Easy Eggplant Caponata

I don't know about y'all, but I am really ready for spring and some warm weather. Luckily for myself, I'm headed home to Florida this afternoon for a weekend of fun in the sun. This post is going to be short since I still have tons of packing to do...

This recipe for Eggplant Caponata comes from the newest issue of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. So far I've really enjoyed most of the recipes that I try from it, and they're usually fresh, fast, and easy. I was really intrigued by the ingredient list in this one, and I think it would have been a 5-star winner if not for the overly vinegary taste. (Maybe that's how caponata's supposed to taste? But I found it to be way too much.) My word of advice to you: cut down the vinegar to a half cup at the most.

As you can see, I had my caponata over rigatoni with a little fresh-grated parmesan. Some of Martha's other serving suggestions: use as a topping for crostini; layer on toasted country bread, top with mozzarella, and broil until melted; or spoon over broiled flounder or other white fish.


Eggplant Caponata
makes 5 cups

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1/4 c. golden raisins
• 1/4 c. pine nuts
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 c. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 to 4 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 large eggplants (2-1/4 lbs. total), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2/3 c. white wine vinegar (I recommend 1/2 c. or less--BH)
  
• coarse salt

In a 5-quart Dutch oven or pot, heat oil over medium high. Add onions, raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, cocoa powder, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggplant, vinegar, and 2/3 cup water. Cover, and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and more sugar, as desired. Serve caponata warm or at room temperature.

To freeze: Cool completely, then transfer to resealable freezer bags, filling only halfway. Freeze bags flat, and store in the freezer, up to 2 months.

Catching Up

Holy crap, it's been forever. I have a good excuse, though. I've been in the midst of final exams for weeks and really just have not had time for blogging. Fortunately, I have had time to do a tiny bit of cooking, so now that I'm home for the holidays and have all the blogging time in the world, here's a recap of some highlights from the last month or so.

This was one of those times when watching Food Network on the treadmill inspired me. I never watch Barefoot Contessa, but she happened to be making this chicken dish that looked yum. She marinated chicken in rosemary, lemon, and garlic, and then grilled it. I decided to bake it instead, but still, it was quite good. She also made broccolini in a balsamic vinaigrette. I replicated that as well, and I liked it even better than the chicken.


These cookies got me through studying for my Corporations final. Unfortunately, I don't have the recipe to share with you all because it's in a cookbook that I left at school (Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything). They were your basic oatmeal-raisin cookies with a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips thrown in for good measure.


This pasta dish was seriously the best thing I've made in a long time. I made a HUGE batch of it and then ate it for like five days in a row during finals. The sauce on this pasta was so yummy - a light cream sauce with ground turkey, sausage, spinach, and nutmeg, with lots of parmesan cheese melted in.


Oh, I also made a Moroccan chicken pot pie, but forgot to take a picture of it. Lately I've been obsessed with the raisins-olives combination. It's so salty-sweet and addictive. This pot pie was delicious and extremely fast to make.

Coming very soon: my December Daring Bakers post!

Fast Easy Fresh

This warm weather we've been having in Cambridge is really perking up my spirits. You honestly can't appreciate spring until you've survived a Boston winter. I've survived 5 now, so let me just say that the first days of spring are like manna from heaven. Over the weekend I celebrated the warmth by grilling up some yummy burgers, which I always associate with summer cookouts. Tonight I went with a fast, easy, fresh-tasting pasta dish perfect for spring, from a recent Bon Appetit. I need to enjoy this weather while I can - it'll be back in the 40's later this week. That's Boston weather for ya.


Linguine with Shrimp, Asparagus, and Basil
Serves 2

• 8 oz. linguine (I used fresh black pepper linguine from my local grocer)
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 T butter
• 12 uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 12 slender asparagus, trimmed, cut diagonally into 1-1/2 inch pieces
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus extra for garnish
• 2 lemon wedges

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add wine and butter; boil 2 minutes. Add shrimp, asparagus, and lemon juice. Toss until asparagus is just tender and shrimp are just opaque in center, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta and add to skillet; add 2 cups sliced basil leaves and toss until basil wilts and sauce coats pasta, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide pasta between 2 plates. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and lemon wedges and serve.