Pasta with Egglplant, Walnut Pesto, and Ciliegine

I'd like to start by saying a big THANK YOU to all my dear classmates from Williams who have been keeping up with the Student Epicure. Your kind words last weekend were wonderful to hear and very encouraging. I hope you keep reading and cooking!

This week's recipe was inspired by the weekly recipe contest on food52, which urged us home cooks to find your best recipe using fresh mozzarella. Although my favorite use of fresh mozzarella is a simple caprese salad (a little cliched, perhaps, but delicious like tiramisu), I wanted to try something using ciliegine, which are tiny fresh mozzarella balls. I wasn't sure if this recipe would actually be realized since I kept popping them into my mouth on the walk home from the grocery store. I had beautiful Italian eggplant from Russo & Son's inimitable grocery store in Watertown. I've also been trying to eat through my cupboard in preparation for my iminent move to Worcester, so the boxes of pasta must be eaten and all the bags of Trader Joe's nuts be consumed! Et voila, with a little inspiration from Jerry Traunfeld, this recipe was born.

Another nice addition to this recipe would be some halved cherry tomatoes for an extra bit of color and a little crunch. I used tri-colored rotini, but whole wheat penne would be delicious too.

Pasta with Eggplant, Walnut Pesto, and Ciliegine
serves 2

• 2 Italian eggplants, in 1 inch cubes
• 4 large garlic cloves (unpeeled!)
• ~4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup dried pasta, like penne or rotini
• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves
• 8 ciliegine, halved

1. Preheat oven to 400. In a large baking dish, spread eggplant with garlic cloves in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 T olive oil or until you can evenly coat the cubes by tossing. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until eggplant is tender, 15-20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.
3. Roughly chop walnuts and set aside in a small bowl. Finely chop basil and add to bowl with remaining 2 T olive oil.
4. When eggplant is tender, remove garlic cloves and peel. Roughly chop garlic and add to walnuts and basil.
5. In a serving bowl (or you can use the pot you used to cook the pasta), toss together the eggplant, pasta, walnut-basil sauce, and ciliegine. Season with salt & pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Breakfast Eggs with Kale

Whoa, hello, world. Sorry I've been MIA. Too much weekend travel for this food blogger. After my college reunion this weekend, I look forward to spending more time cooking in Cambridge. Last weekend I was in the Berkshires to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. My parents' garden is looking lovely: vibrant beds of young lettuce, lots of potato plants, tracts of garlic shoots. Much to my surprise, their kale was ready of picking. I associate kale with the beginning of autumn -- it's a hearty vegetable meant for darker, colder nights. I brought a large bag back with me and have been amazed at the tenderness of the leaves. You don't have to cook the life out of this kale. Rather, you can just saute it a little longer than you would spinach leaves.

I also had Berkshire free-range eggs and fresh ciabatta bread. I've been jonesing for Sunday brunchy eggs and so decided to make a healthful eggs benedict-like lunch dish. Toasted ciabatta is topped with sauteed kale, followed by a runny fried egg and a sprinkling of cheese. I added garlic, chili flakes, and red onion to the kale of a little extra kick. Some nice variations on this might be: adding chopped kalamata olives to the kale or replacing the ciabatta with a toasted slice of your favorite bread.

Breakfast Eggs with Kale
serves 2

• 4 T olive oil
  
• 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 t. red chili flakes
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 5 c. chopped kale (I used cavalo nero), large stems removed
• 2 slices toasted ciabatta
  
• 2 eggs
• Parmesan for sprinkling

In a large frying pan, heat 2 T of oil over med-high heat. Add garlic, chili flakes, and onion, sauteing until onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Add kale and continue to saute. Using tongs makes it easier to evenly cook the kale until wilted, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove kale from pan and set aside. Stick bread in the toaster. Over high heat, heat another 2 T of oil in the same pan. When hot, add eggs and fry 2 minutes per side so that yolk is still runny.

To assemble, place one slice of toast on a plate. Top with half of the kale, followed by an egg. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and eat immediately!

Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad

This post is a little early because I'm supposed to leave for London tomorrow AM. Looks unlikely, but just in case, wanted to make sure I didn't depart without posting this week's recipe!

I suffer from PDD - Pasta Deficiency Disorder. I could eat pasta morning, noon, and night. But I'll admit that a diet of unfettered carbs just isn't healthy. Lucky for me, Mark Bittman wrote an article some time ago encouraging us to continue eating our pasta, but to shake it up: instead of preparing a lot of pasta with a little sauce, make a lot of vegetable-inclined sauce with a small amount of pasta. This changed my life. This week's recipe is inspired by this concept -- it's a leafy green salad with pasta mixed in, along with tuna, olives, and tomatoes.

