Caponata is a Sicilian dish typically consisting of eggplant, red peppers, and red onions. It’s usually served as a side-dish to some type of seafood. I decided to take inspiration from caponata and make a pasta dish using this delicious sauce.

The first step is to chop and roast 1 small eggplant and 1 large red pepper. This is the base of the caponata. I seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper for heat.

I roasted the eggplant and peppers for about 30 minutes in a 425 degree oven, just until they started to char and caramelize. The eggplant will shrink up and get slightly crisp around the edges. Resist the urge to eat them up as is!

Once the eggplant is roasted, I got started on the sauce. No offense to my naturalists, but I love working with store-bought tomato paste. It’s concentrated, consistent, and packed with great flavor. Unless you have amazing tomatoes on hand, I’d recommend lighting your load with a tube or can of tomato paste. Begin by slicing onions and frying them in olive oil. Once onions have begun to caramelize, add two cloves of minced garlic. Briefly fry the garlic before adding tomato paste. Then cook everything for about five minutes, browning the paste slightly.  Season the sauce with salt and balsamic vinegar. Once the tomato paste has cooked, add a little water to thin it. And you’re done!

Now simply boil your pasta in well seasoned water, then toss it with the tomato sauce in the original fry pan, fold in your roasted red peppers and eggplant, and top with freshly chopped parsley and creamy goat cheese.

Ingredients

1 medium sized eggplant (cubed)

1 large red pepper

1 clove garlic plus 2 more

1 teaspoon  cayenne pepper

salt

freshly cracked black pepper

olive oil

3 cups penne rigate

1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red chili flakes

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 large red onion (sliced)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

2 oz goat cheese (1/2 a packet)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Begin by peeling and chopping 1 eggplant into 1-inch cubes. Then chop one red pepper into equal sized squares. Toss with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Add one clove minced garlic and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Toss well. Spread evenly over baking sheet and roast in oven at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, tossing halfway through. In the meantime, slice 1/2 red onion and chop garlic. Set aside. Fry red chili flakes in 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, in a large pot or wok, until slightly darker in color. Then Fry onions in same pot for about 5-10 minutes over medium-high temperature. Once onions have begun to brown, add chopped garlic and fry for about a minute before adding tomato paste. Then fry paste for about five minutes and add 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Then add water, about 1/2 cup, and stir. Set aside.

Boil pasta in heavily salted water (about 1 tablespoon salt per 6-7 cups water) for about 10-11 minutes or until al dente. Reserve three ladles full of pasta water. Drain and set aside. Once eggplant has roasted, remove from oven and toss. Heat up pasta sauce and add cooked penne pasta and 1-2 ladles of pasta water. Toss to coat. Then fold in roasted eggplant and red peppers and continue to toss, sprinkling some parmesan cheese and about a tablespoon of goat cheese. Garnish with a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley and a liberal amount of goat cheese. Serve and enjoy!

Baked pasta dishes are the ultimate comfort food. Melted cheese, crispy breadcrumb topping, the way it bubbles when it’s done. There’s something very soothing about assembling a dish like this and sliding it into the oven, knowing that all you have to do is pop open a bottle of wine and wait until it’s done. This cheesy pasta starts out like any other: with cheese!

For this pasta, I used a combination of gruyere, gorgonzola, and parmesan cheeses. Yep, there’s gorgonzola in there, but it’s hiding right now. Also, I was too lazy to photograph it. The wine was just for good measure, in case the dish didn’t turn out and I needed to comfort myself. (It did turn out though!)

Start by boiling the pasta in heavily salted water. Every layer should be flavored, including the pasta. Cook until just al dente, drain and toss with a little olive oil to prevent from sticking. Grate cheeses and reserve.

Then begin making your roux. A roux is simply a combination of some type of fat (butter/oil) and flour, that is used to thicken sauces or soups. Cook it over medium heat until the flour has cooked and the butter is completely melted. Then add hot milk and whisk vigorously to dissolve any lumps. Once milk has thickened slightly, remove from heat and fold in your cheeses. Check for seasonings and season well with salt and pepper.

Once the cheeses have melted, fold in your pasta, then transfer to a greased baking pan (I used an 8X8) or, to be extra fancy, use individual ramekins. Top with seasoned breadcrumbs (2 slices bread, bunch of chopped parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper), a few pads of butter, and a drizzle of olive oil.

