I recently read a post on Instagram from someone who baked eggplant without oil and of course I had to try it because roasted eggplant is usually so greasy and mushy. These little beauties come out crispy and are great plain but they are also fabulous stacked with tomato sauce and pesto! Continue reading “Oil Free Baked Eggplant + Eggplant Pesto Stacks”
This is my little baby crop of basil that I grew in a Greenbo planter on my railing. Today I turned it into two of my favorite sauces: pesto and roasted tomato sauce. Here are the recipes.
Pesto
1 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 garlic clove
Pinch of salt
Place all ingredients into the processor and let it rip until incorporated. Use on pizza, toast or pasta.
Roasted Tomato Basil Sauce
2 lbs. red and yellow tomatoes
1 big onion
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt, a few pinches
1/2 cup fresh basil
Cut the tomatoes and onion into quarters and peel the garlic. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and roast in a 350 oven until soft, about 30 minutes.
Add all of the ingredients, including any juices, into the Vitamix or blender, add the basil, and let it rip. Process for 30 seconds or longer depending on how chunky you like your sauce.
Freeze any leftovers. Enjoy!
This is by far my most favorite sauce I make. Velvety tomatoes with a little kick. Personally, I like it chunky but if you prefer a smoother sauce, like my husband, run it through a Foley Mill.
serves 2
4 beautiful red ripe summer tomatoes
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of good organic tomato paste
Red pepper flakes, big pinch
Sea salt, big pinch
Spaghetti, enough for 2 people
Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Make an “X” on the bottom of each tomato. Set up an ice bath.
When the water is boiling, drop the tomatoes in and keep them in there for 30 seconds. Drop right into the ice bath. When the tomatoes are cool, peel the skin off. Next, core and de-seed the tomatoes and chop them up. Set aside.
Dice the onion. Drop into a sauté pan along with a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes. Dry sauté until the onions start to stick and then add a bit of water to deglaze the pan. Cook until the onions become translucent. (Use oil if you prefer.)
Grate the garlic with a microplane or press in a garlic press and add to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Two minutes is slightly arbitrary. Remember, cooking is an art,not a science, and you just have to keep an eye and nose out for what makes sense. The garlic should be getting soft and smell really good.
Add the tomato paste and stir around to coat the onions and garlic.
Get the pasta going.
Add the tomatoes and a splash of water (so that the pan is not dry). Turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Cover and after a few minutes, reduce the heat. Cook for 15 minutes or so until it looks good enough to eat.
When the pasta is almost al dente, use tongs to drop it into the sauté pan. Toss well with tongs and cook together for another minute or two. This enables the pasta to soak up some sauce and finish cooking.
Serve in a big bowl with extra sauce on top. Enjoy!
