Spring means babies and like the title states, I’m the sucker. I see, little, fresh veggies and new and I have to cook them up – in magnitude…

I couldn’t resist, when last time at the market I spotted these miniature marvels.
Love ‘em or not, these adorable eggplants were destined for my grocery bag.

I’m sure that eggplants are much more popular in other areas other than my own dining room, but I serve them up anyway, eggplant caviar, parmigiana, grilled or stuffed like these, they are relatively simple to prepare and dazzling on a plate on their own or shrunken to side dish.

STUFFED BABY EGGPLANT

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, plus more for drizzling over eggplants
1 Leek, white & light green parts, finely chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 28 oz can Puréed Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Arborio Rice
1/4 Cup Red Wine
1 – 1 1/2 Cups Vegetable Stock, amount will depend on cooking temp and absorption
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
5-6 Fresh Basil Leave, finely chopped
6 Baby Eggplants, halved

Heat the oven to 350ºF.
Half the eggplants lengthwise and score into cubes, without puncturing the skins.
Lightly drizzle with olive oil and roast for about 15 minutes or until tender-firm so the skins are intact but the flesh may be removed, flip the eggplants over cut side down half way through.
Meanwhile, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep sauté pan. Add the finely chopped leek and sauté until it’s translucent.
Add the minced garlic and the rice; stirring well.
Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by 1/3.
Add half of the tomato purée and 1 cup of stock, bringing everything to a simmer and stir frequently.
Carefully scoop the flesh from the roasted eggplants, trying not to puncture the skin, to create a cavity. (It’s o.k if you don’t get every last bit.)
Reserve the skins on a baking sheet for stuffing.
When the liquid has reduced by half, add the remaining tomato purée .
Roughly chop the removed eggplant and add to the rice.
Once the rice is tender, add the salt and pepper to taste.
Finely chop the basil and add, reserving a small amount for garnish.
Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary then spoon the filling into the skins.
If you choose, top with a soy mozzarella or if you can use it a nice smoky gouda.
Return the eggplants to the oven and roast for an additional 10 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.

There will be some filling left over. This recipe will easily accommodate a large eggplant in lieu of the babies, just extend the roasting time of the larger eggplant.

As I sat, thinking what the ultimate food for Sunday would be, it actually took me a bit to come to the chili conclusion.
Crazy, yes, I am aware of this.

Coming from an advertising background, I have to honestly admit that the majority of my Superbowl viewing experience takes place during half time.

Perfect for cooking for a crowd, the chili is a dash of this and a can of that – and then you leave it.
So quick and easy, you won’t even miss the commercials.

BLACK BEAN & PUMPKIN CHILI

2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Onion, finely diced
2 Medium Carrots, peeled and finely diced
1 Stalk Celery, finely diced
1 small, dried red chili pepper
3 Cups Any Basic Tomato Sauce
3 Cups Fresh Tomatoes, skinned and chopped or 1 – 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 – 19oz Cans Black Beans, drained and well rinsed
1/2 teaspoon Salt
Crack of Black Pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme, scant
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander Seed
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 Cup Dice Pumpkin, roasted

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Clean and cube half a Jarrahdale or other good baking pumpkin.
Using about 1 tablespoon of the olive oil lightly cover the pumpkin, tossing to coat.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender.
Heat the remaining oil in a large stockpot and add the diced onion, carrots and celery.
Sauté the vegetables until slightly softened and the onions are transparent.
Add the chopped tomatoes, sauce and spices then bring everything to a simmer.
Stir in drained, rinsed beans and continue to simmer for an additional 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft.
Remove the chili pepper and add the cubed pumpkin.

Serve it up with a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkle of cheddar (or smoked gouda) along with tortilia chips or a loaf of fresh crusty bread.

For a more “traditional” chili, switch the beans to red kidney, omit the pumpkin and thyme then add a package of veggie ground round, if you want it “meaty”.

Needless to say we all like soup in this house. Nothing beats a warm bowl on a cold day. Well, maybe that warm bowl with some of that fresh bread I’ve finally been able to be baking…

Red peppers, to me, are one of those amazing vegetables. You see, I absolutely, without a doubt hate it’s cousin the green pepper, but a red one, especially a freshly roasted one? I will put in and on just about everything.

