Jumping on the sheet pan dinner craze

Ciao ragazzi.  Annalena thinks you know, she's not much for trends.  A classicist at heart, she wants to do things the way they were done.  They worked.  So, why change?

Lately, a new "fad" has hit the cooking world.  This is the "sheet pan dinner" movement.  In broad terms, it means you prepare all your food, put it on a baking sheet, and after a certain length of time, you have a full dinner.  Skeptical?  So was Annalena.  But after having done a few of these, she's on board.  And she wants you to try one, adapted from the NY Times.  Annalena had a bunch to choose from, but since "everybody likes chicken," let's start there.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

What you see, meine Kinder, are two baking potatoes, a medium sized fennel bulb, a granny smith apple,  four chicken thighs (which weigh about 2.5 pounds, total), and in the pan, 2 teaspoons of fennel seeds. 

Now, not everyone has fennel seeds, or likes them.  If you would prefer to use something else, like cumin, go ahead.  Or leave it out.  But please do not leave out the fennel.  Cooking it will "tame" the anise type flavor that you may not like.  And you need something a bit "green" with this.  If you insist on not using it, please substitute about 6 ounces of celery. 

So, it is important to heat your oven to 425.  And, it is important to toast your seeds.  You see that Annalena has hers in a small frying pan.  No oil.  Medium heat, and shaking until you smell the toastiness.  This does not take long.  Then, put them in a bowl and, while they're hot (they're softer), crush them with a pestle, a bottle bottom, anything you can use to break them up.  Powder isn't necessary:

Next, you will prep your produce.  This means peeling the potatoes, and slicing the fennel and apple:

It took Annalena about two minutes to do this.  Now, on the assumption that your oven is hot, put the potatoes on a baking sheet, add a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil, toss them, and get them into the oven for about 10 minutes (potatoes take longer, so you give them a head start):

Spread them out as best you can, and then put the fennel, the onion, the apple, on top of this.  Distribute a tablespoon of oil over it, and another pinch of salt.

Now, take your chicken thights and just run them through your crushed fennel seeds.  Once you've done that, put them on top of the vegetables:

The oven now does the work for you.  Put the sheet into the oven and, depending on how well done you like your chicken, roast for 25-30 minutes (chicken thighs are very forgiving.  If you went past 30, it won't be a crime, unless you spent that 5 minutes colluding with Russia).  

If after that 30 minutes, you feel the chicken is not brown enough, that's what your broiler is for.  Use it for a minute at a time. Annalena used it twice, to get:

Looks good, doesn't it?  And it is.  This amount of ingredients will serve two.  Scale it up if you need to.  And if you REALLY have a problem with chicken thighs, you can use breasts, but you have to watch the cooking time, because they WILL dry out.  Using skinless chicken won't work.

If you are inclined, a bit of snipped rosemary is good here, but it is not essential.  

Ragazzi, this is a really good dish.  Go do your shopping, and make yourself a decent dinner.    Ciao for now.

"Winged" victory: scallion cheddar biscuits, with cheddar wings

Ciao ragazzi, and welcome back from Thanksgiving.   Annalena HOPES that you had a better Thanksgiving than she did, but she says that with the knowledge that if, after this many cycles around the clock, she can only speak of one bad Thanksgiving, she is ahead of the game.  Showing up is half the battle, they say.  So, too, tesori, is waking up.

So, back from the long weekend, Annalena was looking at a rehearsal dinner where she was serving a vegan chickpea soup (it was good, too).  With a soup like that, however, one can afford to have something a bit heavier with it.  She had been holding onto this recipe for about a week, and it seemed ideal.  It was.  Perfect for the soup, and perfect enough to fit into a repertoire where she would make it more than once.

Let's begin.  Biscuits are a "quick bread," and as with all quickbreads, you should spend some time collecting your utensils, setting up your oven, and prepping ingredients.  The "utensils" here are a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (a must, as we shall see), an oven at 425,  and a surface where you can roll out your dough.  Annalena used a food processor, because that's how she rolls.  If you prefer more work "on hands," you won't need it.