Simply bake pasta at 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until the top has browned and pasta is slightly bubbling. Thanks to my good friend Atit for the final product pictures!

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 cups penne rigate pasta

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup gruyere cheese (grated)

1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese (grated or crumbled)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)

2 cups 2% milk

1-1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

freshly cracked black pepper

For Topping:

1/4 cup shredded gruyere

1/4 cup shredded gorgonzola

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Breadcrumbs:

2 slices white bread

handful fresh parsley (dry works too, about a teaspoon)

pinch of salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 stick butter (dotted on top)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt, (about a tablespoon or more). Cook pasta until just al dente (about 10-12 minutes). Drain and toss with a little olive oil. Reserve. Grate 3/4 cup gruyere cheese and 1/2 cup gorgonzola. Set aside. In a large pot, cook flour and butter together over medium heat for a couple minutes, then add hot milk. Whisk vigorously to dissolve any lumps. Cook for a couple minutes, until milk has begun to thicken. Remove from heat. Then fold in gruyere, gorgonzola, and grated parmesan cheeses. Once cheeses have melted, season with a teaspoon or teaspoon and a half of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. Fold pasta into the sauce and mix well. Then transfer to a greased baking dish. Top with more grated cheeses (see toppings above), and fresh breadcrumbs. Then dot evenly with butter and bake in the oven until top is golden brown and pasta is slightly bubbling. Enjoy with a glass bottle of wine!

This dish is perfect for a date night or intimate gathering. There’s something about baked pasta dishes, the gooey cheese, the crisp breadcrumb topping, the way it bubbles when it’s done, that makes it the ultimate comfort food. The half bottle of wine while it bakes in the oven doesn’t hurt either. But by simply playing around with your cheeses, you can take your standard pasta dish and turn it into something elegant and impressive.  In this recipe, milder cheeses like white cheddar and fontina are paired with blue cheese for a slight piquant bite. Served alongside an arugula salad dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, and honey, this recipe is perfect for an elegant, but cozy at-home-meal.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

3 cups medium sized shells

2 cups Milk (2%)

3/4 cup Fontina Cheese (grated)

3/4 cup White Cheddar Cheese (grated)

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 clove garlic (grated)

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons butter

For Topping:

1/4 stick butter

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup shredded fontina cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Ingredients for Breadcrumb topping:

2 slices white bread

1 teaspoon dried herbs (oregano, parsley, whatever you have)

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (store-bought is fine)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method

Prepare dish by grating cheeses and setting aside. Grate one clove of garlic and set aside for later use.  Slice bread into large cubes and place in the bottom of a food processor. Buzz until finely chopped. Next, add herbs, seasonings, and cheese, and pulse to combine. Set aside in a bowl for later use.

Once prep work is completed, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Next, bring 6-7 cups of  water to a boil in a large pot. Season with 3-4 teaspoons salt. Then add pasta and cook until firm to the tooth, about ten-twelve minutes, checking in between. Drain pasta and set aside. In a separate pot, over medium heat, combine butter and flour to make a roux, stirring until well incorporated. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until flour has cooked. Then add two cups of milk and simmer until roux has completely dissolved. Add grated garlic and stir, then add all of the cheeses and combine until they’ve begun to melt into the sauce. Season with 1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Don’t let sauce thicken too much, this dish requires a thinner sauce. Fold in the pasta and combine.

Pour pasta into an 8×8 baking dish, and top with 1/4 cup fontina, 1/4 cup blue cheese, and 1/4 cup parmesan. Then add the seasoned bread crumbs. Take 1/4 stick of butter and cut into small cubes to dot over the top of the bread crumbs. This will help them brown. Now place on top of center rack in oven and bake until the top is browned and bubbling.

Arugula Salad:

3-4 cups Arugula

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

olive oil

fresh lemon juice

honey

kosher salt and pepper

Method:

Drizzle leaves with olive oil, then season well with kosher salt and pepper. Squeeze juice of about 1/2 lemon. Add walnuts and blue cheese. Then drizzle liberally with honey and toss to combine. Enjoy!

Note: For a more elegant presentation, divide pasta equally into individual gratin dishes instead of baking tray, then add toppings and breadcrumbs and bake as usual.

