Eggplant Linguine Limonetta

Linguine is my favorite pasta - so tender and so flavorful.  I wanted to make something with it today and had to use the eggplant but did not want to make the standard Eggplant Parmesan dish. So, instead of using tomato based sauce which is used in the Eggplant Parmesan, I used Lemon Butter and Parsley with the Parmesan cheese.  But the best part was making up the name for this dish. Eh! Why not!

Ingredients and Method:

2 Baby Eggplants
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
4 mushrooms, washed and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
Red pepper flakes
1/3 cup cream of chicken or asparagus (for vegetarian)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Generous portion of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup White wine
Fresh parsley leaves, washed and chopped
Salt and Black pepper
Linguine pasta (I used about 1/4th of a whole standard box)
2 tbsp Butter for the sauce and some more


Pasta Prep: Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Set aside.

1. EGGPLANT:
Wash the eggplants. Cut and discard the stems. Cut the eggplants into small disc shape. Soak them in water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse pat dry.  Season with olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.  Toss well. Heat oil in a non stick pan. Place them without overcrowding them and sear them on each side (on medium heat) for about 10 minutes. Do not cover and cook. And def initely do not overbrown them.

2. COOKING THE VEGETABLES:
Prep all the remaining vegetables as written above. Heat butter in a flat bottom stainless steel skillet. Add the vegetables and sautee. Cook until tender. Set aside. The vegetable bits will have stuck to the pan. To loosen them add some wine and using a spatula loosen the stuck bits. Add handful of chopped parsley.  Turn the heat off while you prepare the sauce in the next step.

4. SAUCE:
In a bowl, whisk together, the cream of chicken or asparagus, with the lemon juice, lemon zest, and remainder of the wine.  Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a small stockpot. Add the cream of chicken or cream of asparagus concoction you just made (above) to the pot and keep stirring until its well incorporated. Add worcestershre sauce and red pepper flakes. Add all of this back to the flat bottom pan where you made the vegetables (step 2). Add back the vegetables to the pan and mix well.  Add the linguine to the pan and toss until the sauce is well incorporated with the pasta.

5. Pour the linguine with the sauce you just made at the bottom of a oven safe baking dish. Line the roasted eggplant on the top.  Top it off with freshly grated or grated parmesan cheese (do not use parmesan powder). 

6. FINAL STEP:
Preheat the oven to 350F.  Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted.  Serve hot!


Note:
1. I also added some mexican four cheese blend on the top as shown in the picture.
2. Zest is basically the shavings of a lemon.  Using a grater, grate the outer part of a lemon. 
3. And no, you cannot substitute LIME for LEMON in this dish.

Southwestern Salsa Verde Soup

Southwestern Salsa Verde Soup

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt
Black Pepper
1/4 cup cream of Asparagus
1/2 cup corn, roasted
1/2 cup black beans, roasted
1 zucchini, peeled and pan roasted
1 Chicken tenderloin (Cut into bite size pieces)
Lime juice
Cilantro
Italian seasonings

1. Heat oil. Add the garlic and roast till fragrant.  Add the onions and let brown. Add the carrots and bell peppers and cook for about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of store bought green salsa or salsa verde. Stir and let cook for few minutes.  Add 1/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth and mix well.  Let cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

2. Now add the cream of asparagus, 1/2 tsp red chlli powder, salt, black pepper, and mix well.  Let cook for another 5 to 8 minutes. As this base thicken, add 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock to prevent the base from burning.  Set aside to cool.

3. Heat butter in a pan. Add zuchinni (chopped in small bite size pieces). Roast uncovered until tender and brown.  Add corn and black beans and continue pan tossing and roasting them. Add a pinch of chopped cilantro and toss again. Set aside.

4. Now its time to puree the base that we made earlier. Puree the base in a food processor.  Use some stock to loosen it up if its too thick. 

5. Add the base on the roasted vegetables in the pan itself. Add 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock and mix well making sure that the base doesnt stick to the pan.  Add the chicken pieces.  Add another 1/2 to 1 cup if you feel the soup is too thick. Bring to rolling boil. Chicken tenderloins should cook by now but just check for doneness to make sure.

6. Garnish with lime juice and Italian seasonings.

Note: I added the chicken so late in the process to prevent the chicken from getting too tough. You can add it a litle earlier if you wish.

