Caponata

Caponata is this awesome Sicilian eggplant dish which, basically, is a cooked vegetable salad. Traditionally, the eggplant is fried first, then stewed in a sweet/sour/spicy sauce (otherwise known as agrodolce) with celery; that's the recipe at it's most basic. From all of the reading I've done, it seems that different areas have different variations on the dish which is part of the reason I love it so much... it lends itself beautifully to experimentation. This version happens to be MY favorite way to prepare it, but again, it's such a forgiving dish and you can adapt it to your individual tastes so easily. Plus, the cooking method is pretty easy to change up as well; I prefer to roast my eggplant instead of frying it (uses so much less oil that way!).

Caponata

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant, diced into 1-1.5" cubes
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, diced (I like using shallots here, but didn't have any on hand this time)
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbs. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. dried basil
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
generous pinch of red pepper flakes (of course you can use more, but I've made this dish too hot before and considering it tastes better the longer it sets, consider that the heat level increases the longer it sets)
salt & pepper, to taste
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium yellow squash, diced
1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (you can really use any form of tomato here- and I have- but I have to admit I really liked the consistency of using the crushed)
1 cup broth (veggie or chicken, whatever floats your boat)
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar (use more for a tangier/more sour sauce, or less if you'd rather tone it down)
1 Tbs. brown sugar (again, use more/less as you like to suit your own tastes)
1/4 cup raisins (traditionally, golden raisins are used, but it really doesn't make a difference)
1 Tbs. capers, drained (this is another traditional ingredient, but I don't always have them on hand- it tastes fine without them)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray, spread out the cubed eggplant, and either spritz with more cooking spray or drizzle with some olive oil. Sprinkle on salt & pepper, then bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, stirring at least once, until eggplant is soft and light golden brown.

Meanwhile, in a large pot over medium-low heat, cook the onion, celery, carrots, and red peppers in olive oil until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in all of the spices, stirring to coat, before dropping in the squash and zucchini. Cook for another 1-2 minutes until the spices are very fragrant, then add in the tomato puree, broth, red wine vinegar, and sugar. Continue to simmer over medium-low heat, until the vegs are softened but not complete mush, about 15-20 minutes. About this time, the eggplant should be ready to come out of the oven and can be added into the stew along with the raisins and capers. If it seems a little too dry after adding the eggplant, you can always add in more broth or even a splash of water to give it room to groove. Depending on what consistency you're after, you can continue to simmer the stew for another 10-20 minutes until the vegs and eggplant have cooked down to practically nothing; or you can shut off the heat, clamp on a lid, and let it cool at this point which is what I do. The eggplant will absorb all that yummy sauce while retaining some of it's texture, the raisins will plump up, and the longer you let it sit, the better it gets. Serve it at room temperature, hot, or cold- it's damn good however you eat it. Serve it as a side dish, over pasta, or my personal favorite is to eat it with meatballs or Italian sausages. This freezes beautifully... if you actually have any leftover. ;)

Enjoy!

Autumn Gardener's Pie (aka Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie)

Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made with minced lamb and vegetables in gravy, topped with mashed potatoes. (Shepherds herd sheep... makes sense, right?) What I grew up eating was made with ground beef instead of lamb, which is actually called Cottage Pie, even though it is still commonly referred to as Shepherd's Pie and I daresay that's what most people think of when Shepherd's Pie is mentioned. When I started making the dish for myself, it was always with ground turkey or chicken instead of beef, and the mashed potatoes frequently had parsnips, turnips, or cauliflower mixed in. Delicious, yes. But in the last few years, I've discovered just how easy it is to translate this dish into a vegetarian one, both as a single size casserole like today's recipe, or a larger casserole to feed a crowd as I've brought to work several times to share with the techs. Either way, it measures up to the traditional recipe, and it's incredibly easy to throw together since it's made with ingredients I always have in my pantry and fridge/freezer.

Autumn Gardener's Pie (aka Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie)

Ingredients:

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 small onion, diced (I was out of shallots which would've been my go-to, so I used frozen instead)

eggplant, diced (I had some leftover in the freezer)

1 carrot, peeled and diced

2 sun dried tomatoes, diced (I like the sweetness these add)

1 small zucchini, diced (fresh or frozen, whatever you have on hand)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

pinch of dill

salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbs. AP flour

1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

2 ounces of tofu, previously baked (I had some leftover in the fridge, otherwise I probably would've left this out)

1/4 cup sweet corn (I always have this in the freezer)

1/4 cup peas (again, always in the freezer)

dash of Worcestershire sauce

8 ounces butternut squash, diced (I had a bag in the freezer which made it super easy)

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

sprinkle of Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the onion, eggplant, carrot, tomatoes, zucchini, and all spices (except nutmeg) in olive oil for 6-8 minutes, until slightly softened. Sprinkle in the flour, stir to coat the vegetables, and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes before adding the vegetable stock. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a bubble, stirring for 3-5 minutes until "gravy" has thickened. Add in the tofu, corn, peas, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, then turn off the heat and allow everything to come together.

Meanwhile, in a separate pot, cook the butternut squash in a small amount of water (omit water if using frozen like I did) until heated through and soft enough to mash, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat, mash with a fork, and stir in the nutmeg.

Pour the veggie mixture into an individual size casserole dish and top with the mashed butternut squash. Sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until the top is slightly browned. Cool for at least 15 minutes before diving in.

Enjoy!