Tossed Green Salad
Grilled Eggplant
Farmer's Market Green Beans
Lemon Ricotta Fusilli
Grilled Eggplant
There are many varieties of this late summer vegetable. Depending on the type of eggplant and its freshness, it sometimes needs to be "degorged," meaning salted and rinsed with water to remove the bitterness. I have found that Japanese eggplants (which tend to be smaller and more narrow) are usually less bitter and more tender than the larger Italian eggplants. I have also found that the older the eggplant is, the more bitter it is. Fresh eggplants are firm to the touch and if cooked within a day or two should not need to be salted and rinsed. When I do feel the need, or have the extra time, I slice the eggplant, line on a baking sheet, salt generously and let sit for about 1 hour. I use a paper towel to absorb the water that is extracted from the eggplant. Here, I did not salt the eggplant prior to grilling and could not taste any bitterness in the dish. So the debate - to salt or not to salt? I leave it up to you.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 large Italian Eggplant or 2 medium Japanese Eggplants
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
Slice the eggplant lengthwise 1/4 inch thick and brush with the olive oil. Season the eggplant with half of the salt and pepper.
Meanwhile oil a grill pan and preheat over medium heat for 2 minutes. Place the eggplant slices on the hot grill pan and cook the eggplant 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the eggplant begins turn translucent in color and there are dark brown grill marks. Work in batches if necessary. Transfer the hot eggplant to a large plate or platter and immediately season with the remaining salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped parsley over the eggplant. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Farmer's Market Green Beans
The beautiful purple green beans actually turned green when cooked.
Cooking Green Beans
I don’t always care to blanch (cook in boiling water and immediately cool in ice water) my vegetables for two reasons. One- because it means I have one more bowl to clean, and two- because I don’t always like super crisp vegetables. I often prefer to cook my vegetables in boiling water until tender, then drain the water and let the vegetables steam in the hot pan until the rest of my dinner is ready to serve. There are certainly more exotic things to do with green beans, or any vegetable for that matter, but when I buy fresh produce from the farmer’s market, like these green beans, I actually want to taste the green beans and prefer a touch of good olive oil, salt and pepper. There is no recipe but merely my method.
Fill a medium size pan with water and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt to the water. Once the water has come to a boil add the green beans and cook until tender, about 7-8 minutes, or cook longer if you prefer more cooked green beans. Test the green beans with a fork and either use the lid to drain the water from the green beans or drain the green beans in a colander and return the green beans back into the hot pan. Season the green beans with salt and fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Lemon zest is also a nice subtle addition as well. Serve warm.
Lemon Ricotta Fusilli
This pasta is so good and creamy, yet also has a refreshing lemony scent. I make this simple dish often, because with only a few ingredients I can make the sauce in the time it takes to cook the pasta.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound Fusilli (corkscrew) pasta
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta, at room temperature
- zest and juice of one lemon (preferably organic)
- 1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon of fresh grated nutmeg
It is best if the ricotta is not ice cold out of the refrigerator, however the ricotta cannot be heated much or it will become very runny. It is best if the ricotta is at room temperature, or you can put the ricotta in a microwave proof bowl and heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fusilli pasta to the boiling water and cook until a dente; meaning that the pasta has a ‘bite’ to it without being chalky in the middle, about 10 minutes.
In a large serving bowl mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta noodles and immediately add to the ricotta mixture along with the 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water. Toss all the ingredients together and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm.
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