Eggs and Pasta for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner!

I was watching the Food Network this morning, between watching alliance tournament matches for my favorite MMORPG, EVE Online. The Best Thing I Ever Ate was on, featuring a dish called Pasta Mama from Hugo's Restaurant in Southern California. You can see the live demo of how to cook this dish at the Hugo's Restaurant website.

I occassionally eat eggs (not usually more than twice a month), and can't seem to let go of the Italian cheeses. This looked so good on TV, I thought I would give it a try. I was not disappointed - very good dish! :)

Pasta Mama

5 oz of pasta (about 1/3 lb fresh or dry)
2 eggs, beaten
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbs chopped parsley
1 tbs olive oil or butter
1 tbs pasta water
2 tbs fresh grated Parmesan
1 tsp dry seasonings (mix 1/4 tsp each: garlic powder, oregano, seasoning salt, onion powder)

Prepare all ingredients for the dish, as the cooking time is fast.

Prepare pasta according to instructions on the packaging. Leftover pasta can also be used, make sure it is warm before adding to the pan.

Turn on medium flame. Pour oil (or melt butter) in 10-inch saute pan. Add the minced garlic and mixed seasonings. Saute 1-2 minutes. Add parsley, and then add pasta and 1 tbs of pasta water. Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. Add Parmesan, cook through and serve.

Variations: Pasta Mama has as many variations as you can imagine. Add any vegetables you would put in an omelet, other cheeses; adjust seasonings to taste. Enjoy!

Muffuletta Reborn!

One of my favorite sandwiches used to be the Muffuletta - a combination of Italian meats, cheese and olive salad on thick, crusty bread. I recently found a great recipe in Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, which I adapted to my personal taste.

It is best to make this sandwich a few hours or even a day ahead to get the true flavor. Use only high-quality peasant-style bread with a thick, crisp crust. Any other type of bread will probably disintegrate. In my first version, I used a Sicilian Sun Dried Tomato Ciabatta.

Roasted Eggplant Muffuletta Sandwich

Olive Salad:
1 c pitted Kalamata olives
1 c pitted green olives
1/2 c coarsely chopped Italian parsley
4 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed or dried and reconstituted
4 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dried, crumbled rosemary
1 tsp dried, crumbled thyme
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp dried, crumbled oregano
1 tsp dried, crumbled basil
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil

Sandwich:
1 smallish eggplant, less than 1 lb
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Sliced vegetarian cheese, or fresh mozarella (if you are lacto-veg)
2 roasted red or yellow peppers, from a jar or homemade
1 9-10 inch peasant style loaf

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet. Cut the eggplant widthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Rub each of the slices with kosher salt, and allow to drain in a colander for half an hour.

Place the olives, parsley, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes in a large bowl. Toss with the vinegar and dried herbs. With a food processor, chop the mixture in 2 or three batches, adding some of the olive oil with each batch. Process only enough to chop up the olives and tomatoes; do not create a paste, the mixture should be chunky. Scrape the relish, along with the remaining olive oil, into an airtight container.

Rinse the salted eggplant with cold water, rub with olive oil, and lay in the baking sheet (some overlapping is okay). Roast in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, flipping once, until the eggplant is browned and tender.

• Using a flat bread (such as ciabatta): Slice the loaf in half lengthwise to create the top and bottom of the sandwich. Spread the olive relish thickly on the bottom half of the loaf. Top with the eggplant slices, roasted red peppers and cheese. Add another layer of olive salad and then the top half of the bread.
  
• Using a round bread (such as sourdough round): Insert a thin, sharp knife into the side of the round loaf at a slightly downward angle. Cut the loaf in half, working the knife on the angle to create a shallow bread 'bowl'. Remove some of the bread from the bottom and top interior of the loaf to deepen the bowl (save the bread guts for crumbs or use it to nosh on the leftover olive relish). Spread the olive salad thickly on the bottom, layer the eggplant, roasted red peppers and cheese. Add another layer of olive salad, and then the top of the loaf of bread.

Press down very firmly with your body weight on the entire sandwich; don't be afraid to smush it down. Wrap tightly in foil, then wrap again in plastic wrap or a few resealable plastic bags. Refrigerate, putting a few heavy items on top of the sandwich to help press it down even further (one or two unopened boxes of soy milk work well).

For maximum flavor, allow to sit at least three hours, or even better, overnight. To serve, hold the sandwich firmly and cut in half with a sharp serrated knife; then slice again into four wedges.