Clearly, it’s “Use Up the CSA Bounty Week” here at Chez Recessionista, and in keeping with the theme, tonight I threw together a new dish. Forget pasta primavera, that celebration of spring! Tonight, we welcomed in pasta otoño, a celebration of autumn goodness!
Instead of squash and other warm-weather goodies, I sliced two baby eggplants, cut some green beans into one-inch lengths, and washed some final yellow cherry tomatoes from today’s farmer’s market. I mixed the veggies with a sauce concocted with milk, flour, butter, and spices – and a touch of red-wine vinegar for taste – and added some diced Boca chik’n patties for some additional protein. I tossed the rotini pasta into the saucepan, and voila! Pasta otoño!
And it was so good. It was lacking a little tiny bit because of our sudden salt shortage (OK, it wasn’t quite “sudden” – I just forgot to pick up a new salt shaker at the grocery store!), but we hardly noticed. The creaminess really brought out the flavors in the eggplant, beans, and tomatoes! And though this dish has its roots in a standard primavera, it adapted beautifully to a more autumnal feel. Next time, I may add some nutmeg to the mix, just to augment the mood.
So, in short, this dish was a success. I can always tell the recipe has gone over well when LeeLee requests it again before the dishes have even been cleared from the table! Suffice it to say, we’ll be doing this one again. LeeLee has requested the addition of Tofurky sausage links next time. I think we can manage that!
The stats:
Rotini: $1.00 ($0.50/person)
Eggplant: Prepaid.
Green beans: Prepaid.
Chik’n patties: $3.50/four ($0.88/person)
Tomatoes: $3.00 ($1.50/person)
Silk: $2.39 ($0.80/person)
GRAND TOTAL: $9.89 … or $3.68 per person.
:)