Leslie Sarna

Sunday Rice

Yes, I'm aware that it's only Thursday, but this is the kind of dish that is perfect for the end of the week.  It's one of those dishes that uses up those items in your refrigerator that you've been trying to figure out what to do with all week.  Lots of the ingredients in this can be subbed out to accommodate what you already have.  I used this great rice/lentil blend that I found in the bulk bins at Whole Foods, but any rice or pasta will work for this as well.

Sunday Rice

Serves 4

What you'll need:

1 lb. of rice, quinoa or pasta

1 small or 1/2 large eggplant, cubed

1 small or 1/2 large onion, diced

a couple handfuls of mushrooms

a handful of spinach, chard or whatever green you've got around

3 cloves of garlic

a couple handfuls of grape tomatoes, or any tomatoes, but if they are bigger, chop them

about 5 basil leaves, thinly sliced

pine nuts optional

What you'll do:

Put the rice or pasta on to cook.  Cook according to the directions.  That being said, if I'm making rice I usually will cook it in vegetable broth or toss in some chopped garlic and or onion into the pot to give it a little flavor.

While that is cooking, in the largest saute pan you have, saute the eggplant with some olive oil and a big sprinkle of salt on medium high heat.  Toss a few times.  When the eggplant is starting to get a little golden on the edges, reduce heat to medium and add in the onions.  Toss together and about 2 minutes later, reduce the heat to medium low and add in the mushrooms.  Again toss together and let cook for a few minutes.  You may have to add another drizzle of olive oil if your eggplant absorbed it all.  When the onions are soft and shiny, add in the garlic, greens (unless you are using spinach, then save it for the end), and tomatoes.  Toss together.  

When the rice/pasta is done cooking, pour it all into a large serving dish or bowl.  In the frying pan, toss in the spinach, basil, and nuts.  Gently mix it all together and pour right on top of your rice or pasta.  Serve family style.  

Of course you can always plate these individually as well. :)

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Tarts Two Ways

As promised, here are the recipes for the two tarts I made for the blogging party I just hosted.  I love making tarts!  They are super simple and always a crowd pleaser.  Now for the best tart dough ever I use my very close friend Ashley's recipe.  It's the best!  If you are terrified of making pastry dough, just cheat and use ready made puff pastry.  Don't worry, I won't tell anyone :)

My dear friend Adam Hendershott took these fabulous pictures :)

Tarts

Makes 2 tarts

Ashley's dough recipe:

2 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

6 oz. (1 1/2 sticks) butter

4 tbsp. vegetable shortening

a scant 1/2 cup iced water (a scant means just barely)

What you'll do:

Place flour, salt, sugar, butter, and shortening in a food processor.  Pulse 5-6 times, then turn the processor on, pour in all the water, then process until it forms a ball.  Add additional droplets of water as necessary.  (can also be done by hand)

Place dough on a lightly floured bowl.  With the heel of one hand, press the dough away from you, creating a smear across the board.  Do this 4-5 times.  Then gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disc.  Sprinkle with flour, wrap in wax paper, and chill: Freezer for 1 hour, or refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.

Roll out on floured board with rolling pin.

Mushroom Leek filling:

1 container of crimini mushrooms (or any mix that you like)

1 leek, trimmed and sliced

3 thyme sprigs

a pinch of salt

What you'll do:

Saute the ingredients in a frying pan with a little olive oil for just about a minute or until the mushrooms are barely softened.  Roll the dough out on a floured surface and place on a sheet of parchment paper.  Pour the whole mixture in the middle of the rolled out dough.  Fold the sides up over the mushroom mix and bake for 30-40 minutes on 350 degrees or until golden.

Eggplant filling:

1/2 eggplant slice into thin circles

1 large tomato, sliced into thin circles

a handful of basil leaves

a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella cheese

What you'll do:

Roll the dough out on a floured surface and place on a sheet of parchment paper.  Lay the basil leaves flat in the middle of the dough.  Layer the eggplant and tomatoes on top of the leaves and then sprinkle with some mozzarella cheese.  Fold the sides up over the eggplant and tomatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes on 350 degrees or until golden.

