Category: Dinner

Our dear friend Nicky gave me a copy of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, a cookbook of exquisite vegetarian recipes. We were also fortunate to have a meal at his restaurant Nopi in London (thanks to Preeti) and enjoyed this flavorful roasted eggplant dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 large and long eggplants
1/4-cup olive oil
Fresh rosemary
Fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds
Sauce
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a drizzle to finish
1 garlic clove, crushed or 1 tsp fresh garlic paste
1 pinch salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut the eggplants in half, lengthwise. Also, cut some slits inside the eggplant.
2. Place the eggplant, cut-side up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
3. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, till soft and browned.
4. Either cut a fresh pomegranate or buy pomegranate seeds.
5. Whish the milk, yogurt, olive oil, and garlic. Salt to taste.
6. Spoon the sauce on roasted eggplant. Drizzle with some olive oil.

Recipe adapted by Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty.

The earliest versions of pizza were actually from ancient Greece, where flat bread was topped with vegetables, potatoes, spices and olive oil. Later in the 18^th century Italy, flat bread was sold to the poor in Naples and called pizza. The chef of Queen Margherita took this peasant bread, which she enjoyed, and added fresh basil, mozzarella, and tomatoes leading to Pizza Margherita. It is reported that over 90% of Americans eat pizza once a month. My sister, Preeti recently sent me some almond flour pizza crust dough, so I figured we would give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 1 12-inch round of almond flour crust pizza dough (see below)
• 3 tablespoons pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of red pepper, eggplant, garlic spread (Trader Joes)
•  Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 long purple eggplant, cut into thin slices
• 1 red onion, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• Salt to taste

1. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to 450F. Let it heat 10 minutes. After rolling out the dough on top of parchment paper, use the circular top of a pot to make the circular shape.
2. Preheat the stretched dough in the oven at 450F for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, sauté the eggplant slices with olive oil and salt till browned.
4. Then sauté the red onion slices with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar till browned or caramelized.
5. Remove the stretched dough from the oven and spread the red pepper spread followed by the pizza sauce evenly across the surface.
6. Lay the eggplant slices followed by the caramelized onions.
7. Drizzle with olive oil over the top.
8. Add mozzarella or goat cheese if desired.
9. Bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes for a crisp crust.

The Arabic people in the Middle Ages introduced rice to Italy and Spain. It reached culinary maturity in Milan, which was under Spanish rule for almost two centuries. These factors led to Risotto alla Milanese, slow-cooked short rice with spices especially saffron. Traditionally the dish is built on rice and a creamy sauce (made up of chicken stock, onion, butter, wine, Parmesan and the spices). I decided to take this classic dish and substitute rice for cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 large head of riced cauliflower

2 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil

½ cup diced red onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

Salt & black pepper to taste

2 tbsp tomato paste

1-cup chicken or vegetable stock

1-2 tbsp fresh lime juice to taste

Fresh parsley for garnish

1. Cut your cauliflower, remove stems, place into a food processor and pulse. Otherwise, you can buy riced cauliflower from the grocery store.
2. Heat up oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, and then add garlic until onion is translucent.
3. Add in riced cauliflower, salt, black pepper, paprika, and cumin. Stir continuously to mix the cauliflower. Add in tomato paste and mix together. Add one-cup stock, and cook slowly over medium-low heat. Add some lime juice for acid. Serve hot with garnished parsley and salt to taste.

We have been trying to cut down our carbohydrate intake this past month. So here is a simple but flavorful replacement for pasta. Zucchini noodles can either be purchased from a grocery store or you can make them yourself with a simple spiralizer tool. We got one for $10 from the grocery store, below is a link for purchase on Amazon.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 chorizo slices, chopped small
• 3 zucchini, spiralized or julienned
• 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
• Salt to taste
• Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
• 1-2 shallots, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 can whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• Grated parmesan, if desired

1. In a large stainless steel pan heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Add chopped shallots and garlic to the pan until translucent, about 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped chorizo till it starts to brown.
2. Add tomatoes, water, red pepper flakes, basil, paprika, and milk. Bring to boil and then simmer on low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the zucchini noodles in and stir in for 5 minutes, leaving a little bit of crunch. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Parmigiano-Reggiano.