Until recently, I had almost stopped eating tuna, due to the high levels of mercury and the large amount of bycatch from tuna fishing. However, I was delighted to discover that troll or pole-and-line caught tuna in the US is actually OK (for more information, visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium). I jumped for joy and immediately went to track some down. I will admit, the can I bought was more expensive than Sunkist, but when I tasted the tuna, boy, I promise it was worth the price. Canned tuna often has a bland, almost tinny flavor. This one actually tasted like fresh, robust fish.

A few notes about this recipe: a good quality olive oil is a must. There are many good $15 bottles out there and it's worth the investment for the flavor it will bring to your salads. I had also wanted to include capers, but could not open the new jar I had bought. I ran it under hot water, tapped it with a knife, tied a rubber band around the lid, but to no avail. I think it would add a nice zing, so feel free to add a teaspoon if you have some in your fridge.

Mediterranean Tuna Pasta Salad
generously serves 2

• slightly more than a quarter-sized round of angel hair whole wheat pasta (I like Barilla's fortified protein version)
• 3.5 oz arugula (two generous handfuls per bowl)
  
• regular olive oil for cooking
• 1/2 t red chili flakes
• 2 anchovy fillets
• 1/4 c chopped kalamata olives
• 1 can tuna, preferably troll or pole-and-line US caught
• 4 Campari tomatoes, chopped
• good quality olive oil
• a few squirts fresh lemon juice
• salt & pepper

First put medium pot of water on to boil. Follow cooking directions on package for al dente angel hair.

Divide arugula between serving bowls/plates. Toss with good quality olive oil (~1 T per bowl), a little lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

As pasta cooks, in a small saute pan, heat about 1 T olive oil over medium heat. Add chili flakes and anchovy. As oil heats, use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up anchovy until it has "dissolved" into the oil. Add olives and stir briefly to coat. Add tuna and break up chunks into smaller pieces. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

By now the pasta should be fully cooked. Drain and return to pot. Pour in the tuna and another tablespoon of the good quality olive oil and toss. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and olive oil as necessary. Divide between bowls of arugula and serve immediately. Arugula will wilt a bit -- don't worry, that's what is supposed to happen!

Furikake Tofu with Sake Spinach

My latest cookbook obsession is Everyday Harumi, which I picked up at the Harvard Book Store last week after reading about it on Saveur's Top 100 List. Harumi Kuirhara is a housewife turned TV star in Japan. She has been called the Martha Stewart of Japan, but from this cookbook, that does not seem quite apt. Harumi is sweet, kind, and warm and her recipes are elegant and simple. I love her emphasis on textures and vegetables. I had never thought about how ginger tastes different when it is minced, grated, and julienned.

These recipes are inspired by Harumi, though not from her cookbook itself. I was actually introduced to both dishes by my parents, who like this for a quick weeknight meal. I don't usually eat rice (all my time in China instilled in me that it's filler food!), but I think these recipes lend themselves well to being served over steamed Japanese rice.

A note on furikake: it is a delicious Japanese condiment that comes in a wide variety of mixtures and is meant to be sprinkled over food. The kind I use is called nori katsuo furikake and consists of toasted sesame seeds, nori, bonito flakes, dried egg, and other seasonings. I bought this one at the Super 88 in Allston, but I think you should be able to track it down at Whole Foods or other specialty food shops.

Furikake Tofu
serves 2

• 1 package firm tofu
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced
  
• soy sauce
• furikake
• canola or peanut oil for cooking

Drain and slice tofu into 1/2 inch slices along the short horizontal (like you are slicing a loaf of bread). Place tofu on a plate lined with paper towels. By drying the tofu, it will color better when cooked. Over high heat, heat a nonstick frying pan big enough to hold all the tofu. When hot, pour in just enough oil to lightly coat surface. Add tofu slices and cook until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Flip slices and cook until the other side is golden. Remove from heat and drizzle with soy sauce and sprinkle with scallions and furikake.

Sake Spinach
serves 2

• 1 10 oz bag spinach (not baby spinach!)
• canola or peanut oil
• salt
• 1 1/2 t sake (you can substitute dry vermouth)
  
• a couple squeezes of fresh lemon juice
• sesame seeds to garnish

Rinse the pan used for the tofu. Return to high heat and add 1 t canola oil. When hot, add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and roughly chop. Season with salt, sake, and lemon juice to taste. Serve garnished with sesame seeds.

Special THANK YOU to Uncle Daniel & Aunt Jill for the beautiful bamboo serving plate!