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Grilled Eggplant Rollatini

In my family, eggplant rollatini is a staple at Christmas dinner, but the traditional version includes breading and frying the eggplant.  So to keep this dish a little more healthy (and bikini season friendly) I grill the eggplant.  It makes the dish so much more light and fresh!  This dish is perfect alongside some pasta and eaten outside on a beautiful summer evening :)

PS I'm sorry I don't have a fabulous picture.... It just got too dark : (

Grilled Eggplant Rollatini

Serves 4

What you'll need:

1 large eggplant

tomato sauce (your recipe or mine)

12 basil leaves

about a cup of ricotta cheese (try making yours from scratch)

1 ball of fresh mozzarella

What you'll do:

Cut the ends off the eggplant and slice thinly lengthwise.  Place the slices in a strainer and sprinkle with salt.  Let sit for 15-20 minutes.  Make your tomato sauce by following this recipe or yours.  

**Super secret! When I make my tomato sauce in the summer, I add a secret ingredient for some bright, fresh flavor.  I dice up some sun dried tomatoes and stir them in.  They will plump up in the sauce and add the perfect amount of sweet tomato.

Back to the recipe!  Pat the eggplant dry and grill inside or outside.  Just make sure to use some olive oil on then so they don't stick.

Time to assemble: In a 9 X 9 baking dish, place about a 1/4 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom and spread around.  This will keep the eggplant from sticking to the dish.  On a flat workspace, lay a slice of eggplant out and place a basil leaf down, top that with a dollop of ricotta, followed by a piece of mozzarella.  Roll them up and place them, seam side down, in the baking dish.

When you fill the dish, cover with a few more spoonfuls of cheese and top with the rest of the mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!

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Eggplant Caprese Skewers

I had some of my family over the other day and I wanted to come up with a new twist on caprese on a stick and this is what I came up with.  I added some grilled eggplant to the mix and decided to use super long skewers to make them a little more fun!  They turned out delicious and were a big hit with my family.  I hope you enjoy as well!

Eggplant Caprese Skewers

Makes 22 skewers

What you'll need:

1 large eggplant, sliced thinly lengthwise and then cut in half, grilled and cooled

11 grape tomatoes, sliced in half

11 mini mozzarella balls, sliced in half

22 basil leaves

dressing:

1/3 balsamic vinegar 

3/4 olive oil

a pinch of sugar or agave nectar 

a pinch of salt

What you'll do:

To assemble pierce the tip of the end of an eggplant strip with a long skewer, then string on a tomato half, weave the eggplant back over and add a mozzarella piece.  Repeat, but this time weave a basil leaf in there too.  Make the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together.  You can either drizzle some over the skewers or leave it in a little bowl next to it for people to dip their skewers in.  

Enjoy!

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Tools I used:

Slicer

Skewers

Agave Nectar

Grill Pan

 

Yummy Pasta Goodness!

Yes, yes I'll admit it, I do have a slight obsession with pasta. . . Being Italian I grew up eating it all the time.  No matter what, I always indulge myself with having pasta at least once a week.  I do believe in eating healthy, but I don't believe in depriving yourself of foods you love.  I believe almost everything is fine in moderation : )  This is a pasta I came up with the last bits of food I had left in my refrigerator before I leave for my trip to North Carolina to see my little sister graduate from college!  So excited!  But it makes a perfect Sunday night pasta!

Linguini with Cheesy Eggplant and Kale
Serves 2

What you'll need:

1/2 lb. linguini pasta

1/2 onion, halved and sliced

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

1 eggplant, cubed

1 bunch kale (about 8 leaves) chopped

about 1 cup ricotta cheese

a big handful of parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

some fresh basil chopped to garnish

What you'll do:

After you dice the eggplant, place it in a strainer and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.  Let sit.  Chop the kale and place it in a bowl.  Massage about a teaspoon of salt into it.  Let sit.  Cook the pasta according to the box instructions.  While you're waiting for the water to boil, in a large pan, drizzle some olive oil and add the onions.  After about a minute, add the eggplant and cook on medium low for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.  Add in the kale, stir, then add in the ricotta cheese and a few tablespoons of the pasta water.  Mix well.  When the pasta is al dente, drain and add right into the pan.  Toss well.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  And maybe a drizzle more of olive oil.  Serve in a bowl topped with some parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Enjoy!

