Baigan Achari

(Eggplant cooked in the pickling style) From an Indian cooking class Pete's mom took in England.) 

1/2 in. cube of fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves
1 oz. water
1 lb eggplant 

1 1/2 T. oil
1/2 t. whole fennel seed
1/4 t. whole onion seed
1/2 lb tomatoes, chopped
1 T. ground coriander
1/8 t. turmeric
Chili powder to taste (or fresh, hot peppers) 
1/2 t. salt
Oil for frying 

Blend ginger, garlic and 1 oz. water together to form a smooth paste.
Cut eggplant into long, thick slices. Deep fry the eggplant in hot oil until just browned. Remove to drain. 

Put 1 ! T. oil in heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add fennel seed and onion seed and cook for just a few seconds. Add tomatoes, ginger/garlic mixture, coriander, turmeric, chili powder or hot peppers, and salt. Stir and cook until the mixture thickens to a paste.
Add cooked eggplant slices and stir gently. Cook over low heat, stirring very gently, until eggplant is cooked. Remove from pan to serve, leaving as much oil behind as possible.
Serve with roast lamb, or over leaves of lettuce as an appetizer. Great cold with meat or as a snack on chapati. 

Arugula Pesto

A more mild version of the traditional basil pesto. 

4 c. (packed) arugula leaves
1/4c. nuts — pine nuts are probably best
1/4 c. grated hard Italian cheese
1/4 c. olive oil 

Combine the arugula leaves, nuts and cheese in a food processor and blend until smooth. With the blender still going, slowly add the olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Can be served immediately over pasta, on toasted baguette, on pizza or as a garnish for another dish. Freezes well. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator the day before desired use. 

Warm Greens Salad

Spinach (or other greens)
Tomatoes
Grain of some sort
Onion
Peppers
Hot peppers (if you like)
Whatever else you want to add....
CHEESE. 

Cook your grain of choice. Saute onions, peppers, tomatoes and any other veggies you are adding. 

Prepare a pile of spinach (or other greens) on your plate. Add sauteed vegetables. Then add cheese of your choosing— we’re really into feta, but really anything will do. 

Optional: prepare a simple dressing to go on top. Or just enjoy with salt and pepper and other fresh herbs- thyme, oregano, sage... it’s so versatile and delicious! 

Rutabaga and Spinach Stuffed Triangles

1/4 lb spinach
1 1/2 cups rutabaga, cooked mashed and cooled
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 T sugar
1 c. grated Italian cheese
6-8 T. butter
9 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to the package 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Blanch the spinach leaves and chop. Combine with rutabaga, nutmeg, sugar and cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Melt butter. 

Unfold the phyllo dough. Pull off one sheet. Brush surface lightly with butter. Place another sheet over the first and bursh with butter again. Repeat with a third sheet. Cut the layers of dough vertically into six strips. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling at the bottom of each strip. Fold each strip like a flag, i.e. folding one corner over the filling to form a triangle, then continue folding the triangle back and forth up the strip. Place the folded pastry on a baking sheet. Continue with the remaining dough and filling. 

Brush the filled pastries with remaining butter. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve promptly. 

Pasta with Broccoli Cream Pesto

from www.smittenkitchen.com

1/2 lb broccoli
1/2 lb pasta

1 T butter
1 T olive oil 

1/2 small onion
1-3 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. salt or more...
Fresh ground pepper or red pepper flakes (or both) 
4 T heavy cream 

Heaping pile of grated parmesean 

Boil salted water for pasta. Cut broccoli florets from stems and chop into medium pieces. Slice the stems into 1/2 inch chunks. 

Use pot of pasta water to steam broccoli and stems (either by suspending a strainer over the pot or throwing them in for 5-6 mins. Set them aside. 

Add pasta and cook. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside. Drain the pasta. 

In the bottom of your pasta post, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender. Add garlic and cook for a minute more. Add steamed broccoli, salt and pepper. Pour cream over mixture and let cook for 30 seconds. 

Transfer broccoli mixture to a blender or food processor ( or leave it in the pot and use an immersion blender). Don’t worry if it looks dry— you can add some pasta water either to the mixture, or wait until you’ve combined the pesto with your pasta. Add broccoli pesto back in the pot with pasta- add cheese and enjoy!