This Week's Challenge: Inspiration

Necessity pressed hard upon us recently so I have had some fun inventing a dish or two. To the right is my turkey-basil pizza of last night. As we wanted to get our 10 month old some protein we cooked some ground turkey without anything (fearing even black pepper would be too spicy). However, he could not eat that pound of ground meat in a few days (frankly, I'd be scared if he did) so I created this:

1 Boboli Crust
Tomato Sauce (enough to cover)
Mozzarella Cheese (enough to cover)
Ground Turkey
Two or three leaves basil (torn)

Heat oven to 450º. Add all but the basil to the crust. Cook in middle for 8-10 mins. Add Basil and serve.

Yes, I know, this is not how we make pizza; but like a few pierogi in the fridge, a pizza crust, a can of tomato sauce, and cheese are a simple way to eliminate leftovers. Speaking of leftovers:

I took the leftovers of this Greek vegetable soup (from The Olive and the Caper) and used them as a sauce to some handmade papardelle and it was awesome:

1 c. olive oil
2 med. eggplants, cut in 1" cubes
12 med. shallots, peeled and left whole
8 cloves garlic, slivered
4 med. tomatoes, chopped or can of chopped tomatoes in winter
3/4 c. dry red wine
1 bay leaf
salt/pepper
1/4 c. basil, shredded and whole to garnish

1. Heat oil in skillet. Add eggplant, shallot, garlic, 10-12 mins. Stir frequently
2. Stir in tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, salt, pepper. DO NOT TOUCH. Let simmer 45-50 mins. (Oil will rise to top)
3. Remove bay leaf and remove from heat. Let cool 10 mins. Add shredded basil to whole. Garnish individual bowls with some whole basil.

p.s. if you skimp on the oil, your eggplant will taste too sharp.