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Quinoa Vegetable Stack

I decided to have some of my friends over for dinner to celebrate my friend Tania's Birthday.  I asked Tania what she would like and she gave me a list of ingredients: quinoa, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, and kale.  This is what I came up with:

I love challenges like this!  Forces you to be super creative.

Tania's Quinoa Vegetable Stack

Serves 4-6

What you'll need:

1 cup of quinoa, prepared as the package instructs

a handful of pine nuts, toasted

1 eggplant, sliced into discs and grilled

about 1 cup of ricotta cheese, homemade or store bought (I like Polly-O the best)

1 zucchini, sliced lengthwise and grilled

1 head of kale, rinsed really well and massaged with 1 tbsp. salt

tomato sauce, your recipe or mine

fresh basil leaves

What you'll do:

Make your tomato sauce.  Grill your eggplant and zucchini.  At the same time, make the quinoa according to the package directions, but add in a spoonful of tomato sauce and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. (quinoa always needs a little flavor help) After it's done cooking, stir in the handful of toasted pine nuts.

Lay out your plates on the counter and begin plating.  First, put a spoonful of quinoa in the center of the plate.  Next a disc of eggplant followed by a dollop of ricotta cheese.  Then fold each slice of zucchini in half and place on top of the cheese.  Lay another disc of eggplant on top and top with the kale and a basil leaf.  Now I serve them like this and have a bowl of tomato sauce on the table for guests to ladel on top.

** massaging kale: I love raw kale; it has such a lovely texture. As weird as it sounds, yes you massage the kale.  In detail, you'll wash the kale well, chop it and place it in a bowl.  Add in some salt and massage the kale until it shrinks to about a quarter of where it started from.  To finish, rinse and drain well. That's it.

Tools I used:

Grill Pan

Colander

Check out "Things I Love" for more fun stuff!

Mini Eggplant Timbale

An Eggplant Timbale is a very traditional Italian dish that has been around as long as spaghetti and meatballs. It is like a big meat and pasta pie with an eggplant crust. . . I guess that's the best I can do to describe it. But yes, normally it's like a large pie that your slice up.  I've been thinking about how to change up this dish forever and it finally hit me this morning when I was thinking about romantic food for Valentines Day.  I was going to make them mini!  Well, individual portions that is.  They are so much prettier when you plate them!  And of course I left out all the meat. (which if you like you can add back in) One of the best things about this recipe is that you can make them ahead of time, keep them in the frigde and pop them in the oven when you are ready for dinner : )

It's like a little present you get to unwrap for dinner!

 
Mini Eggplant Timable

Makes 4 (10 oz.) ramekins 

What you'll need:

2 eggplants

1/2 lb. pasta

marinara sauce (homemade or your favorite)

about 1 cup of ricotta cheese (store bought or homemade)

a small handful of shredded mozzarella

a few handfuls of shredded parmesan

fresh basil

What you'll do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, sprinkle with salt and lay in a colander.   Let it rest for about 15 minutes.  Using a grill pan, grill the eggplant.  While the eggplant is grilling, cook the pasta according to the package.  Drain the pasta and toss with enough marinara sauce to coat it.  Ok, now for assembling.

Grease the ramekins with cooking spray.  Lay the eggplant in the the ramekins so they hang over the lip like this:

Next sprinkle a generous amount of mozzarella and parmesan cheese on the bottom. Fill up halfway with pasta.  Add a couple spoonfuls of ricotta cheese.

Scoop in some more pasta and press down.  Next, tightly fold the eggplant "flaps" over the top of the pasta going clockwise.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place a plate upside down on top of the ramekin.  Carefully flip over.  Tap the ramekin and pull it off.  The timbale should slide right out.  Garnish with some marinara sauce, parmesan and fresh basil.

Serve immediately.

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Tools I used:

Ramekins

 

 

 

Mediterranean Vegetable Wraps

These pretty little wraps are perfect for a party or get together!  They are easy to make, easy to assemble and delicious!  

