baked orzo with eggplant and mozzarella

Okay, I know that regardless of everybody being back to college, men and women in fact exhibiting up to the workplace once again, like, to perform , once more and Labor Day getting but a blip in the rearview mirror that summer season isnt truly in excess of still its hot, the days are nonetheless reasonably prolonged and, no, I will not put my sandals away. But I cant aid it. As quickly as the initial day of September, 1 of my favored months, arrives, my brain gets to be fiercely rooted in all points fall. I grab cardigans on the way out the door. I crave soup. I stroll appropriate past the peaches at the industry so I can get to the new apples rather. And I turn on the oven once again to make deep, bubbly, and more filling meals.

I have mixed feelings about standard baked pasta dishes. I suggest, if you demonstrate up to my location with a foil casserole dish of your grandmas baked ziti, I will likely leap in your arms with relief since I dont, in reality, always experience like making dinner. We will devour it absolutely everyone will go to bed satisfied and my son will possibly wonder why his mama cant just cook like that. But I would possibly in no way mix a pound of cheese or tub of ricotta into a casserole dish its all as well much, as well heavy. And so, when I spied a baked orzo dish, with eggplant and just a modicum of mozzarella from Yotam Ottolenghi (sadly, not from his new cookbook out subsequent month, because I am entirely out of order), I knew it was everything Id ever hoped and dreamed for in baked pasta stability (theres are pillows of eggplant during ), comfort (there are decadent cheese pulls stretching from each and every forkful, a delightful phrase I learned from this short article ) and ease (like the simplest macaroni-and-cheese I know how to make, you dont even need to pre-boil the pasta).

And then I had to wait four months to make it mainly because it wasnt eggplant season but. I wont lie, it was tricky. In the meantime, I produced other riffs on it, 1 with halved cherry tomatoes ( as well wet) and another with asparagus (eh). This week, it was ultimately mine and it is absolutely worth the wait. Because this is an Otttolenghi dish, and Ottolenghi didnt get popular for making factors the ordinary way, there are tinier factors in there that I would have by no means viewed as adding, like fresh oregano, which operates here so very well. Theres a bit of lemon zest, which was like a revelation against the tomatoes and oregano. And theres a little mirepoix, a base of carrots, celery and onion that provides the total dish a depth that helps make you take notice. Collectively, it feels quite September, very late summer time while somehow softening the landing of finding back to the grind once more. I hope you like it as well.

Subsequent week: Eee! Im going to share a 2nd recipe preview from the cookbook what I look at the most September-y recipe in it, so I cant allow you miss it just simply because the book wont be out till late October. And, Im going to announce the dates and destinations weve received lined up so far on The Smitten Out of the Kitchen Book Tour. I cant wait, and I hope youre fired up as well.

One yr ago: Roasted Eggplant with Tomatoes and Mint
Two years ago: Grape Foccacia with Rosemary
A few years ago: Corn Bread Salad
Four years ago: Raspberry Breakfast Bars
Five many years ago: Spicy Soba Noodles with Shiitakes and Hoisin Barbecue Sauce
[New!] Six many years ago: Silky Cauliflower Soup

Baked Orzo with Eggplant and Mozzarella
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi

I made a couple modifications to this recipe due to personalized preferences. The original termed for a lot of carrots and celery ( 4 carrots, 3 celery stalks) but I needed them to just be a background flavor, not primary ingredient. I also chopped them more finely. I employed a great deal much less lemon zest and oregano than was recommended since I was nervous but ended up wishing for far more of every single so Ive listed the array from my amount to the advised 1 under. Lastly, the tomatoes had been intended to be sliced and then arranged across the leading of the dish as it baked. If youd like to do it this way, sprinkle them with a teaspoon of dried oregano, salt and pepper before you bake it. I chopped them for two good reasons : I wanted the tomatoes within the dish and I also like the crunchy lid of a baked pasta dish. A layer of tomatoes would shield you from that if youre not into it. (You almost certainly dont like pudding skin either, do you? Its okay. We can even now be good friends.)

You could easily use complete wheat orzo here, or I suspect, one more grain. However, youll have to do a bit of fiddling with the broth level to alter for each and every one. Grains that take lengthier than pasta to cook (just about all of them) would possibly benefit from par-cooking before they go in.

A couple of other substitions: I didnt have any vegetable broth and applied water. I felt it wasnt lacking at all for flavor. If you dont have fresh tomatoes, you can use canned ones ( even though fresh will hold up better on leading ). If you dont have fresh oregano, use half the total of dried oregano. If you dont like or dont have either, thyme, fresh or dried, would operate effectively right here but its significantly much better in flavor and only half as significantly need to be desired.

Serves 4

1 large (mine was just more than one one / four pounds/570 grams) eggplant, lower into three / 4 -inch dice
Salt and black pepper
1 / 4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
one medium carrot, peeled and reduce into 1 / four -inch dice
1 celery stalk, in a one / four -inch dice
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
eight ounces (225 grams) orzo, a rice-shaped pasta, rinsed
1 teaspoon ( six grams) tomato paste
1 1 / 2 cups (355 ml) vegetable stock
one to three tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest or much more to taste, up to the zest of a complete lemon
4 ounces (115 grams) mozzarella, firmer is much better right here, reduce into 1 / three -inch dice
1 one / two ounces (a generous one / 2 cup or 45 grams) parmesan, grated
3 medium tomatoes, diced

Sprinkle your eggplant generously with salt and allow it drain in a colander for 30 minutes. I employed this time to get the rest of my components prepared. Soon after 30 minutes, rinse it properly and pat it dry on towels.

Preheat your oven to 350F. Heat a big frying pan more than medium- substantial heat. After hot, add the oil and as soon as the oil is shimmering, add the eggplant. Fry for 8 minutes, stirring pieces occasionally. Utilizing a slotted spoon or spatula, transfer them to paper towels to drain. Add celery and carrots to remaining oil and cook for three minutes ahead of including onion and garlic. Cook collectively for 5 more minutes on medium warmth. Stir in the orzo and tomato paste and cook for two minutes far 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 effectively.

Transfer mixture to an 811-inch (about two quarts) ovenproof baking dish. Cover with foil and bake twenty minutes, then bake 20 minutes without having the foil. (You can enhance the ration of foil-on to foil-off time if you dont like a crunchy pasta lid.) Let rest for five minutes ahead of serving.

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