To our ingredients.  Here they are:

What you have here, tesori, is a hefty 3/4 cup of diced scallions, a stick of unsalted butter, cubed, about 6-8 ounces of grated sharp cheddar cheese (use extra sharp if you have it), a cup of buttermilk, and in the bag, we have a mix of 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda,  a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper, and half a teaspoon of salt.  You can put that in a bag and "squooosh" it together (yes, Annalena used a technical term),  so that it's mixed.  And you can prepare all of this ahead of time, if you are so moved.  Your butter needs to be cold, so if you do cube it ahead of time, put it back in the fridge.  Scallions will begin to weep if you cut them too far ahead of time, but a day is fine.  If you grate the cheese ahead of time, you may want to keep it in the freezer, to stop it from clumping.  

Now, we begin by dumping the flour mixture into your food processor (or, a bowl if you are doing this by hand, and then , the butter:

If you are using the processor, give it 20, one second pulses.  If you are doing it by hand, blend the stuff together until it's uniform:

The grains, as you will see, are like little pebbles.  This is what you want.  Now, we will add the scallions, and half of the grated cheese, however much of it you have.  Pulse that a few times. 

Now, with the processor running, or stirring with one hand while you add it with the other, pour in 3/4 of that cup of buttermilk and mix to a uniform consistency.  You want something like this:

Chances are, your dough will  not be too wet.  If it is too dry, add a tablespoon of buttermilk, and keep adding until you get a good texture.  If you DO have dough that is too wet (which can happen on a humid day), add flour by the tablespoon. 

Dump all of this onto a board coated with a little bit of flour, and form a rectangle:  8x5 if you're being precise:

You have all heard biscuits described as "flaky," have you not ? (This is "flaky " in a different sense than when describing  Annalena).  Well, we obtain flakiness, by folding.  So, since Annalena fully expects that given the relative youth of her readers, they will NOT know what she means when she writes  "business letter three fold,"  she will show it.  

You take that dough, and point the shorter end toward and away from you.  Then, fold  1/3 of the dough at top, to the middle, and do the same thing with the bottom 1/3.  You will have something like this:

Rotate this 90 degrees, and do it again:

Repeat this 2 more times, that is:  rotate, fold, rotate fold, rotate, fold, rotate fold.  (That may look like four more times, but Annalena is speaking of the whole process). 

Now, the fun part.  Remember that we only used half the cheese?  Well, take that remaining half, and spread it into 8 equally sized piles on your parchment paper  (and if you feel you need more cheese, Annalena will not argue with you).  Then, cut your dough into 8  even sized slices.  You can go rectangular, or square, or a mixture of both.  Put a biscuit on each pile of cheese:

If you have time, melt a tablespoon of butter, and brush it over the biscuits.  If you don't, don't worry.  Put the pan into the oven, and let it bake for 25-30 minutes.  If your oven heats unevenly - and they ALL heat unevenly carini, then rotate the sheet halfway through, at about 12-15 minutes.  

You will see, when your rotate this, something that will look a little like the ooze out of a grilled cheese sandwich.  

Is there anything wrong with that? 

After 25-30 minutes, check the biscuits.  If you feel your "cheddar wings" under the biscuit are not dark enough, then continue to bake a few minutes more, or perhaps run them under the broiler for a minute or two.  Here's how Annalena's looked after baking:

The melted cheese will be very soft at this point, so you may want to let the pan cool for about 5-10 minutes, and let the cheese firm up.  Then, you can either break the "frico"  (as we call it in the old country) with your hands, or a sharp knife (Annalena feels this is best practice).  Pile them up on a plate:

And watch your hands.  Annalena says "watch your hands," because people and pets will want these.  They are tasty, they are light, and they are fresh.  

You may want to experiment with cheeses.  Nothing too soft IN the biscuit, ragazzi:  that means no mozzarella, or swiss, or fontina, but you should feel free to use it on the wings.  Scallions not your cup of alium?  Use leeks .  Or onions.  Or leave it out.   If you have no buttermilk, but you have something other than skim milk in the house, you can "clabber" (NOT "clobber") your milk by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to it, stirring, and leaving it alone for 15 minutes.  You will get an acceptable buttermilk substitute.  