Mediterranean Vegetable Wraps

Makes 24 mini wraps

What you'll need:

6 large tortillas {I used the spinach flavored green ones}

herbed cream cheese {chive and onion, spinach and artichoke, whatever you like}

1 eggplant, sliced in rounds and grilled

4 zucchini, sliced and grilled

2 red bell peppers, roasted {or you can cheat here and buy a jar of roasted peppers}

6 oz. of fresh spinach

12 basil leaves

What you'll do:

Lay out one tortilla on a flat work surface.  spread with cream cheese all the way to the edges.  It will work as the glue to keep it together.  Place about 4 slices of the grilled eggplant down the center of the tortilla.  Next layer about 5 zucchini on the diagonal over the eggplant.  Then comes the roasted pepper placed on top.  You should be looking like this:

Place a few basil leaves on top of the peppers.  Next put a few handfuls of spinach on the bottom third of the tortilla.  Starting at the spinach heavy end, tightly roll the tortilla and all the veggies up.  slice off the edges so they look neat and slice into quarters.  Secure with a toothpick.

Serve cold to room temperature.  Enjoy!

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Eggplant Burgers

I've been craving veggie burgers and I'm always looking for new creative ways of making them.  So, I looked to the fridge and found an eggplant. . . I said, "Why not?"  

  So here's what I did:

Eggplant Burgers

Makes about 5 burgers

What you'll need:

1 eggplant, diced into 1 inch cubes

5 cloves of garlic, chopped (less if you don't like garlic)

1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, de-seeded and diced

about 5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

a small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

a small handful of shredded parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. flour (whole wheat if you've got it)

1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs

What you'll do:

In a medium frying pan on medium low heat, drizzle a couple tablespoons of olive oil over the cubed eggplant and sprinkle with some salt.  Toss to coat.  Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often.  Cook until you can smash the eggplant easily with the back of a fork.  Mash and add garlic.  Cook for an additional minute and remove from heat.  Let cool.

In a large bowl, pour in the mostly cooled eggplant and all the other ingredients.  Start with the 1/4 cup bread crumbs and add more as you need it.  The burger should be moist, but not too sticky.

To form the patties, my favorite way is to use plastic wrap and a small tupperware.  Find a tupperware that's bottom is about the right round size for the burger.  Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over it letting the edges hang out the sides.  Place some burger in the tupperware and press into shape with a rubber scrapper.  Using the plastic hanging over the edges as handles, lift the burger out of the mold and wrap with the rest of the plastic wrap.

Place in the freezer and continue with the rest of the burgers.

Let the burgers rest in the freezer for about 30 minutes to a week. (this is a fabulous make ahead meal)

To cook, place a little olive oil in a frying pan and place unwrapped burger on top.  Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side.  Try not to flip too many times.  These burgers are on the fragile side.

Serve with some caramelized onions or fresh tomato or a pesto aioli.

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Slow Cooked Eggplant Parmesan

So incase you hadn't realized by now, eggplant is one of my favorite things in the world to eat!  And I love experimenting with it!  Today, I decided to make a more "healthy" version of eggplant parm.  So this recipe involves no frying and no breadcrumbs!  It does have some Béchamel sauce in it, which can be omitted if you choose.  What is béchamel you ask, it's a white creamy sauce with some French, Greek and Italian heritage.  One of the most delicious things about this technique is that cooks for a much longer time on a lower temperature to make it so tender, nice and yummy!!  So dig in!

 
No Fry Eggplant Parmesan

Serves 4

What you'll need:

1 eggplant

tomato sauce (homemade recipe) 

béchamel sauce (recipe below)

a handful of basil

1 ball of fresh mozzarella (shredded will work too if that's all you have)

a couple handfuls of parmesan cheese (please not green containers)

What you'll do:

Slice the eggplant lengthwise, salt and set to drain. (if you have questions, see here)  While it's setting, make the tomato sauce and béchamel sauce.  Here is how to make béchamel:

What you'll need:

2 1/2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

2 cups milk

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

What you'll do:

 

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

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pot until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1/4 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 to cool until ready to use.  The sauce will turn very thick.

Ok, back to the assembly!  So preheat the oven to 300 degrees.  

Take a 8 x 8 baking dish and dollop a large spoonful of tomato sauce in and spread around the bottom to cover.  Lay one layer of eggplant in next.  Spoon a couple teaspoons of tomato sauce on top of the eggplant and spread around.  Add a few basil leaves and then drizzle some béchamel sauce all over.  Add another layer of eggplant and repeat.  The top layer should be the béchamel sauce.  Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 2 hours or until the eggplant is fork tender.  When it is tender, top with the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Stick it back in the oven under the broiler until the cheese melts.

Serve warm alone or with some pasta : )

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