The VEGGIE THING

At a festival in late July, my friends and I discovered this magical creation. It's simple:

-flour tortilla

-colby jack cheese

-broccoli, cut up into very small pieces

-spinach or spring lettuce

-really, whatever yummy raw veggies you have on hand

-dill sauce (recipe follows)

Heat the grill pan and drizzle olive oil. Brown one side of the tortilla, and turn it over. Sprinkle the desired amount of cheese on the tortilla. When the other side is gorgeously golden, place the tortilla on a plate and squirt the dill sauce on the cheesy side. Place veggies on the tortilla and fold it in half. Devour!

Dill sauce:

-2 parts mayo

-1 part sour cream

-onion powder

-garlic powder

-dried mustard powder

-dill weed

- salt and pepper

Stir ingredients together, gets better as it sits. :)

Tomato Pie

At a recent wednesday night summer cookout, I offered a piece to a friend. He looked my way and said, in his bashfully beautiful and charming southern twang, "Tomayta pah? I'd love some tomayta pah." And from then on it was decided that the correct pronunciation for the dish I am about to iterate is in fact, tom-aytah-pah.

-pie crust

-2 or 3 large and beautiful heirloom tomatoes, cut into rounds

-fresh mozzarella, also cut into thin rounds

-olive oil

-garden basil, chopped

-salt and peppa

Bake a homemade or store-bought pie at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. Take the pie out, and drizzle the crust with olive oil. Layer the tomato rounds and the mozzarella rounds into the crust, and sprinkle the basil, salt, and pepper over the top. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Take it out, stare at it longingly for a few minutes, and then dig in. This sweet, salty, flaky, and juicy concoction was one of my summer favorites.

Hazelnut Eggplant Lasagna

• Perfect for a chilly winter night.
• 
  
• 2 large eggplants, sliced lengthwise 3/4-inch thick (8 slices)
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus more for baking dish
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons oregano leaves
• 3/4 cup roasted and chopped hazelnuts
• 2 cups béchamel sauce (recipe follows)
• 
  

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  Arrange sliced eggplant in a single layer on 2 sheet pans. Brush on both sides using 3 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the eggplant until it is soft and golden. Turn slices halfway through, about 25 minutes.

  Meanwhile, in a medium skillet add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the sliced mushrooms. Saute until soft for about 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped thyme. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once the mushrooms are cooked remove and set aside to cool.

  In a large bowl add the ricotta, eggs, 1/2 cup Parmesan, oregano, mushrooms, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix well. Brush an 8-inch baking dish with oil.

  Layer the bottom of the baking dish with some of the sauce. Layer the eggplant, then the ricotta, then the rest of the sauce. Top with the remaining parmesan and the hazelnuts.
  
  
  For the Bechemel:
  • 5 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

  In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes.

  Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg, and set aside until ready to use.

  
  

Fresh Pah-sta!

You haven't had pasta until you've had it fresh, okay? Here's my recipe for homemade pasta without a pasta maker:

-2 1/4 flour

-3 eggs

-a dash salt

Give your countertop a good scrubbing, and then put the flour right

there on the counter. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Starting from the center, mix in the eggs with your hands; just get all up in there. After about 10 minutes of kneading and mixing, separate the dough into four balls and let rest for 30 minutes. Drink wine. Use a rolling pin to flatten each ball of dough until it's an eighth to a sixteenth inch thick. Cut the dough into strips, or nice organically-shaped polygons. Flatten the strips a bit more with your roller, and allow the pasta to dry on a cookie sheet covered in wax pape

r for at least an hour (after this critical hour is up, you are free to cook OR store the pasta how you please.) Fresh pasta takes about 5-8 minutes to cook, depending on how large your pieces are. Two pasta-making-rules of thumb: generously salt and water, and don't forget to stir at least every minute. Well there you have it, hope you enjoy, my fellow pastafarians!