Eye for a Recipe

This pasta dish from Martha Stewart Living is quick and tasty. Roast eggplant and tomatoes, sauté some sausage meat and then combine with cooked pasta, olives and cheese. Cook’s note: Smaller Japanese eggplants are best for this dish; if you can’t find them, slice a larger eggplant crosswise and then cut into coin-sized pieces.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use sausage and olives with no additives or preservatives and cheese that does not contain colour.

Roast the eggplant and tomatoes

Remove sausage meat from casings and saute

Penne with roasted eggplant, tomatoes, sausage and olives

Ingredients:

4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes, preferably a mix of red, orange, and yellow

4 Japanese eggplants, cut crosswise into ½ -inch (1.27 cm) rounds

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound (450 g) penne

4 links sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1 cup (250 ml) pitted Kalamata olives

½ cup (125 ml) grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving

Small fresh basil leaves, for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Divide tomatoes, eggplants, and garlic between two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; season with salt. Toss to combine, then spread in a single layer. Roast until eggplants are tender and browned in spots, about 25 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than instructed on package. Drain, reserving 1 cup (250 ml) pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-high. Cook sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved pasta water; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until almost evaporated.

In a large bowl, combine eggplant mixture, sausage, olives, pasta, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Top with basil and serve immediately, with more cheese alongside. Serves 4.

From the March 2015 issue of Martha Stewart Living

This pasta dish from Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes is a favourite of his wife, Jools. It’s very good and doesn’t take long to make. Mix together scallions, carrot, celery, sausages and spices in the food processor, then cook in a frying pan. Add garlic, balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes and toss with cooked penne. You can top it with parmesan cheese if you like.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Sausages, spices, balsamic vinegar and canned tomatoes may contain artificial ingredients. Look for all-natural sausages and spices with no colour or anti-caking agents. I use a balsamic vinegar with only naturally occurring sulfites and Unico brand tomatoes.

Cook the sausage meat and vegetable mixture

Add garlic, balsamic vinegar and tomatoes

Jools' Pasta

Ingredients:

4 scallions

1 carrot

1 stick of celery

1–2 fresh red chilies

3 or 4 good-quality sausages

1 heaped teaspoon (5 ml) fennel seeds

1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano

500 g dried penne

4 cloves of garlic

4 tbsp (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 400 g can of chopped tomatoes

A few sprigs of Greek basil, or regular basil

Preparation:

Turn your oven to 375°F (190°C). Put a large frying pan on a high heat. Put the standard blade attachment into the food processor.

Trim the spring onions, carrot and celery. Roughly chop all the vegetables, then blitz in the food processor with the chilies (stalks removed). Add the sausages, 1 heaped teaspoon (5ml) of fennel seeds and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of oregano. Keep pulsing until well mixed, then spoon this mixture into the hot frying pan with a lug of olive oil, breaking it up and stirring as you go. Keep checking on it and stirring while you get on with other jobs.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season well then add the penne and cook according to packet instructions.

Crush 4 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the sausage mixture and stir in 4 tablespoons (60 ml) of balsamic vinegar and the tinned tomatoes. Add a little of the starchy cooking water from the pasta to loosen if needed.

Drain the pasta, reserving about a wineglass worth of the cooking water. Tip the pasta into the pan of sauce and give it a gentle stir, adding enough of the cooking water to bring it to a silky consistency. Taste, correct the seasoning, then tip into a large serving bowl.

From Jamie Oliver’s Meals in Minutes

This delicious recipe from Great American Grilling can be made ahead and served either hot or at room temperature. Sausages, onion, peppers and garlic are grilled and then tossed with cooked pasta. The pasta is dressed with a mixture of the cooked garlic, vinegar and mustard. This is a great way to use up those leftover peppers in your fridge and sausages in your freezer.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for sausages with no additives or preservatives, vinegar with only naturally occurring sulfites and an additive-free Dijon. I used Spectrum balsamic vinegar and President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon.

Grill sausages and vegetables until done, turning once

Slice sausages

Slice grilled vegetables, toss with pasta and dressing

Pasta with Grilled Vegetables and Italian Sausages

Ingredients:

1 lb. (454 g) mild or hot Italian sausages

1 large red onion, cut into quarters

1 large red and 1 large yellow pepper, cut into quarters

1 small head garlic, unpeeled

1 lb. (454 g) dried penne

¼ cup (60 ml) balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard

2 tsp (10 ml) minced fresh oregano or 1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano

1 large tomato, chopped

Oregano sprigs

Preparation:

Arrange sausages, onion, bell peppers and garlic head on preheated grill and cook, covered. Turn food halfway through cooking time, until vegetables are soft when pressed and sausages are no longer pink in the centre (20 to 30 minutes).

Meanwhile, bring 3 quarts (2.8 litres) water to a boil over high heat in a 5- to 6-quart (5- to 6-litre) pan. Stir in pasta, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook just until tender to the bite, 10-12 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Cut cooked garlic in half crosswise. Squeeze pulp into a small bowl and stir in vinegar, mustard and minced oregano. Slice sausages, onion and bell peppers. Add to pasta along with garlic mixture and tomato. Toss well. Garnish with oregano sprigs, Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 8.

From Great American Grilling