using some cream in the soup) or just mix in stir-fried cauliflower like the broccoli
-The pumpkin seeds were a whim but I was really pleased with them. They're ones that I'd salted, peppered, oiled and roasted for an hour after a batch of pumpkin soup

Spicy Lentil and Veggie Tomato Soup

This hearty vegetable soup is tasty, filling, and fairly healthy. Takes a bit of time to cook but really isn't that bad for what you get. The extras freeze quite well.

Prepare:
-Chop 1/2 onion, 1/2 zucchini, 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 a bell pepper, a couple chili peppers,and mince some garlic
-In a saucepan, put 1 cup lentils and enough water to barely cover. Cook covered, on medium-high, for about 10 minutes. Drain and keep
-Ready 1 can peeled tomatoes, as well as 2 cups of stock (or water with stock powder)
-Drain and rinse 1 can of beans (borlotti is good, or canellini)

Cook:
-In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, and pepper in some olive oil on medium heat-After 3 minutes, add zucchini and mushrooms and cook for about 2 more minutes
-Add and crush the tomatoes in the pot and add the stock. Bring to boil, then reduce the heat to simmer
-Simmer for 20 minutes, then add lentils
-Simmer for 10 minutes and then add beans
-Simmer for 5 more minutes and then garnish well with salt, pepper, dried basil and rosemary and serve hot

Tips:
-Fennel, broccoli, and others would go well in this soup
-Cook longer to reduce the volume and thicken up the soup
-Goes great with a simple garlic-bread: Peel one small clove of garlic, toast bread and as soon as it's out of the toaster, rub the raw garlic up and down. Garnish with olive oil and black pepper

Bean and Broccoli Baked Polenta

I got some polenta from an awesome Mediterranean grocery store and whipped up (and modified) a recipe from an Italian cookbook. It was nice, if a bit bland. It is a bit intensive (you cannot stop stirring polenta, really) so make sure you have everything ready ahead of time.

Prepare:
-Ready 3 cups water with 1/2 tsp of salt in a pot
-1 cup of polenta (yellow cornmeal)
-2 tbsp olive oil
-Chop and lightly steam about 1 cup broccoli
-Drain and rinse 1/2 cup cannellini beans
-2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Cook:
-Preheat oven to 400F (205C)
-Bring the pot of water and salt to boil and then reduce to simmer
-Immediately add polenta in a light, slow, constant stream (I put the cup of meal into a glass and then poured from there), mixing it as you add it. Break any lumps that happen to form-Once all the cornmeal has been added, add the olive oil
-Continue to cook, stirring the whole time (a wooden spoon is best), for 20 minutes. Make sure it's medium-low heat (to keep from polenta sticking to bottom of pot)
-Add beans, broccoli, and some cracked black pepper and salt and mix thoroughly-Pour polenta onto a baking dish (I used a loaf pan - it came out thick)
-Sprinkle cheese on top-Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese has brownedTips:
-This was a bit bland - having a tomato or pesto sauce to go with this would be great
-I served this with kangaroo sausage. I think adding sausage directly to it would be nice as well.

Chicken, Potato, and Peppers

Another recipe from the Italian cookbook gifted to me, this simple dish turned out quite tasty. I expanded on the original by adding chili peppers as well as chicken. Without the chicken, it would work well as a side or an appetizer.

Prepare:
-Boil several unpeeled small red potatoes until almost ready, about 10 minutes.-Chop up some chicken, 1 large bell pepper, 1 chicken breast, 1 hot chili pepper and half a red onion, as well as 3 cloves garlic, minced
Cook:
-In a large fry pan/wok sautee chicken and garlic in some olive oil, medium ht
-After about 5 minutes (all sides of chicken should be cooked), add the peppers and onions and let cook for about 8 minutes, covered-Add the potatoes and stir and cook for a couple minutes until the sides of the potatoes start to brown. Salt and pepper to taste, as well as 1 tsp of oregano and rosemary, each. Make sure chicken is cooked through
-Eat

Chocolate and walnut biscotti

I got this recipe from a cute-little Italian cook book I got from my girlfriend's nephew and niece. The book is Italian Light and Easy and has a number of nice recipes, that I have cooked.

Prepare:
-Chop about 1 cup of walnuts, toast for 8 minutes at 350F. Keep oven on for the cookies
-In a bowl, melt 2 oz unsweetened chocolate with 3 tbsp unsalted butter in a microwave (about 1 minute), then let cool
-In a large bowl sift 1 1/4c flour with 1 tsp baking powder-In a different bowl, beat 2 eggs; add 1/2 cup sugar and blend; then add the chocobutter
-Stir the two together, then fold in walnuts
-On a lightly greased cookie sheet, form a roll, about 14 inches long, 3 inches wide, smooth
Cook:
-Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until firm all the way through
-Take out the biscotti roll and cut diagonally, 1/2 inch-wide pieces
-Place pieces on wire frame (I used the wired rack of the oven, cleaned) and back another 15 minutes
-Cool and enjoy

Tips:
-Any nut would work well for this. I think in the future, I'd try pecans or something
-I only had sweetened chocolate, so I used that and reduced the sugar by a tablespoon. The cookies weren't that sweet (though maybe they're not supposed to be) and in the future, I'd keep the sugar the same
-Adding dried cranberries or raisins would only be a plus with these babies!