And there you have it, amici.  A new bread to show off.  You can be out of the kitchen in less than an hour, with a plate of delicious, homemade cheese biscuits. 

Now, make these.  And enjoy them. And take a deep breath.  We are in the final mile of a marathon now.   Take care of all parts of yourself. 

Yes, you CAN make a cake. Quick frosted applesauce cake

Ciao ragazzi.  Are you feeling a little bit frazzled as the holidays get closer?  And closer?  And closer?   Oh geez, we do this to ourselves every year don't we?   Annalena has done her best to get off that roller coaster, and to a large extent she has succeeded.  She is certain, that there are many of you (or at least some of you) out there who are wondering:  DESSERT.  What do I do about dessert?  Well, honestly, ragazzi, everyone likes ice cream.  And if you haven't put yourself into dessert planning yet, buy something.  Make this when it's all over.  It's an object lesson in how easy it is to bake.  It really, really is.    And, as we shall see, we are allowed to play with recipes.

Last weekend, Annalena made applesauce.  She made enough applesauce to feed a small country.  That was not intended, it really did just happen. See, Annalena loves apples when they are cooked.  Raw, not so much.  So when she gets apples, she makes something. And when she hasn't gotten around to making something, and the apples are beginning to give her the stinkeye, she makes applesauce.  And gives it away.  Or uses it for other things.  So, on Sunday, when she gathered 5 quarts of applesauce (anybody want some?), she thought:  hmmm... didn't she just see a recipe for an applesauce cake?  In fact, she did.  And she knew.... she just KNEW she had all the ingredients she needed in the house. 

Never assume, unless you know how to play.   Let's see how we do it. 

First, turn on  your oven to 350.  Next, get a 9 inch baking pan (if you aren't sure, measure.  Annalena has told the old joke about how a male baking store clerk will sell a 7 inch pan as one that is 9 inches, and a female clerk will sell an 11 inch pan as 9 inches, so bring a ruler if you don't trust the clerk.  Take that pan, and spray it well, with one of the release sprays:

Now, what you do, is put two cups of unbleached flour, preferably organic (but don't sweat it if your flour is not.  DO get some unbleached all purposes if only have bleached.  Bleached is bad for you, and it doesn't make a good cake), and add to that - these are not typos, tesori,  1 TABLESPOON of cinnamon, and 1 TABLESPOON  of dried ginger.

Unless, when you check your spices, you realize you don't have anymore ginger.  Now, ragazzi, Annalena is ALWAYS  prepared with her spice rack.  Or, more correctly, her spice armada.  She has more spices than you can imagine.  And she knows what she has.  She KNEW she had ginger.  Ten minutes of searching, and she felt like the O. Henry character who could not find an onion for her beef stew (go read it.  You need a break).  So, she checked what she had. 

Allspice.  Yes, allspice.  She had THAT.  Lots of it. So, instead of ginger, in went the allspice.  After the cake went into the oven, Annalena crossed her fingers, but not quite yet.   Next, 1.5 teaspoons (which is half a tablespoon), of salt, and two teaspoons of baking soda (which is NOT baking powder.  Use the soda.  It's important. ).  Mix all of these dried things together:

Add to this, 2 large eggs you've beaten a bit,  1/2 cup of sugar,  1/3 cup of vegetable oil, 1.5 cups of applesauce (use the stuff from a jar if you didn't make any, and no one gave you a gift of some), and then, 1/2 cup of whole milk yogurt, or buttermilk.

Unless you don't have whole milk yogurt, or buttermilk.  To be sure, Annalena had NON fat yogurt in the house, and she had milk.  But ... not the same.  She DID, however, have sour cream.  (Annalena will return to this), and she had just enough for this recipe.  So, into the dry stuff goes all the wet stuff, and you mix it together, until you have a uniform mass.  It won't take long, but the picture below is NOT the end result.  Annalena was just starting here:

Now put this all into your baking pan, put the baking pan into the oven, and go read a book for an hour.  You will get this beautiful creation (Annalena guarantees it)

If you sprayed your pan well enough, this will just pop out when it's cool.  It's sturdy, so don't worry.   You could eat this as is, but let's see a show of hands:  who doesn't like frosting? 

