When we got our apartment in Rome, it appeared to have no refrigerator.  Luckily, it was just a modern, newly-equipped-from-Ikea apartment, and the refrigerator door simply looked like another kitchen cupboard…..a small one…..a really small one. 

It was apparent that my grocery shopping habits would have to change.  There would be no more “stocking up” on anything.  Grocery shopping happened nearly every day, every two days at the most….all done on foot…..to find nothing but super fresh ingredients everywhere.  So, I started cooking fresher and smaller.  Our meals tasted better and rarely did I make more than we could eat as not only was there not much room in the fridge for leftovers, but we also didn’t have a microwave for reheating.

Now, that I’m living in the U.S. again, I find myself slowing reverting to my old ways.  I am continuing to cook with fresh ingredients, but I do find that sometimes, I simply buy too much food.  Last night, when it was time to start cooking dinner at 8:00 pm (We have not reverted to eating early), I wandered over to the fridge to figure out what to make and found I had leftovers that needed using up.  The surprise result was a really delicious chicken/vegetable pasta dish which I shall now call………wait for it……..

“Irene’s Chicken/Vegetable Pasta”.  Sometimes, I am too clever for words.

Here’s your list of ingredients:
Pasta
Olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
A yellow zucchini, sliced
Onions, chopped (onions and garlic are ALWAYS available in my kitchen)
Sundried tomatoes, cut into slivers (another pantry staple)
Dried Italian herbs
Salt and pepper
A pinch of red pepper flakes
A glug of white wine
Leftover rotisserie chicken, shredded
Leftover cooked bacon, chopped (because I’d had a craving for BLT’s a few days ago.  If I didn’t have any leftover bacon, I’d use pancetta which I always have in the fridge.)
Some kalamata olives
Feta cheese

Let’s get started:
Put your pasta water on to boil and while you’re waiting, chop up your ingredients.
When the water comes to a boil, toss in a good amount of coarse salt, stir to dissolve, add your pasta and cook to al dente.

In a large sauté pan, drizzle some olive oil, throw in the smashed garlic clove and rub it around. 
When the oil is hot, add the zukes, onions and sundried tomato slivers.  (Add pancetta here if you don’t happen to have leftover cooked bacon.)
Sprinkle over a pinch of dried Italian herbs, salt and pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. 
When your vegetables are wilting and just beginning to brown, discard the garlic clove and pour in a glug of white wine.  Let it cook off.
Now toss in your shredded chicken, chopped cooked bacon and kalamata olives.  Stir to mix and add your hot, cooked pasta.  If it all appears too dry, add a spoonful of hot pasta water.  

Stir again to mix, adjust seasonings and toss with crumbled feta cheese.  Dinner’s ready!  Buon appetito!

I know.  This is my second recipe featuring eggplant.  I told you.  I’m in love with the stuff.  I always thought eggplant parmesan was one of those Americanized Italian foods.  But it’s not!  I ate it quite a few times while living in Italy; and it was always delicious.

My favorite place to eat it is on the beach.  I know that sounds kind of strange, but down in Positano, on our favorite beach, we thank our lucky stars if the owner’s mama decides to make eggplant parmesan on a day we’re there.  I’ve been trying to emulate her recipe ever since. 

Here’s your list of ingredients:

Eggplant
Salt
Olive oil
*Tomato sauce 
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Parmesan, grated 

*A word about the tomato sauce:
I simply drizzle a little olive oil in a saucepot and add a smashed garlic clove.  Rub it around in the oil to flavor it and toss it out when it browns.  Now add a can of good Italian tomato sauce (or chopped tomatoes in puree) to the hot oil and season with a good pinch of dried Italian herbs and a good pinch of salt.  Tomato sauce done.  I use this sauce for everything.

Remember how we had to make our eggplant sweat for the caponata recipe?  We’re going to do the same thing here to keep the eggplant parmesan from getting too watery.  Let’s get started.

