Delirium’s Vegetarian Three-Color Twists

It's so tempting to write this recipe this way, as Delirium's balloons are written--Delirium’s Vegetarian Three-Color Twists--but I'm sparing us all of a bad headache. LOL

This recipe would be perfect if Neil Gaiman was coming over for dinner. Haha. I WISH. I named the recipe after his playful Sandman character Delirium. (The colourful pasta spirals remind me of Delirium’s hair. She’s always been my favourite, especially when illustrated by Jill Thompson (who is said to be pretty much like Delirium)). Oops. Parentheses inside parentheses!

I know I promised less pasta recipes, but I wanted to try making a new recipe using those pretty pasta spirals (called rotini or rotelle or fusilli). And since this week’s theme is vegetarian recipes, this is going to be one, if without the parmesan cheese.Cropped from "Delirium" artwork by Richard Case

Ingredients:

1 cup three-color pasta spirals

2 tbsp olive oil

2 pcs eggplants

2 pcs ripe red tomatoes, sliced

1 pc red bell pepper, sliced

parsley, chopped

½ tsp salt

ground black pepper

cashew nuts (optional)

grated fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

Steps:

Peel the eggplants and cut them into 2-inch lengths, about ¼ inch thick.

Toss with salt and place in a colander or strainer set over a bowl to catch the liquid (You’ll be surprised when you see the liquid!). Weight the eggplant slices with a small, heavy bowl. Let stand for an hour. Rinse off salt. Drain.

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the eggplant slices until lightly browned. Transfer to a strainer and let stand (or pat dry with kitchen paper towels) to remove excess oil.

Cook the pasta in boiling water until al dente, or firm to the bite. This takes about 10 minutes. Drain.

Toss the pasta with 1 tbsp olive oil, tomatoes, red bell pepper, parsley, and eggplants. Sprinkle with black pepper.

Add cashew nuts and/or grated fresh parmesan cheese if desired.

p.s.

According to Marie Simmons’ “365 Ways to Cook Pasta”, the three colors the pasta comes in actually mean something: green=spinach; pinkish red=tomato; and natural.

p.p.s

Look how peaceful our street is, tonight! Everybody must be out since it's Saturday. I hope my friend forgives me for “forgetting” tonight’s dinner at a Japanese restaurant near my place that I’ve always wanted to try. Inspiration for new recipes rarely comes these days. Couldn’t refuse the call of the kitchen!