Butter Toasted Asparagus with Almonds

New to cooking? This is an easy as easy can get recipe but oh so yummy as well. The butter really does the trick. I use margarine but you can do butter if you wish.

Method and Ingredients:

Bunch of Asparagus (about 10 stems)
1/2 medium onion, sliced lengthwise
1/2 small tomato, sliced lengthwise
1/4 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder
Salt/black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (as per your heat level)
Slivered almonds (1 tbsp)

1. Wash the asparagus really well especially the tips. Trim the end of the asparaugus (tough part) at the bottom of the asparagus.
2. Heat some butter, okay a lot of butter!! Add sliced onions, tomato, and asparagus.
3. Cover and let cook for 3 minutes on low heat.
4. Uncover, add salt, black pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and onion powder. Toss well. Add the slivered almonds.
5. Cover and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. I like my asparagus wth a little bite to it. So adjust cooking time accordingly.

The key to this dish is makng sure that the asparagus does not overcook. Also, towards the end I turn the heat up right before serving the dish. This somewhat chars the seasonings stuck to the bottom of the pan and the charred seasonings give the asparagus a great flavor.  I recomment makng this dish in a non stick pan.

Serve as a vegetable side dish to you main entree.

Chick-n-Asparagus Casserole

2 cups Egg Noodles
2 tbsp butter
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 to 4 serrano peppers
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 of 10 oz can Cream of Corn
1 10oz can of Cream of Celery Soup
2/3 cup cooked chicken (Skip chicken for a vegetarian recipe)
2/3 cup black beans, canned
Dash of garlic powder and parsley
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp All purpose flour (if needed)
1 bunch of Asparagus, washed, patted dry, and stemmed
Shredded cheese, Mexican blend preferred
Fried onions (optional)

Melt butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and serrano peppers and sautee until onions turn brown.  Add the tomato sauce and mix. Let the mixture cook and reduce a bit (3 to 4 minutes).  Add the cream of celery soup and stir well. Let it come to a boil stirring frequently.  Now add the cooked chicken, black beans, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, garlic powder, and parsley.  Continue cooking for a few minutes and let cool a little bit.  If the mix appears watery, then add 2 tbsps of all purpose flour to the pot and stir constantly to mix it in. Make sure there are no lumps.  This will thicken the mixture a little.

In a flat pan, heat some olive oil or butter and lay the asparaugs flat.  Add some salt and black pepper.  Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat. Do not cover and cook and do not overcook as this will go on the casserole and cook some more in the oven.

Cook the egg noodles as per packet instructions (about 5 minutes for 2 cups of noodles). Drain the noodles and drizzle some olive oil. Toss and set aside. 

Preheat the over at 350F.  Grease a round 8 inch baking pan.  Add the noodles in the pan.  Pour the prepared mixture over the noodles.  Sprinkle cheese generously on the top so that all the noodles are covered.  Now line the asparagus as shown.  Sprinkle some fried onions on the top (optional). Bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot. Keep hot sauce handy !!

Asparagus with Mung Dal Sabji

Well - We just welcomed a beautiful baby girl in our family - Baby Sayana. And mommy Avanti needed some nutritious food to get her going. So I thought why not make her some Asparagus. It is dense in antioxidants, folate, vitamin C and calcium - all the things a recovering mother would need. Throw some mung dal in the mix and we got a nutrition party going on over here! Who says healthy food cannot be tasty!!

Ingredients and Method:

1. Heat oil for tempering 

2. Add 1/4 tsp rai or mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp jeera or cumin seeds - let it sputter

3. Add a dash of asafoedita and 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

4. Right away add 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions and sautee really well until translucent but not too brown

5. Add kokum (optional)

6. Add about 1/4 cup yellow mung dal (this should be kind of precooked in the microwave with enough water to cover it. Run it about 5 mins. Check for water add if water has dried and run it again for another few minutes until cooked)

7 Add the mung dal to the pan and sautee and mix well

8. Add finely chopped aspargus (see how i cut it in circles in the picture)

9. Add 1/4 tsp coriander powder and 1/4 tsp cumin powder
10. Add finely chopped tomoatoes towards the end for color
11. Add some sugar and salt
12. Mix well and serve hot.

Tip: Asparagus cooks really fast so do not walk away from the stove. It should not take more than 5 to 8 minutes. I like mine a bit on the crunchy side but if you like it cooked a bit more, adjust your cooking time.