Posted by Anne

I’m a terrible gardener.  My Mom has always been a fantastic gardener, and awaits the coming of her annual Burpee seed catalog with charming childlike eagerness.  Sorry, Mom.  I can’t relate.  In the plant-world, I might as well be the grim reaper. 

Just one portion of a typical week...

I’m not that worried.  And that’s because I happen to be a member (like Elizabeth), of a local farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program.  Every Wednesday, Ryan dutifully picks up our “farm box”—an enormous Rubbermaid bin of organic goodness.  There are many reasons I’ve loved my CSA program this year—lower grocery bills, amazingly fresh tomatoes, and of course that whole “good for the environment” thing.  But there’s one benefit of the weekly CSA delivery that I’ve enjoyed more than any other:  the opportunity for some seriously Life in Pencil cooking. 

While the weekly box provides a plethora of tomatoes, corn, and mixed greens, there are additional veggies to decipher—rainbow chard, Italian kale, and delicata squash.  It’s a veritable parade of vitamin-rich side items I can’t always find at my local Safeway.  And when faced with a veg I’ve never met, I have to get creative, and I have to improvise. And so each week, I learn something new.  When it comes to dinnertime, change is good. 

This brings me to the final benefit of the CSA season—rediscovering and redefining vegetables I’d long ago crossed off my grocery list.  You see, not every box contains delightful surprises.  As much as I learned to rejoice each time I opened the box to see rainbow chard, my heart sank just as deeply when I glimpsed one of my all-time least favorite members of the vegetable world.  The eggplant.

Sorry, you eggplant lovers out there, but I just don’t get the eggplant.  Sure, it looks pretty, which makes it all the more disappointing.  The skin is tough and waxy.  The inside is flavorless and spongy—and spongy just can’t be a good thing when you’re talking food.  But once again, my CSA challenged me.  It refused to allow me to remain in my eggplant-hating rut.  It gave me THREE Japanese eggplants.  And let me tell you…they were big ones.  At first, I panicked.  I mean, how many times can you make eggplant parmesan?  So one desperate evening, I hit the web, and found a failsafe recipe for eggplant.  It accomplished the unthinkable.  It made me enjoy a meal built entirely around my former purple enemy. 

So thank you, CSA.  Thank you for making me try new things, and throw together meal after meal of spontaneous dishes.  And for the joy of discovering new ingredients, and re-discovering old ones.

I realize this recipe is out of season, but if you need a good eggplant recipe, here you go!

• 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic, whole
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 pound rigatoni pasta
• 1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the eggplant, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Spread the vegetables out in an even layer on the baking sheet. Roast in the oven until the vegetables are tender and the eggplant is golden, about 35 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the vegetables. Roast until golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a food processor. Add the torn mint leaves and extra-virgin olive oil. Puree the vegetables.

Transfer the pureed vegetables to the bowl with the pasta and add the Parmesan. Stir to combine, adding the pasta cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy. Sprinkle the pine nuts over the top and serve.