Rigatoni is a medium-sized, tube-shaped pasta. It’s a great pasta to work with for two reasons: it’s thicker, and heartier, and it has little grooves running along the surface that really grab onto the sauce. Overall, it makes for a much more flavorful pasta. The biggest mistake people can make is to serve a marriage of boiled pasta and store-bought pasta sauce. Do NOT do this.  As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of marinara sauces. Things like pesto and roasted garlic-tomato sauce have so much more flavor. Here is a delicious and hearty recipe that combines rigatoni, crisped slices of kielbasa, sweet red peppers, and a rich and creamy roasted garlic-tomato sauce. I’ve posted a recipe for this sauce before. Here is a great way to use it.

Ingredients (serves 4)

3 cups of rigatoni pasta

1  large red bell pepper (julienned)

1/2 lb pre-cooked kielbasa sausage (half a package) (thinly sliced)

1 recipe Roasted Garlic and Tomato Sauce

Recipe for Sauce Is Here: http://bigkidz.wordpress.com/2009/09/21/creamy-roasted-garlic-and-tomato-sauce/

Method:

Fill large pot with water about halfway and bring to boil on high temperature.  Follow roasted garlic-tomato sauce recipe above. Once water is boiling, season liberally with salt and drop in pasta. Cook for about 10 minutes, checking in between, or until pasta is al dente. Should be firm to the tooth. Once pasta is cooked, drain and set aside in colander with drizzle of olive oil to keep from sticking.

Cut peppers and slice sausage. In a large pot, cook red peppers with 1 tablespoon of olive oil for about five-ten minutes, until tender, then add sausage and cook until lightly browned and crisp. (Note: sausage is pre-cooked, but this gives it a nice coloring and flavor).  Once sausage is browned, add the cooked pasta and toss until well mixed. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan and mix again. Then add sauce, toss well, and sprinkle lightly with more parmesan and chopped fresh basil. Serve and enjoy!

We’ve all grown up on Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Remember those weeknights when your mom magically prepared cheesy, creamy delights from a simple blue box? Of course there’s nothing wrong with the artificially flavored, hyper-pigmented dish. But this baked Macaroni and Cheese proves to be quite the contender. It incorporates pungent blue cheese, aged white cheddar, and seasoned breadcrumbs. A hint of garlic intensifies the flavor. This macaroni and cheese is BOLD. There is nothing tender or innocent about it. Oh, and don’t bother asking for the nutritional content.  You’ll gain weight and then go to the gym. Deal.

Ingredients (Serves 1-2)

1 1/2 cup Macaroni or Penne Pasta

1 cup 2 % milk

1 clove garlic (grated)

3/4 cup aged white cheddar cheese

1/4 cup blue cheese

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon white flour

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Method

Boil macaroni or penne in boiling salted water, drain, drizzle with olive oil, mix, and set aside. In separate pot, combine flour and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Once butter has begun to melt and flour has cooked (about 1-2 minutes), add 1 cup milk. Whisk together until the liquid has thickened and lumps have dissolved. Grate one clove garlic over the liquid and stir. Then fold in the cheddar and blue cheeses. Once cheese has melted, season with salt and pepper. Fold in cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Then pour the entire mixture into a buttered/greased baking dish. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Finally, take remaining tablespoon of butter and dollop evenly over the top. Bake the entire dish at 400 degrees until the top has browned and pasta is bubbling.

This Ain’t No Prego.

Roasting tomatoes concentrates their flavors, and the caramelization adds a richness and sweetness that balances its natural acidity. So grab a glass of wine, a sheet pan, and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  This recipe is the perfect comfort food.

Ingredients

1 28 oz can whole, peeled tomatoes

1 large fresh tomato (cut into chunks)

5-6 cloves garlic (smashed)

1 large yellow onion (cut into chunks)

1/2 cup Olive Oil

1/2  tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 tablespoon plain white sugar – - – - (Tomatoes are tart and acidic…this is necessary)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Handful of Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.To smash garlic, hold blunt side of knife atop clove and press down with your hand. Remove peel and place into bowl. Add can of peeled tomatoes as well as 3/4 of liquid from can. Cut fresh tomatoes into large chunks and add into bowl. Cut white onion into same sized chunks and add. Next pour in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, dried oregano, crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper.

Combine all ingredients well, and spread out into a large roasting pan. Once oven is preheated to 425 degrees, place pan inside and bake for about fifty minutes, tossing in between, or until the tomatoes and onions have begun to char. Once vegetables are roasted, remove from oven and let cool. Then transfer ingredients to a blender and puree until smooth consistency is achieved. Garnish with fresh basil and serve over pasta, or as a dipping sauce for bread.