Roasting the peppers take about as long as the soup, so it’s a quick and delicious lunch…. So quick, I was very glad to have photographed it first, since the pot did not last.

ROASTED RED PEPPER SOUP

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Shallots, finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic, minced
3 Red Bell Peppers, roasted*, peeled and chopped
1 Potato, peeled and diced
2 Carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Stalk Celery
2 Tomatoes, Peeled and chopped, 1 – 8oz can
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/2 teaspoon Crushed Dried Thyme
1/4 teaspoon Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

* To roast the peppers, lay them directly over an open flame of a gas cooktop, BBQ or under the broiler, turning often to evenly blacken – but not scorch. Cool in a large enough bowl to hold them, tightly covered with plastic wrap. Once cool enough to handle, peel and rub away the loose, blackened skin.

Peel and dice the shallots, carrots and potato.
Heat the oil in a large stockpot and add the diced vegetables and garlic to sweat and soften.
Seed and slice the peeled, roasted peppers.
Add the peppers and celery stalk along with the broth to the vegetables.
Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes and carrots are soft.
Add thyme, salt and pepper.
Remove celery stalk and discard.
Add the chopped tomatoes and heat through.
Purée with a hand immersion blender until smooth.
Adjust seasoning, if necessary.

Serve with toasted fresh bread or arugula pesto or garlic seasoned croutons.

Thrusting from a vacation back into the continual chill known as November in my part of the world, rejolted my need for hibernation.

Part of this ritual naturally consists of no longer wanting to venture outside for long walks along the beach or having bird like meals made up of crunchy vegetables. Rib sticking, hearty, soft and warm is what I crave, and so what if all I want to do is have a nap afterward?

With my onslaught of deliciously sweet pumpkins awaiting my arrival, I’ve made my share of sweet treats. If anything, I’ve noticed from my humble, hearty gourds is that, as wonderful as pumpkin is with sugar and nutmeg, they go fantastically well with the acidic punch of a tomato. So in meeting my hibernation qualifications, I concocted this little twist on a traditional cheese stuffed manicotti.

So, after a bit of an absence, I’m about to check in with Ruth and my other Presto Pasta lover’s to see about the transition from salads to soups and sauces. I’m positive the round-up of dishes will be rib stickingly delicious, as usual.

PUMPKIN MANICOTTI

1 250g Box Manicotti, 14 pasta tubes
1 Package Firm Tofu
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes, optional
1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves, packed
2 Cups Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin, or any good quality pumpkin, roasted
2 Cups Basic Tomato Sauce

Remove the seeds and roast the pumpkin at 350ºF, face down in a small amount of water to cover the bottom of the pan.
Roast the pumpkin for about 90 minutes or until tender.
Remove the pumpkin flesh from the skin and allow to sit in a colander to remove any excess moisture, until ready to use.
Set a large pot of water to boil, add the pasta and cook until just tender, about 6 minutes.
Drain then rinse the pasta and set aside for stuffing.
In large bowl, crumble the tofu into very small pieces.
Add the oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and nutritional yeast flakes, if using and mix well.
Rinse and dry the basil. Lay the leaves on top of one another and roll tightly to chop into thin chiffonade strips.
Combine the basil and pumpkin to the tofu mixture and using a spoon, stuff the waiting manicotti tubes.
Evenly spread about 1/2 of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and lay the finished, stuffed manicotti in a single layer.
Spread the remaining sauce over the top of the finished manicotti, cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 350ºF.
Remove the foil and bake, uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
Sprinkle with additional thyme, nutritional yeast flakes or parmesan cheese to serve.

I kind of feel for the end of the summer tomatoes. Not quite yet, but soon, their leaves swill lightly yellow and the once primped, fawned plants will begin to limp as the luscious fruit rests towards the ground. They’ll never the chance to fully ripen, just slowly producing age spots from the neglect of an over consuming August.

As a perfect accompaniment to summer and just about any dinner, a simple, rustic tomato salad is so quick to make; a few tomatoes, torn basil, balsamic vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper, is all it takes to celebrate this end of an era.

I’m not sure when I first had a sweet potato with tomato, but I do know I’ve always liked it.
The sweetness combined with the slight tang of tomato sauce creates such a delicious balance.

