While watching one of my favorite favorite Food Network shows, Giada at Home, I got fixated on an eggplant pasta dish she was making. I always admire Giada's pasta creations and this one involved a combination of eggplant and pesto. The idea of it was appealing to me because it used fresh vegetables and a homemade sauce instead of anything processed. I liked how she thinned out the pesto with some pasta water that made it more saucy. Using eggplant in this dish was great since it's such a hearty and satisfying vegetable. Cooking it on medium - high heat for about 10 minutes really softened it up and the texture reminded me of a good caponata. You really have to love eggplant to enjoy this dish, and if you'd like to incorporate a non-veggie spin, you can certainly add ground turkey, beef or chicken. I put some Pecorino Romano cheese on top but I used a lot less of it than what the recipe called for. Giada encourages you to use it in the pasta before adding the eggplant, but I just put a modest amount on top. It's a good way to cut out unnecessary calories and fat. Enjoy the recipe and feel free to come up with your own variations. The key is to use really good, fresh ingredients.
I love the fall season - not only because of all the gorgeous colors on trees but also because I get to indulge in rich, comforting foods. As I've mentioned before, squash is a favorite seasonal vegetable of mine and any dishes that incorporate it make my mouth water. So when I saw the following recipe in Martha Stewart's Everyday Food mag (November edition), I just had to try it.
Using fresh ingredients such as butternut squash, sage and good cheese, it's hard to go wrong when making this--especially on cold, rainy nights. The preparation could get a bit messy but in the end it's worth it. I'd like to incorporate meat next time (maybe turkey), as this was a purely vegetarian dish. A way I changed it is that I substituted whole wheat pasta for plain white. Try it and tell me how you like it.
Squash, Sage and Ricotta Cannelloni
Ingredients (serves 4)
3 tbs of olive oil, plus more for baking dish and sheet
Coarse salt and ground pepper
8 wide lasagna noodles - the recipe recommends using wide lasagna noodles instead of regular. I didn't have that so I used regular and rolled the filling into the lasagna. As a result, mine looked more like pinwheels rather than cannelloni and that was fine with me
1/2 butternut squash (about 1 lb), peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch chunks
2 shallots, chopped
1/4 cup plus 2 tbs of milk
1 tsp finely chopped fresh sage leaves, plus 8-10 whole leaves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups ricotta cheese (15 oz)
3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 2 quart or 8 inch square baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Using tongs, transfer pasta to a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. Add squash to boiling water and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain squash and transfer to a bowl.
In a small skillet, heat 1 tbs of oil over medium heat. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with squash and add 2 tbs milk, chopped sage, and nutmeg; season with salt and pepper. Mash with fork until a rough puree forms.
Spread 1/4 cup squash mixture cross-wide down the middle of each lasagna noodle; roll up noodle and place, seam side down, in baking dish. In a bowl, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup parmesan, and 1/4 cup of milk and season with salt and pepper. Spread ricotta mixture over cannelloni and top with 1/4 cup parmesan. Bake until warmed through, about 25 minutes. Broil until top is browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile in a small skillet, heat 2 tbs of oil over medium-high heat. Fry whole sage leaves until crispy, 15 to 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Serve cannelloni with fried sage.