Slice your eggplant into slices about ½ inch thick.  Lay them out on paper towels and sprinkle liberally with salt.  Let them sit there for about 30 minutes. Get the oven going to 400 degrees, and work on slicing your mozzarella.   When you see good beads of sweat forming on the eggplant slices, flip them over quickly so the paper towel absorbs all the sweat beads and some of the salt as well.

Now transfer the slices to parchment paper covered cookie sheets to roast in the oven.  Brush them lightly with a bit of olive oil. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until they get golden and shriveled looking, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and let the layering begin!

In an oven-proof baking dish, place a spoonful of tomato sauce, just to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of eggplant followed by a layer of mozzarella cheese slices.  Spoon some tomato sauce over the top and repeat the layers.  I usually make two layers before covering the whole thing with grated parmesan.

Pop the baking dish into the oven for about 30 minutes.  When it comes out, let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting into it.  Serve up beautiful squares of this ooey-gooey yumminess with a nice loaf of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce. You'll want to perform “la scarpetta” or the little shoe; the act of sopping up a good sauce with bread (to me, this is the ultimate sign that my guests enjoyed their meal!).  Buon Appetito!

Put that jar of pesto back on the grocery shelf.  Step away.  There is simply NO reason to buy pesto (unless it’s the dead of winter and you didn’t make enough to last and there is no fresh basil in a fifteen mile radius).  Pesto is so simple to make and store-bought simply cannot hold a candle to homemade.  Get thee to a local farmer’s market right now and buy up those luscious bundles of heavenly smelling basil.   Gather up a few other simple ingredients, and let’s get started.

Here’s what you will need:

2-3 cups of fresh basil leaves (pluck and use the leaves; toss the stems)
2 T. of pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
coarse salt
1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/3 c. grated pecorino cheese
Olive oil

Pesto can be made in a blender, food processor or the old-fashioned way; with a mortar and pestle.  Today, I’m using my food processor.  Drop in your basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic and salt.  Give it all a whirl to combine and mince everything. Scrape down the sides every so often.

At this point I add a tablespoon or so of olive oil.  Whirl it all again.  Now that it has some oil, it will puree nicely.  When you’ve got a nice paste (leave it a little chunky if you like it that way), scrape it all out into a bowl.

Add in your cheeses and mix with your spatula.  Then drizzle in more oil as you stir to make a thick sauce.  The color will be amazing, and the aroma…you’ll be tempted to dab it behind your ears.   Presto….pesto….you’re done!

What do I do with my pesto, you ask?  Well….let me tell you!  Pesto has many uses beyond mixing it with hot pasta.  Yes, that is its most classic use; simply mix a few tablespoons with freshly cooked spaghetti or linguini and top with a little grated cheese.  Be sure not to overdo it.  A little pesto goes a long way.  It’s very intensely flavored.  If your pesto is a little thick, simply thin it with a little of the starchy water you cooked your pasta in.

Another way I love to serve it, especially in the summer and for potlucks, is in a cold pasta salad.  I like to use fusilli or some other pasta shape with crevices that grab hold of the pesto.  Simply cook up your fusilli until al dente, drain it, and run cold water over it.  When cold, place in a bowl and add cherry tomatoes, mini fresh mozzarella balls, and slivers of salami.  Toss the whole thing with your freshly made pesto.  Delicious!

But wait!  There’s more….toss some pesto with hot, roasted potatoes.  Yum! Not only are they delicious, but they’re beautiful; all glistening and green.   Drop a dollop onto the top of soups, stews and braised meat dishes as a tasty garnish.  Your pesto will melt into these sauces adding a fresh, earthy hit of flavor.

 How do I store my pesto?  Pesto is so easy to make; it’s tempting to just make it each time you need it, and you should.  But as summer winds down and you realize that before long basil supplies will die down as well, you might consider making a couple of batches for the freezer.  Simply store it in small plastic freezer containers with a thin layer of olive oil on the surface.  I defrost a container overnight in the fridge.  If I don’t use all its contents, I cover the remainder with a thin layer of olive oil to keep the beautiful color and seal in the freshness, and put it back in the fridge.

Buon appetito!