When I first decided I was going to make this for presto pasta night, I was dreading the idea of laborious ravioli when I remembered a gift from my cousin in Poland. Years back, she was here for a visit and in my typical, true form, I wanted to learn whatever she’d share about her favorite traditional and classic meals from home.
Upon her return, she sent me a gift. In it contained a cookbook of tripe, boiled potatoes, battered pork chops and borscht and a set of pierogi makers.

Not one to throw anything away, yes I still have the book – it is a conversation piece after all, I dug out the pierogi maker, rolled my dough and set to seal some sweet potato.
It was so easy and quick, honestly, I was finished making the ravioli faster than my pot of water could boil. And, as expected, homemade pasta wins again!

SWEET POTATO RAVIOLI

1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Semolina Flour
1/3 Cup Hot Water
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Tomato Purée, Optional
1 Sweet Potato

Bring a pot of water to boil; peel and dice the sweet potato and add to the water.
Once the sweet potato is softened, drain, mash and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours and salt.
With the motor slowly running and the feeder tube removed, add the oil, tomato purée and slowly drizzle in the hot water.
At this point the dough should come together into a ball, if it doesn’t add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Remove the ball of dough from the food processor and divide in half.
Roll each piece as thinly as possible and using the pierog/ravioli maker, cut as many rounds as possible from the dough.
Place one circle of dough into the maker and add about a teaspoon of the mashed sweet potato.
Seal and repeat with the remaining dough.
Bring another large pot of water to boil and add the finished pierogi.
Cook to al denté. Remove when they begin to float, after about 3 – 4 minutes.
Serve with a primavera tomato sauce or a fresh tomato sauce.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

2 Tomatoes, skinned and seeded
1 Clove Garlic, Puréed
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Score the bottom of the tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water for about 1 minute.
Remove and plunge them into the cold water.
Core the tomatoes and remove the skins; slice and remove the seeds.
Mash the tomatoes with a fork and add the puréed garlic, salt and olive oil; mix well.

But that was before a trip to New York where I’d stood in a line, a long line; could you even imagine, in New York?
However, I was prepared, I had my money ready, but I still couldn’t decide. I was at Al’s Soup Kitchen International, so the last thing I wanted was someone shouting the theatrical “no soup for you” at me.
It was hot and I was next. I love lobster and after a night before at City Crab, I was eying the lobster bisque. The stress and unseasonable warmth made my cash moist in my clutched hand. I swallowed hard when I heard the famous and firm “next” and before I knew it my brain made a quick decision and I blurted out for the gazpacho.
This was my voice – I heard it. What had I done? I wanted the bisque not the cold vegetable soup. But obeying the signs, I had my money ready and moved immediately to the left after ordering.
I paid, I moved and waited – briefly.

I found a rock in Central Park where I could perch and people watch. In the few blocks it took to walk there, I’d decided to embrace my gazpacho like a true New Yorker, I owned it. It was mine now, so I was going to like it, no matter what.

All perfect in a brown bag, it had come with bread, fruit, napkin, cutlery, even a little chocolate – how sweet. This guy couldn’t have been as bad as everyone made him out to be. It looked good. It smelled good. But cold, raw and fresh just didn’t seem like soup and I just couldn’t get my mind around the notion. Tomato soup is so with a grilled cheese in November, at least in my mind.

I’d closed my eyes and hoped for the best. And, by God, it was one of the best, most perfect things I’d could have ever tasted. The shock it sent my mouth into was utter craziness. It was refreshing for the hot spring day but it still had enough kick to make me sweat, as the spice of the peppers warmed up my mouth. It was awesome.

Soup has always been an amazing food. It’s comfort food, scrap food, soul food – personal food. It’s a dash of this and a use up of that, it’s taste it then add a bit more. I’ve been trying to recreate that flavour of Manhattan on a hot day all to myself and up until now, I never really could.

It was still a bit of this taste and try some more of that but I just knew when I went for that first taste and I still closed my eyes trying not to forget it was cold. I’m still always nervous eating cold soup. I know now that it can be good it’s just that my brain is being played such a trick as I occasionally find myself blowing on it before slurping the spoonful.
It had the fresh heat from the tiny crunch of the slivered jalepeño and the soothing burst of cool from the flecks of cucumber and tomato making this soup, so summer perfect.

Next.

