Thursday, June 24 Dinner for Raghu

Tuscan Baked Eggs
Bruschetta
Roasted asparagus with poached 1 minute egg and parmesan
Zucchini with tomato, basil, garlic and parmesan
Eggplant casserole
Smoothie with blueberries

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Tuscan Baked Eggs with Tomatoes, Red Onion, Garlic, Parmesan, and Herbs
(Makes 2 generous servings, or could be 4 servings as part of a brunch with other dishes, recipe adapted from Fine Cooking Make it Tonight)

1 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp. finely minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes (I recommend good-quality organic tomatoes for this recipe. Two brands I like are Muir Glen and Dei Fratelli.)
1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves (other herbs such as oregano or basil could be used, but I would not use dried thyme)
2 T freshly grated parmesan cheese (or more)
1 T chopped fresh chives (optional, but the chives were great in this)

(Recipe Note: Because I wanted to use my individual casserole dish, I cooked the assembled dish for a few minutes in a toaster oven, then added the cheese and put it under the broiler. If you don't care about making individual servings, you could partially cook the eggs in a broiler-proof saute pan with the tomatoes, then put that pan under the broiler. I'll give instructions for both those options.)

Heat olive oil in saute pan over medium heat, then add red onion and saute 2-3 minutes, until the onion is starting to get soft but not browned. (Use a broiler-proof saute pan if you'd like to cook this entirely in one dish.)

Add minced garlic, cook about 1 minute, then add canned tomatoes and chopped thyme. Simmer the tomato mixture until it thickens slightly, stirring a few times. This will take about 6-8 minutes.

While tomatoes cook, preheat toaster oven to 450F (if you're planning to cook individual servings) and pre-heat broiler (for individual casseroles or to cook in one pan.)

When tomatoes are slightly thickened, remove about 1/3-1/2 of the tomatoes to a bowl. Spread the rest of tomatoes around the bottom of the saute pan or in two individual casserole dishes. Carefully break two eggs into each casserole dish (for individual servings) or four eggs into saute pan (to cook in one pan.) Spoon the rest of the tomato mixture carefully over and around the white part of the eggs, leaving the yolks showing. (It will not completely cover the whites.)

If you're cooking in the pan, cover the saute pan and let eggs cook in the tomatoes for about 3 minutes. If you're cooking in individual casseroles, put casserole into toaster oven for about 5-7 minutes. (Whichever cooking method you're using, the egg white should be turning opaque but the yolk should still be runny when you add the parmesan cheese and broil.) When eggs are partly done, sprinkle on parmesan cheese and put pan or individual dishes under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, until cheese melts and the top of eggs look like they're barely starting to cook.

Serve hot, preferably with toast for dipping into egg.

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Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil Recipe

Ingredients

* 6 or 7 ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs)
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
* 6-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped.
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* 1 baguette French bread or similar Italian bread
* 1/4 cup olive oil

Method

1 Prepare the tomatoes first. Parboil the tomatoes for one minute in boiling water that has just been removed from the burner. Drain. Using a sharp small knife, remove the skins of the tomatoes. (If the tomatoes are too hot, you can protect your finger tips by rubbing them with an ice cube between tomatoes.) Once the tomatoes are peeled, cut them in halves or quarters and remove the seeds and juice from their centers. Also cut out and discard the stem area. Why use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes? The skins are much thicker and there are fewer seeds and less juice.

2 Make sure there is a top rack in place in your oven. Turn on the oven to 450°F to preheat.

3 While the oven is heating, chop up the tomatoes finely. Put tomatoes, garlic, 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, vinegar in a bowl and mix. Add the chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4 Slice the baguette on a diagonal about 1/2 inch thick slices. Coat one side of each slice with olive oil using a pastry brush. Place on a cooking sheet, olive oil side down. You will want to toast them in the top rack in your oven, so you may need to do these in batches depending on the size of your oven. Once the oven has reached 450°F, place a tray of bread slices in the oven on the top rack. Toast for 5-6 minutes, until the bread just begins to turn golden brown.

Alternatively, you can toast the bread without coating it in olive oil first. Toast on a griddle for 1 minute on each side. Take a sharp knife and score each slice 3 times. Rub some garlic in the slices and drizzle half a teaspoon of olive oil on each slice. This is the more traditional method of making bruschetta.

5 Align the bread on a serving platter, olive oil side up. Either place the tomato topping in a bowl separately with a spoon for people to serve themselves over the bread, or place some topping on each slice of bread and serve. If you top each slice with the tomatoes, do it right before serving or the bread may get soggy.

Makes 24 small slices. Serves 6-10 as an appetizer. Or 3-4 for lunch (delicious served with cottage cheese on the side.)


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Eggplant Casserole


* 2 medium eggplant
* 1 can (15 ounces) tomatoes
* 1/2 teaspoon sugar
* 2 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
* Parmesan cheese

Cook tomatoes, sugar and garlic, covered, while preparing eggplant. Peel and slice eggplant; fry in cooking oil until slightly browned and tender. Drain well on paper towels. Place layer of eggplant in casserole dish; spoon part of tomato mixture over it; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Continue until all ingredients are used. Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350° for 20 to 30 minutes, until casserole is bubbly.
Serves 4.
This eggplant recipe can be doubled.