Pasta makes perfect

(Excerpt from Delicious! Newsletter - 03/02/2008)

A friend of mine refers affectionately to Tel Aviv as a 'pseudo city' and I agree that this is the perfect description for this colorful collection of ramshackle apartment buildings and winding, narrow streets juxtaposed against the sleek, new skyscrapers and beautifully restored heritage sites.

I may live in the heart of suburbia but every fortnight - and even more often if time permits - I escape the cookie-cutter predictability of the uninspiring shopping malls and spend a blissful morning absorbing the energy of this vibrant town. Name-dropping in Kikar Ha'Medina holds little interest and the appeal of the newly refurbished Dizengoff Center quickly fades. Instead, I head straight to Shuk Batzalel where I scratch for treasures in the NIS 1 shekel stands before heading up to the Carmel Shuk for fresh-from-the-farms fruit, vegetables and flowers and a good giggle at the rough and ready shuk stall owners who so loudly compete for custom.

I invariably come home laden with far more fresh produce than we can possibly eat and it's at times like these like a flavorful recipe like this is especially useful.

Cook up a batch today and enjoy the taste of pure Mediterranean sunshine!

ALLENBY STREET INSPIRED ROAST VEGETABLE PASTA IN RICH TOMATO SAUCE

2 small eggplants, diced in cubes
4 zucchini, cut in chunks
2 red peppers, sliced in thick strips
1 large red onion, cut into 10 wedges
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
a little sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 packet fettuccini

TOMATO SAUCE

2 x 410 gram tins crushed tomatoes
2 carrots, chopped
1 chopped onion, chopped
1 large stick celery, plus leaves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar and a little sea salt
½ cup fresh basil leaves
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1: Place all vegetables in a large baking dish, sprinkle with oregano and salt and toss with olive oil.

2: Roast uncovered at 220 degrees for approximately 40 minutes tossing once during this baking period.

3: Make sauce by placing all ingredients except basil and chickpeas in a large pot.

4: Bring to the boil then simmer covered over low heat for 45 minutes till thick then allow to cool and blend till completely smooth.

5: Add roasted vegetables, basil and chickpeas and heat till piping hot then serve over freshly cooked pasta


COOK'S NOTES: Avoid having to degorge eggplants - degorging is the process of salting and draining vegetables - by always choosing small eggplants with a firm, shiny skin which indicates that it is fresh. The larger and older the eggplant is, the higher the chance is of it being bitter. If tomato sauce is too thick then reduce by adding a little vegetable stock.

Straight from the soup pot

(Excerpt from Delicious! Newsletter - 10/02/2008)

There's no other way to say this: my Granny Grace was a truly dreadful cook.

I clearly remember the many Friday nights my brothers and I would look despairingly at plates laden with slabs of overcooked meat, tinned peas and gluey rice while Granny admonished us to eat every last scrap.

I recall, in particular, one painful occasion when she produced an especially awful chicken dish and told us sternly that none of us could have dessert until we'd finished our mains. My brother Dani and I gamefully tried to plough our way through the meal only to suddenly notice that my older brother David - who was the fussiest eater of the three of us - had completely cleared his plate.

As Granny bustled off to get his promised dessert, I leaned over and asked him quietly how he had possibly managed to finish his food so easily.

"Oh, I didn't eat it," he whispered back "I put it all in my pocket!"

While Granny could toughen even the most tender steak - and destroy every possible nutrient left in vegetables - she surprisingly made absolutely wonderful soups.

This is extremely fortunate as I'd hate to think how my crafty brother would have disposed of an unwanted bowl of broth!

This fabulous Mushroom 'n Barley Soup is still a favorite at my dinner table today.

SAVE YOUR POCKET FOR SMALL CHANGE MUSHROOM & BARLEY SOUP

3/4 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken/vegetable stock
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup sliced white mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced celery
8 additional cups stock

1: Bring 3 cups of stock to the boil, add barley and simmer for 25 minutes.
2: Meanwhile fry onion, carrot, mushroom and celery in a little oil till soft.
3: Add 8 cups of stock and boil for 25 minutes then blend till smooth.
4: Add cooked barley to the pot, simmer for a few minutes and then serve.

COOK'S NOTES: This soup won't win any awards for its beauty but what it lacks in looks it makes up for in wonderful, nutty flavor. Don't make your stock too strong or you run the risk of your soup being over-salty. Instead of vegetable stock, you could use mushroom stock which would compliment the flavor of the sliced mushrooms.