Pasta Caprese

It was one of those weekends when dinner plans were up in the air. Were we going out, or were we staying in? Turns out, we stayed in, but the larder was bare. (That's a lie. It just didn't contain anything we wanted to eat.) We were at Belvedere Market doing a book signing at Greg's Bagels (Yes, we wrote a book! Go buy it!) so we picked up some stuff from Ceriello. A blob of mozzarella, a jar of pesto, and a bag of fresh orecchiette pasta later, we were well on our way to dinner.

I'm trying to eat less meat; Mr Minx doesn't restrict himself that way, so I poached a couple of chicken thighs in chicken stock for him. Then I raided the container garden for fresh basil - because a dish can't have too much basil.

The dish, despite being pasta and cheese, was light and summery, and redolent of my favorite fresh herb. Don't let the dish sit too long before serving, as the hot pasta will melt the cheese too much. Melty blobs are fine, but you don't want the cheese to get stringy.

Quick Pasta Caprese

1 cup diced tomato
drizzle balsamic vinegar
1 lb orecchiette pasta (or pasta shape of your choice)
about 1/2 cup basil pesto
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
diced cooked chicken, optional
1 cup diced mozzarella cheese
fresh basil
chopped pine nuts or walnuts, optional

Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the diced tomato and set aside.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta and leave in the pot. Gently stir in the pesto, adding a bit of olive oil if it seems dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken, if you're using it.

Just before serving, toss in the tomato (and juices) and mozzarella. Garnish with  plenty of fresh basil, either torn into pieces or cut into a chiffonade, and the nuts, if using.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Eggplant Parmesan

So the photo doesn't match the recipe exactly - the elements are the same! 

During our quest to lower Mr Minx's triglycerides, I was putting flax seed and chia seed into almost everything. Eggplant Parm was no exception. I mean, why not mix ground flax seeds into breading? It's completely undetectable, and adds valuable Omega 3 fatty acids. Can't eat salmon every day, you know!

"Healthy" Eggplant Parmesan

4 Japanese eggplants, about 2" diameter and 9" long
Progresso Italian breadcrumbs
1 heaping tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 large eggs
salt
3 ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
extra virgin olive oil
fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment and have a second baking sheet on standby, if needed. Place a mound of breadcrumbs and some of the flax seed onto a small plate. Mix with your fingers and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a teaspoon of water.

Cut off the stem and the tip of the eggplants and slice the rest into 1/4" thick rounds.

Set up a breading station: raw eggplant, bowl of egg, plate with crumbs, baking sheet. Put several rounds of eggplant into the bowl of egg, turn them with a fork and transfer them to the crumbs. Coat the eggplant on both sides with crumbs, then transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all eggplant has been coated. Spray with cooking spray or olive oil.

Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Turn eggplant over, respray with oil, and return to oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt, and cool completely, preferably on a rack so eggplant doesn't get soggy.

About 45 minutes before you're ready to eat, lightly oil an 8" square baking pan and preheat oven to 350F. Place a layer of eggplant on the bottom of the pan. Top with a layer of tomato slices, and then a layer of cheese slices. Repeat until all eggplant, tomatoes, and cheese are used. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Another Perfect Summertime Dinner

Sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and three kinds of basil from the garden, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, plus sopressata and bresaola. Ciabatta, too. So good, so easy, perfect for a hot Summer night.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Meatless Monday - Caprese Salad

Even with the extremely hot and dry weather we've been having in Baltimore, our herb garden is growing like gangbusters and our tomato plants are thriving as well. What to do with too much basil and lots of green tomatoes?

Make a Caprese salad.

Rather than the traditional version with slices of ripe tomato, soft mozzarella, and basil leaves dressed with olive oil, I made a fancier version with fried tomatoes and pesto. In addition to the green ones in our garden, we also had inherited a couple of pallid "ripe" supermarket tomatoes that wouldn't be flavorful enough to eat raw. They worked well enough when fried, although they were much softer than the green ones so I had to take care not to make a mess while transferring them from pan to plate.

Also, I coated the tomatoes in Progresso Italian bread crumbs, a flavor from my childhood. This is all my mother ever used, so nothing else tastes "right" to me.

Caprese Stack

Pesto (recipe follows)
Fried Tomatoes (recipe follows)
1 - 2 large balls fresh mozzarella
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh basil leaves

Slice cheese into 1/3" - 1/2" thick slices (depending on the size of your tomato slices). Put vinegar and oil into a small bowl and beat with a fork to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place a small dollop of pesto in the center of a serving plate. Top with a fried tomato, a slice of cheese and more pesto. Repeat layers once more. Drizzle some of the vinaigrette on and around the stack and garnish with the basil.

Serves 2-6 depending on how many slices of tomato you sneak while you're frying them up. :)

Pesto

2 large cloves of garlic or one enormous clove (as I had), coarsely chopped
1 good handful of nuts of your choice (I used cashews and pecans)
A small handful grated Parmesan cheese
About 3 cups of fresh basil leaves (I used a mix of spicy globe, Thai, and sweet)
About 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Place garlic, nuts, cheese, and basil in the bowl of a food processor (I used a Cuisinart Mini Prep). Drizzle in some of the olive oil and blend. Continue adding oil and blending until desired consistency is achieved. I like mine to have a little bit of texture. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fried Tomatoes

4 medium-sized green tomatoes (can also use ripe tomatoes)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 + cups Progresso Italian breadcrumbs
1/4 + cups canola oil

Cut each tomato into 3 or 4 1/3" - 1/2" slices, discarding the curved tops and bottoms.

Prepare coating: in one bowl, season flour with salt and pepper. Put egg and milk combo in a second bowl. Place bread crumbs into a third bowl.

Dredge each slice of tomato in flour, shake off excess, and dip in egg. Let excess egg drip off and finally coat tomato in breadcrumbs. As you prepare each slice, arrange them on a plate. You may need to add more breadcrumbs to the third bowl.

Heat about 2-3 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet. When it's hot, fry tomatoes in 2 or 3 batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add extra oil in between batches if necessary. Transfer tomatoes to paper towels to drain. Sprinkle a bit of salt on each slice while they're still hot.