SUMMER GAZPACHO

1/2 White Onion
1 Clove Garlic
1/2 Jalapeño Pepper, seeded
1 Yellow Bell Pepper
3 Large Field or Beefsteak Tomatoes
1 English Cucumber, seedless
1 – 28 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes with juice
3 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Fresh Italian Parsley
1 Tablespoon Fresh Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 Avocado, diced

In a food processor, finely chop the onion and the garlic, followed by the jalapeño pepper.
Core and chop the tomatoes, add to the processor.
Roughly chop the cucumber and seed the yellow pepper; add the 3/4 of the cucumber and pepper to processor.
Add the remaining tomatoes with juice, cucumber, yellow pepper, vinegar, oil, herbs, salt and pepper; pulsing only to combine, leaving some finely chopped vegetables.
Taste and add salt, if necessary.
Chill prior to serving.
Garnish with the diced avocado.

Serves 8

While I cooked and created away, this star of a tomato stared me down from the windowsill. I couldn’t leave it to become over ripe, not after all this concern for the perfect peach. And what would Ruth think? I couldn’t dare miss her six month Presto Pasta Celebration. I must give her carbs and my obsession with the Browniebabe title credit for my extra pounds gained – over the summer no less!

Taking a cue from Marta, I decided to enjoy everything in my kitchen a little bit more, after all, she chose the tomato as produce of the month!

Wanting the spotlight to brighten the tomato, and because I still had a peach cobbler in the oven, I whipped up some quick pasta in all it’s tomato glory.

SPAGHETTINI RUSTICA

250g Whole Wheat Spaghettini
2 Field Tomatoes
1 Clove Garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 – 2 Tablespoons Capers
1/4 Cup Kalamata Olives
2 Tablespoons Italian Parsley
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Cook the spaghettini as to it’s package directions to al denté.
Core and roughly chop the tomatoes.
Drain the pasta and while it is still hot, add the tomatoes, garlic, oil, capers and olives.
Toss well and add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
Add the parsley just prior to serving.

Serves 4

*Over dinner, we conferred that this dish would go super with a sprinkling of parmigiana and a choice of skewered, freshly grilled prawns or tofu kababs. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

What’s lightening quick, goes with just about anything and uses up even more of the overflow of zucchini?
The title gave it away, didn’t it?

Looking for dinner inspiration, I gazed over my garden. I grew some of my own stuff this year, but now my garden is getting that late August hue of tan with many of the plants either beginning to shrivel or by going to seed; my garlic being one of them. Where the zucchini still overflowith, my garlic has met it’s match and I reluctantly bowed to mother nature and pulled it. I’m always excited to get the fresh garlic but, it being the first to go, does always symbolize the beginning of the end. In celebration of it and my surprising lack of basil, I decided to whip up a different pesto this week.

Zucchini Provinciale, was something my Mom used to make for us as kids and to my surprise, it was standard beginner fare in a culinary class. It makes an excellent side dish, consisting of sautéd onion, garlic, zucchini, finished with fresh tomatoes and parmigiano. I always liked it, even as a kid, so I took that same idea, minus the cheese, to create the pesto.

ORZO WITH ZUCCHINI PESTO PROVINCIALE

1 Medium Zucchini
3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts, toasted
1/4 Cup Sundried Tomatoes, about 5-6, reconstituted in water
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 – 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
450g Orzo
1 Small Zucchini, optional
1 Field Tomato, optional

Add the dried tomatoes to a large measuring cup and pour over enough boiling water to just cover them.
In a dry sauté pan, lightly toast the pine nuts.
Combine the zucchini, garlic cloves, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor.
With the motor running, add the tomatoes, once they have softened, and the olive oil through the feeder tube, scraping the sides as necessary.
Start with about a 1/8 teaspoon of salt and a quick grind of pepper, adjusting to your liking.
In a large pot, boil the orzo in lightly salted water, or as to it’s package directions to al dente.
Seed the field tomato and cut it and the small zucchini into matchsticks, if using.
Drain and stir in the zucchini, tomato and about 1/2 cup of the zucchini pesto.
Chill and serve.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

2 Tomatoes, skinned and seeded
1 Clove Garlic, Puréed
pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Score the bottom of the tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water for about 1 minute.
Remove and plunge them into the cold water.
Core the tomatoes and remove the skins; slice and remove the seeds.
Mash the tomatoes with a fork and add the puréed garlic, salt and olive oil; mix well.