Uh huh.    So, let's make an easy frosting.  We need an 8 ounce package of full fat cream cheese, 1/3 cup of honey (any kind), and 2 tablespoons of sour cream.  (Put the cream cheese out of the fridge when you start the recipe, so it's soft)

Unless you used all your sour cream when you baked your cake.  Look around:  make do. Annalena had creme fraiche.  She used that.   At this point, she could have used plain milk, or yogurt, etc.    This  all goes into a bowl

And with a spatula, just whip this up until it seems very light and fluffy.  Then, spread it on the cake.  

Remember Annalena  told you the cake was sturdy?  So stop worrying.  

This wasn't too much work now, was it?  You wind up with:  

So, carini, play with your food, but make a simple cake.  Make it AFTER Thanksgiving.  Make it for those folks who are sitting around, and who you love.  Make them a little sweetness for breakfast. 

Happy thanksgiving to all.  More than that, though, Annalena salutes ALL the cooks who are bravely going forth, and she wishes all an even HAPPIER,  indeed a blissful, AFTER  thanksgiving. 

Give thanks to the election.  And give thanks to only... two... more... years. 

Keeping it simple: mushroom toast

And hello again ragazzi.  Today, Annalena  is going to lead you through a recipe that is really very easy, and very good.  It's the type of thing she and the Guyman eat with their soup on Monday nights.

Now, at the start, Annalena DOES have to say:  if you don't like mushrooms, you will not like this recipe.  In Annalena's experience, mushrooms are a love/hate food, sort of like eggplant, or liver, etc.  If this  is not your thing, you can find other recipes.

Also, and this is very important, certainly to Annalena.  You will only find Annalena claiming a recipe is her own, if it in fact is.  Most of what she cooks, is inspired by what she reads.  If she changes a recipe significantly, she does not credit it.  If she makes small changes, she does refer to where it came from.  So, tesori, chances are you will find most of these recipes in similar form.  For example, this one began with a recipe by a favorite of Annalena, David Tanis, in the New York Times.  Not everyone reads the paper, and  everyone certainly does not read the cooking section.  Indeed,  Annalena misses the paper frequently, and the recipe section more than she would like.  We have lives.  Annalena is trying to make everyone's life easier.  She is not stealing. 


Now, let us go ahead with making our mushroom toast.  As Annalena said, it's very easy. 

If you have ever cooked mushrooms, you have experiences "shrinkage."  Mushrooms are LOADED with water, and if you are going to have a satisfying portion, you must plan on a half pound of raw mushrooms per person.  We are going to be working with one pound, and you will see what Annalena means as we proceed.

First our mushrooms.  Now, Annalena was extravagant, because , well, she is.  She used cremini mushrooms, which had come in her CSA box, and then splurged on some foraged chanterelles at the farmers market. 

These weighed just about a pound.  What one does next, is to chop them roughly.  You'll be doing this for less time than you think, because mushrooms yield to the knife very easily:

So, there is our pound of mushrooms, all set for what's next.  And what's next is a saute'.

Remember that "saute'" means "to jump"  (in French.  "saltare" in Annalena's tongue)  So use a big pan, because the veggies need to move a little.  Melt two tablespoons of butter in that pan:

You want to add a few sprigs of thyme, and a couple of cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped.  Annalena always kicks up the herbs and sometimes the garlic on these recipes.  You know your own tastes.  And if you don't care for thyme, use rosemary, or sage, or any herb that you like.  

What you see above, is that pound of mushrooms,  right after the garlic and thyme have cooked for about thirty seconds.  Now, watch what happens.  You leave these alone for about 4 minutes and then you stir them.  This is what you have:

Annalena always finds herself a little stunned as the mushrooms collapse.   And as the television commercial says: 

BUT WAIT.  THERE'S MORE.

