Summer Vegetable Pasta

Ok, ladies and gentlemen. I know what asparagus does to some of you, and I have the same problem. But I love it, and wouldn't give it up for the world.

This pasta is simple, so I won't adorn this post with a lot of photos, either.

Ingredients
3 cloves of garlic
1 red onion
Bunch of asparagus, bases cut off and cut into thirds.
1 bell pepper
3 or 4 tomatoes
Basil
Olive Oil
Sweet/Bell Pepper
Salt
Hard, Salty Italian Cheese (I usually use Parmesan, but for some reason the only Parm at the store today was $7.00 for a tiny piece. FroGro had some Pepato that was just as delicious and half the price of their Parmesan).
Pasta (I used orechiette)

Method
1. Mince garlic and chop onion, sautee until cooked but not brown.
2. Precook the asparagus for about 1:30 minute in the microwave, then add to the pan with the onion and garlic.
3. Start boiling water for pasta, and cut the bell pepper into bite-sized pieces.
4. Add the pepper to the pan, chop the tomatoes and basil.
5. Add olive oil if necessary.
6. When water is boiling, add pasta and cook. Orechietti take about 10 minutes.
7. After pasta has cooked, drain and add a bit of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking.
8. Turn down temperature in the frying pan and add tomatoes and basil, salt and pepper. Cook just slightly, for about three minutes.
9. Plate the pasta, then the sauce, and grate the cheese on top of it.

Marinated Caprese

For lunch today I made a variation on a Caprese Salad that normally consists of Mozzarella, Basil, Tomato, and Olive Oil arranged artfully on a plate in a sort of card-flipping-trick fashion.

This one, however, is a more eclectic version that Ben showed me how to make last summer; he in turn learned it from an old Italian grandma he lived with for a few months one summer. I love it, and not just because it has balsamic vinegar and onions which intensify the flavor, but because it keeps well for a number of days (in the fridge), and if you're very careful, the olive oil and vinegar and salt leech out liquid from the tomatoes and gain fragrance from the basil and onion, making a wonderful salad dressing that you can use after the cheese and tomatoes themselves are gone! For a packrat like me, the idea that part of a meal I make on Saturday could live until next Saturday makes me squeal with glee.

You'll need:

Plenty of fresh basil
Two small balls of mozzarella
Four or Five tomatoes, depending on size
One red onion
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

The directions are simple. Cut everything up into similar-sized pieces (mixed food, like macaroni salads and stir-fries, are supposed to be more aesthetically pleasing when the ingredients have some sort of internal coherence or something. I don't know if this is really true, but it makes it a lot easier to eat, and that's what I like about it), drizzle on a good glog of olive oil and a helping of balsamic.

I know, I know. The "tender flavor" of mozzarella is supposed to be coddled and cared for rather than covered with loads of pepper and vinegar. "Bah!" I say! In this recipe, the delicateness doesn't so much disappear as it does put on a beautiful ball gown and go out dancing. In loads and loads of delicious Juice. Mmmm...

Roman Style Pizza

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Activate the yeast in the warm water combined with sugar. Mix in oil and warm water with the yeast and sugar. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.
2. Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Toppings (favourites from Frano and Cristina's in Rome):

neopolitan

• tomato sauce (we used a leftover ratatouille with peppers and spices)
• buffalo mozzarella
• fresh tomatoes, sliced
• mushrooms, sliced
• Italian seasoning
• basil (add this toward the end of the baking process or it will get too crispy)
• salt

potato-rosemary

• boiled potatoes, sliced
• fresh rosemary
• pepper
• salt

vegetarian lasagna

2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbs chopped fresh oregano
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ground cayenne pepper or red pepper.
12-14 lasagna noodles, or 8 lasagna noodles and a 1/2 cup of rigatoni
9 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While it is heating:
3. Mix zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, onion, 1/2 of the mozzarella, and the feta cheese.
4. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
5. Add basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper(s).
6. Boil lasagna noodles for 3-4 minutes, then put four on the bottom layer of a 8x10 glass baking pan.
7. Layer tomatoes on top of the noodles, and spinach/vegetable mixture on top of that.
8. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and then place noodles on top of the cheese.
9. Create another layer of tomatoes, vegetable mixture, and noodles.
10. Add the remainder of the veggies and cover with mozzarella cheese.
11. Bake for about 45 minutes, or a little longer if the noodles/vegetables don't seem done.

Serve with olive tapenade and spelt toast :), and best when enjoyed with an episode of Battlestar Galactica.