Eggplant and Zucchini Puttanesca

"Puttanesca" is Italian for--well, let's just say that "ladies of the night" made it to attract customers.  So, the sauce is fragrant and tasty!  It could also be served over tilapia, chicken, salmon, or shrimp, with or without the zucchini or eggplant.  (I'd keep them, just for the extra vegetables!)  Also, you can add pasta, but I never do, unless I have guests drop in, and I need extra food in a hurry!  Ha!

4 servings, vegetables only.  6 servings, if you include pasta

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, preferably red, cut into smallish wedges

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium eggplant, cut into 1" dice

3 medium zucchinis, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2" pieces  (These are denser than eggplant pieces, so cutting them smaller allows them to cook at about the same rate as the eggplant.)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed as adding  (or 1 1/2 Tbs. fresh!)

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed as adding  (or 1 Tbs. fresh!)

1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes (less if you don't like much spice, more if you like it hot!)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 Tbs. capers, drained

2 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian (flat-leafed) parsley (or 1 Tbs. dried parsley)

Grated Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling over the top

1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted--I hate olives, so I definitely consider this "optional," although it's a traditional ingredient in this!  Ha!

8 oz. pasta, also optional!

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, and cook the onion until tender, about 8-10 minutes over medium heat.  Add the garlic, and cook until it's tender, too--a couple of minutes.

While it's cooking, add the next tablespoon of olive oil to another large pan.  (I use my soup kettle.)  Add the zucchini, and cook, stirring occasionally, until its browned on a couple of sides.  Add the eggplant, brown it, and add 2 Tbs. water, and cook, covered, until the zucchini and eggplant are tender, about 20-25 minutes.

While this is cooking, go back to your skillet, and add the tomatoes, oregano, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 or 10 minutes to meld the flavors.  It will also reduce the sauce, so you might need to add a couple of tablespoons of water at the end of this cooking cycle.  Add the capers and olives, if you're using them.  Heat through.  Turn off the heat.

During this cooking time, cook the pasta, if you're using it.  Drain.  Set aside.

Drain the tender zucchini and eggplant.  Pour the sauce over them and toss.

To serve:  place some pasta, if you're using it, on a plate.  Spoon the vegetables and sauce over it.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top.  This is great with spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, red onion slivers, and balsamic vinaigrette!  Enjoy!

Practically Pasta Primavera

I love pasta in pretty much any way, shape or form. Pasta Primavera is one of my favorite things to eat, and it’s a great way to get a big helping of vegetables in the bargain. Most of the time I eat Pasta Primavera cold: some defrosted frozen veggies, leftover noodles, and some olive oil and lemon juice. But traditionally it’s served warm (with fresh vegetables, not frozen, LOL), as below. I added Mozzarella cheese to the recipe below, so this is a tiny bit heavier than traditional Primavera, but it comes out great. If you need more protein, you could add a pound of meat of your choice: chicken is easy and would be good, but shrimp would be FANTASTIC in this. If you do that, the recipe should serve closer to 10 people.

The Recipe:
Serves 6-8

3 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into bite-size pieces
1 large yellow squash (aka summer squash), halved lengthwise and sliced into bite-size pieces
24 oz. cherry tomatoes: 12 oz whole, 12 oz halved (I use 2 of the little bags of “Nature Sweet” on the vine)
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1 orange pepper, cut into thin strips
½ small package frozen green beans*
15 baby carrots (the ready-to-eat kind in the packages)*
2 cloves garlic, minced, OR 1 tps garlic powder
½ cup olive oil
salt and pepper
1 pound pasta, regular or whole-wheat (farfalle/bowtie, penne/little tubes, fusilli/corkscrews – something that will hold sauce – NOT long thin noodles)
8 oz. ovolini mozzarella OR 8 oz. whole milk mozzarella, cut into ¾-inch pieces
grated Parmesan cheese for topping
(Note: if you want to add protein to this, add a pound of cooked large shrimp.)

*Or ½ package Trader Joe’s Brittany Blend, in the frozen food aisle.

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large baking pan, combine the whole tomatoes with the zucchini, summer squash, peppers, beans and carrots with the garlic and olive oil. Add a little salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until tender (about 8 minutes at a rolling boil). Drain, reserving 1 ladleful of the cooking liquid.

Add the roasted veggies and halved tomatoes to the pasta pot, along with the pasta, pasta water and the mozzarella. Mix thoroughly. The cheese will begin to break down a little bit, getting soft and gooey around the edges, but it won’t melt completely. (That’s how it’s supposed to be.)

Serve topped with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.