Indeed, there is.  We are going to stir these mushrooms, and cook them for four more minutes, to get:

Incidentally, ragazzi, here is a tip for knowing when the water is all gone.  That "sizzle" you hear when food is cooking, is water bubbling off.  When the water is gone, the food will begin to crackle. That's when you have to be careful.  Nothing that sizzles, will burn.  Food that crackles, will burn really easily.  

We're almost done.  You can add an optional shot of sherry or marsala, or madiera.  Some strong alcohol to bring this home.   What Annalena finds is not optional, is:

What you have here is creme fraiche.  This is one of the greatest gifts given to us, in Annalena's view.  You can make it yourself, and at some point, we will.  Annalena made the decision to make this "on the fly," so she didn't have time to make her own.  Buy an organic brand.  You'll need 1/4-1/2 cup of it, and just stir it into those mushrooms, with the heat off.

If you haven't made a little toast already, make it now.  Two big, thick slices.  Annalena doesn't own a toaster (or a microwave).  She toasts her bread in the oven.  Then, pile the mushrooms on the bread, equally (or give yourself a little more for being the cook), slice them, and:

Ragazzi, let Annalena tell you something:  she made something else for her lunch  and doesn't have enough mushrooms in the house to make this, but she would go out and buy them to make it for herself.  Treat yourself.   Spend some money on the mushrooms (you're worth it.  Yes, you are), and make yourself something like this.  

When we return, we're going to start making some more challenging dishes.  Forewarned is forearmed.  And we will be working with another love/hate ingredient:  lamb.

Dinner in 15: cheesy bean bake

 Ciao bambini.  Annalena was very busy and very occupied last week, so you didn't see her.  She's sorry about that, and will try to make it up to you, with many recipes this week.  Yes, many of us are getting ready for Thanksgiving, but as Annalena's veterinarian once said of her beloved Margot  "kitty's GOT to EEEEEAT"  (Dr. vander Woeert was Dutch, so please improvise the accent). 

Annalena is going to start with a recipe that you literally could have on the table in 15 minutes.  If you do things the way Annalena does, you'll need to do some prepping to make this, but the prep work is so easy, that you should be doing something like this, every week.

We're making a cheesy bean casserole.  It's a vegetarian dish that needs "something green" to go along with it.  Annalena made salad, but you should choose what you like.  Are we ready to begin?  Well, good.

First, preheat your oven to 475, and get a very sturdy, very big pan ready.  And you will need these ingredients:

What you see here, ragazzi, is all we will need:  1/4 cup of tomato paste (Annalena uses the stuff in a tube.  If you have passato, use that.  Try not to use the stuff in the can because, well, what are you going to do with the leftovers?).  There is also 1/2 pound of good quality mozzarella (remember our rule:  no cheese that ends with an  "LLY-O" for the army.  If you can't get mozz, use fontina.).  You will also see five cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced,  olive oil (you'll need 1/4 cup of that), and ... the item where you should be doing prep:  4 cups of soft beans.

Now, tesori, you COULD use canned beans on this.  But REALLY?  Have you ever looked at the ingredients in canned beans, even the organic ones?  REALLY?   No no no, Annalena does NOT want you using canned beans.  What she wants you to do is to get some fresh dried beans (more on this below), and soak a pound of them, overnight.  The next day, depending on the school of thought to which you belong, either dump the water and re-cover the beans, or add more water to cover the beans by 2 inches.

Some commentary here, amici.  Dried beans keep forever.  That does NOT mean they do not change.  Old beans will take forever to cook, if they cook at all.  FRESH dried beans (which sounds like a contradiction in terms), will cook up quickly.  Here's a way to tell, if the beans you have, are old, or new.  When you cover them with water, and let them soak overnight, see how much water they take up.  Fresh dried beans will take up a LOT.  Old ones? Not so much (Is anyone but Annalena thinking of the line in "Flower Drum Song " - which could be the San Francisco Chinese variation on the life of your New York Italian gal   -  "Oh, yes.  A dozen thousand year old eggs.  AND MAKE SURE THEY'RE FRESH.")

Sorry.  Even though it's politically incorrect to say so,  Annalena loves that movie (and does anyone NOT love the song "Love look away?").