Celery and Pine Nut Risotto

I recently received a cute little Italian cookbook. I opened it up and the first thing I saw was 'Asparagus and Pine nut risotto'. It looked good, interesting, and educational, as I'd never made risotto before. I had some celery and thought to substitute that for the asparagus and it worked out surprisingly tasty. I had to scale down the recipe a bit... this makes about 3 servings. It's not a difficult recipe, really, but the 20 or so minutes of cooking are intensive, as you are stirring the whole time. Be warned.
Prepare:
-Dice 1 medium onion and crush 4 or 5 cloves of garlic
-Dice 1 1/2 big stalks of celery
-Prepare about 1 1/2 cups of rice (note: you are supposed to use Arborio or some other shorter, absorptive rice. I used plain medium grain that I use for everything and it turned out fine enough for me)
-Prepare about 3-4 cups of stock
-Ready 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
-Optional: chop up about 1/3 cup worth of fresh basil
Cook:
-In a large pot, fry onion and garlic in olive oil on medium heat, until onion starts to get soft and translucent-Add the rice and stir like crazy, until it's covered in oil and oniony goodness-Add 1/4 cup of stock, while continuously stirring until it starts to evaporate
-Keep adding stock, 1/4 cup a time-In the meantime, spread out pine nuts on a flat pan and toast for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, stirring every minute or two, until they get golden brown-After about 10 minutes, add the celery-Around 15-18 minutes after the rice was initially added, it should start getting done: the rice should be firm still, but edible and almost fully cooked. If not, keep adding stock until it's cooked and starts getting kind of clumpy-At this point, mix in the parmesan
-Take off heat, add pine nuts, salt, and some cracked black pepper
-Serve with some basil

Tips:
-I added a couple chili peppers with the celery, but for some reason didn't taste them at all. Next time I'd omit or vastly increase them
-The pine nuts were good and complemented well the inherent nuttiness of the celery. Substituting another nut would also work, for sure, perhaps with different combinations of vegetables (peanuts and pumpkin... almonds and broccoli... pecans and peaches, go crazy!)
-I ate this with an over-easy egg. At the middle of the meal, I decided to cut up the egg into small pieces and mix it into the risotto and I must say it worked quite well. You could try if you wanted to get more protein in with the meal

Simple Tomato and Basil Sauce

This is a simple and very nice and fresh-tasting tomato sauce that goes great with pasta, gnocchi, and on bread as a pseudo-bruschetta. This makes about 2-3 servings worth
Prepare:
-Seed and dice 3 large tomatoes
-Chop 1 large onion and 4-5 cloves garlic
-Chop up a bunch of basil, at least 1/2 cup worthCook:
-In a small pot, on medium heat, cook tomatoes and 1/4 cup of basil in olive oil-At the same time, in another pot/pan, lightly fry onion and garlic, in olive oil, until fragrant and tender-When tomatoes get soft, add the onion/garlic mixture, turn heat down to low, add salt and cracked black pepper, and about a tsp of brown sugar to offset the acidity; simmer for ~2 hours (you read that correctly), stirring every 10-20 minutes to make sure nothing gets burnt. When you're almost ready to use it, dump the rest of the basil in itTips:
-You could add one or two hot peppers to the tomato if you wanted a sauce with more of a kick
-Adding marjoram, oregano, parsley, or other Italian herbs and spices would be welcome, of course, I just wanted to keep mine simple

Carbonara Pasta

For those of you who think I'm all about the health food, thesedays, this oughta abed your fears. Originally created as a breakfast for Italian laborers, without cream, this pasta has evolved to be a creamy sensation. I had it at my friend Ben's house for lunch a couple weeks ago and it hit the spot in ways I never imagined possible. Mine turned out so delicious and not too greasy for how much fat is in it. There's probably a way to make it more healthy, but why bother?
Prepare (for 2 servings):
-Dice half an onion
-Crush 2-4 cloves garlic
-1-2 chopped chili peppers (optional but I like my spice)
-Cut 2-4 strips of bacon (you should end up with around 1 cup)-Lightly beat 1 egg -Prepare 1/4 cup whole cream
-A handful of pasta... fettuccine works best for this but I only had spaghetti
-Seasonings: fresh/dried basil, crushed red pepper, Parmesan
Cook:
-Set water to boil, add pasta, cook til al dente, drain, rinse in cold water, set aside (this should be done while cooking the sauce)
-In a big, deep fry pan or a wok, add a bit of olive oil and a couple pieces of butter (you read that right; the olive oil stops the butter from burning), medium heat-Add crushed garlic and fry for 1 minute
-Add onion and bacon and fry for about 10 minutes or until bacon starts to crisp-Lift pan off heat, lower heat to medium-low, and add cream (otherwise cream may burn)
-Mix, simmer for about 5 minutes, turn off the heat-Throw in pasta, mix for about 3 minutes-Throw in egg, mix thoroughly for 30 seconds, then serve
-Garnish with basil, crushed red pepper, Parmesan, salt to taste
Tips:
-While it may be heresy, I think this dish would only benefit from broccoli. I'd steam it lightly and add it with the pasta in the cream.
-If you like bacon even crispier, chuck it in a minute or 2 before the onion. Also, I used red onion and you might get a better taste with yellow onion or shallots
-As this is Italian, a nice pancetta would be even tastier than bacon, presumably