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Monday, September 17, 2012

baked veggie orzo

halloween is my least favorite holiday.
first, i live in washington, so i'm always
freezing when i have to wear a costume.
and second, i don't really love all the 'scary' stuff
with witches and ghosts and goblins, it's just weird.
if it were up to me the holiday would just consist of
pumpkin patches, harvest festivities, candy corn,
and pumpkins with cute faces.
is anyone else with me on this?


recipe via smitten kitchen
modified by me
serves 4-6
ingredients
1 large eggplant, cut into 3/4-inch dice
salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
3 celery stalks, in a 1/4-inch dice
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, rinsed
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
lemon zest from a whole lemon
4 oz. mozzarella, firmer is better here, cut into 1/3-inch dice
1/3 cup parmesan, grated
3 medium tomatoes, diced
directions
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. sprinkle your eggplant generously with salt and
let it drain in a colander for 30 minutes. I
(i used this time to get the rest of my ingredients ready)
3. heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
once hot, add the oil and once the oil is shimmering, add the eggplant.
fry for 8 minutes, stirring pieces occasionally.
using a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer them to paper towels to drain.


4. add celery and carrots to remaining oil and
cook for 3 minutes before adding onion and garlic.
cook together for 5 more minutes on medium heat.


5. stir in the orzo and tomato paste and cook for two minutes more.
off the heat, add the oregano, mozzarella, parmesan,
tomatoes, fried eggplant, lemon zest, 1 teaspoon table salt,
many grinds of black pepper and the stock and mix well.



6. transfer mixture to an 8×11-inch ovenproof baking dish.
cover with foil and bake 30 minutes, then bake 10 minutes without the foil.
let rest for 5 minutes before serving.


7. enjoy! :)

this is a new favorite!! great fall dish!
packed with great veggies. YUM!!!

4 comments:

  1. I agree, I love the cute parts about Halloween, but just wait til you have some kids and it will become a favorite holiday! So fun dressing up the kids in costumes and seeing their faces when they get that stash of candy:) Oh and if you are Jeff, you get to teach them the trick or treat smell my feet song so the kids can repeat it everywhere, (while he is at work) and make their mom look really awesome.... so embarrassing.

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    Replies
    1. stacey!! i probably will, you are so right! :) have you started planning costumes for the girls yet?? what do they want to be? :) LOVE YOU!

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  2. Made this tonight. So yummy. Thanks for the idea.

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