So, ok, we've established that you should buy your dry beans from someone who replaces them regularly  (Annalena is with a great many cooks who buy them from Rancho Gordo. She gets hers mail order, but you can find them in good stores).  On the water:  Annalena grew up being taught that while soaking, the beans would give up chemicals that would cause gas, and might inhibit their cooking.  Many do not adhere to this belief, and point out, rightly, that if you dump that water, you are wasting a  scarce resource.  Indeed, as our current government not so slowly destroys our environment,  this is an issue.  Being old school, and not long for this world, Annalena DOES change the water.  For what it is worth, she winces when she does.  To each his or her own on this. 

In any event, cook those beans, and cook them longer than you think you should.  You want the beans to be soft.  And if you start with a pound of dried beans, you'll have about 7-8 cups of cooked, which is twice what you need for this recipe.  Put half of them in the freezer, and use them for a soup  . (Annalena used them to make a kale and white bean soup with a tomato broth.  Too bad she's already married, right?).

Let us step back to the cheese.  Indeed, one should ALWAYS step back to cheese.  We have to grate this.  Grating mozzarella, is not easy.  It's soft.  Soft cheese are difficult to grate or shred.  Our solution?  Any volunteers?  AH.   Annalena thinks she sees Laura back there hesitating.  Laura, you were going to suggest freezing the cheese for half an hour, weren't you.  BRAVISSIMA.  Yes, ragazzi, you do NOT freeze cheese overnight , but if you freeze it for a half hour, a soft cheese is much easier to grate (this is a technique Annalena learned, by the way, from a Chinese teacher, who used it to slice beef for stir frying.  Yet again, Annalena crosses paths with the Flower Drum song.  One day, she will tell you all about her overdramatic interpretation (some would call it an interruption) of the song "Chop Suey."  It does suit Annalena's fach).

So, now we have had our lesson on beans, and we're ready to cook.  Is your oven at 475?  Surely Annalena has prattled enough to let it get there.    Now, remember that big pan?  Put the olive oil in, and the garlic.  Let them heat together, and after about a minute - yes, a minute - you'll get something like this:

Now, you're going to add the 1/4 cup of tomato sauce, and stir it around for about another minute:

This is all happening, by the way, at medium high heat.  See how the oil has colored and the paste has broken up a bit?  Worry not.  All will be well.

Now, to the beans.  In they go, and stir it all together:

Now, remember that cheese we worked so hard to grate?  Let's sprinkle it over the beans:

And now, let's put this pan into the oven, for 5-10 minutes.  Check it after 5.  The cheese will have melted, but you may want it to darken.  Indeed, who can reject crispy cheese?  So, Annalena baked this for 10 minutes, and put it  under the broiler for two minutes:

Annalena suggests that you go back and count up how much time we spent working on this dish.  Not much, huh?  

Heavens, this is good.  Let's make it again, ragazzi. Annalena does not say this often, but this recipe is a keeper.  She served garlic bread and salad with it, and regretted nothing.    And with that, she offers you all a song which  she hopes applies to you. 

Annalena will be back tomorrow, with another, more difficult recipe.  In fact, it is a redux of a recipe already here, but ILLUSTRATED!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aurqCBAqUBI

SPECIAL ELECTION DAY RECIPE: Baked pasta alla Norma

Ciao, ragazzi.  Annalena was going to post a different second recipe this week, but since she was making Election Night dinner for the Guyman and herself, she's posting this, for many reasons.

First:  NONE OF YOU HAVE ANY EXCUSE FOR NOT VOTING, PERIOD.  Annalena will NOT get into a discussion of WHO you should be voting for, although you probably know her views on that, but in any event, to say  "I didn't vote because....", simply is not going to cut it anymore.  Annalena and the Guyman each have three appointments on Tuesday, and they have a full day of work.  WE WILL BE VOTING.  You should be too.

And this post is to take the issue of dinner off the table.  Yes,  ragazzi, some of you will use dinner as an excuse. MAKE IT AHEAD.  And here's one that Annalena approves of,  which is simple enough to make, and which is going to be even better if you make it today, or tomorrow, and eat it on Tuesday.

And, she will even throw out this offer:  if there are any of you nearby, who "just can't," if you vote, Annalena will share this casserole with you.  There's plenty.  First two or three to ask, get fed.

Now, onto this dinner.  By now, most of you will know of Annalena's love of Sicily, and Sicilian food.  Thus it is sometimes surprising for Annalena to hear that people do not know that the dish "pasta alla norma" is Sicilian.  Simple, seasonal, and elegant, you should all be making it:  pasta, tomato sauce, fried eggplant, and ricotta salata.  Very easy.

"Fried" will put some of you off immediately:  it takes too long.  "Eggplant" will throw off others.  And that's fair, to some extent.  But IT IS ELECTION DAY .  So, Annalena took a recipe from her beloved friends at City Saucery, and adapted it a bit, to make it more user friendly for those of you who may have issues.  Here we go.   

First, you need a good pound, pound and a half of eggplant, which you will cut up into small cubes:

Not a fan of eggplant?  Use another vegetable.  Use mushrooms.  Use butternut squash.  Use a big summer squash if you have it.  For heaven's sakes, use peppers or some combination.  Clean out your refrigerator.  JUST DO IT.  And then preheat your oven, to 425

Now, after you've cut up the veggies, peel and smash 8 cloves of garlic.  Mix this with your eggplant, and 1/4 cup of olive oil, and a big pinch of salt.  Get it into a baking dish:

Don't like garlic?  DON'T USE IT.  Like garlic, but 8 sounds like too many?  CUT IT BACK.   C'mon, as Madonna said  "use your imagination/that's what it's for."  Stir this all together, and put it in the oven, for 30 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

And to those other ingredients.  You will need two eggs, and about a cup of a firm cheese, cubed.  Annalena used feta here, because she was out of ricotta salata .  Use provolone if that's all you can get.  Use a young pecorino.  Or just ask the guy or gal at the store what you should use:

Now, you will also need one quart of tomato sauce.  Ragazzi, you know how Annalena is about making her sauce.  Sometimes, she doesn't have any on hand.  That's where the City Saucery folk come in.  Annalena LOVES their sauce.  So, whether you make it yourself, whether you buy it, JUST GET A QUART OF TOMATO SAUCE.  Geez, you can get it everywhere.  Try not to buy one with corn syrup or other yucky stuff,  please.  

Add that sauce, with a nice quantity of parmesan, to the cheese and eggs, and then mix everything up.  If you don't have parmesan.... FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE USE PECORINO.   

Remember we were baking eggplant?  Well, here they are, after 30 minutes in the oven:

If you used the garlic, and you really fear for putting a whole clove in your mouth, well, it's not the biggest thing that's been there (at least that's Annalena's hope), but if you don't want it, fish it out.  You can see what is eggplant and what is garlic.  And if you miss one or two, please, don't go nuts. 

You're going to let this eggplant cool, while you begin cooking a pound of pasta.  Annalea used bucatini.  You should use what you have, and what you like.  But cook it LESS than al dente, because it's going into the oven. 

While that pasta is hot, add the tomato sauce mixture, and the eggplant, and stir it all together:

Remember that pan you used to bake the eggplant?  Now, dump this stuff into the pan (it's probably still got enough olive oil for it to be considered "greased"), and put it in the oven at 425 (remember we kept the oven on), for 30 minutes.  If you like, put some parmesan on top.  See rants above for options.  If you can find some good basil, throw some in.  If you have pesto, maybe use some of that.  And if you have none of these,  you're fine.

Your house will smell wonderful.   You will be SO proud of yourself.  And you will be on your way to fulfilling your civic duty.

Seriously kids, this stuff is important.  If you sat out the last one, or if you voted for someone whom you knew couldn't win because you couldn't find a perfect candidate, look at yourself in the mirror.  Can you live with yourself if you do it again?   Think about the last 2 years.  And if you're not happy, whether you like it or not  THIS IS YOUR FAULT.  Purge that fault.  VOTE