ORZO PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, OLIVES, AND SPINACH WITH A ROASTED EGGPLANT SAUCE

If you are a pasta eater and like baba ganoush, you are in for a treat!  I had these beautiful eggplants that I needed to use, but wanted to do something a little different with them.  Since I really enjoy baba ganoush, I thought it could make a great flavorful, creamy pasta sauce.  And sure enough it did! My daughter who doesn't usually like eggplant, thought it was excellent, and ate two bowls.  So that was another winner!

I have never been to Italy, but it is definitely on my bucket list of places to visit.  When I think of Italian food, eggplant and pasta definitely pop into my mind.  I can see myself on a nice summer day, eating a dish similar to this one, on a patio in Venice... Oh a girl can dream!
In the mean time, let's enjoy a nice Italian fare made from our kitchen...

ORZO PASTA WITH MUSHROOMS, OLIVES, AND SPINACH WITH A ROASTED EGGPLANT SAUCE



Ingredients:


For the roasted eggplant sauce

• 2 medium sized roasted eggplants, flesh only
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of paprika
• 1/8 of teaspoon of cayenne
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

For the pasta:

• 16 oz of gluten free orzo pasta
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 8 oz of mushrooms, sliced
• 3 cups of spinach
• 1/3 cups of  black olives, pitted and sliced
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:


To roast the eggplants;

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise.
3. Add salt on top of the flesh of the eggplants and let it "sweat" for 20 minutes.  This will remove the bitter taste.
4. Using a napkin, pat dry the excess water that formed on top of the eggplant.
5. Score the flesh with a knife, cutting deep into the flesh, but not through the skin.
6. Cut diagonal lines on both sides, about one inch apart, to make a diamond cross hatch-pattern.
7. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or aluminium foil face down, and roast for 50-60 minutes, until the eggplant looks collapsed, and the bottom has a caramel color.
8. Remove from the oven and let them cool.

For the roasted eggplant sauce:

1. Remove the flesh from the roasted eggplants. Discard the skin.
2. Place the flesh and all of the other sauce ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

For the orzo pasta;

1. Cook the pasta according to manufacturer's instructions. Drain.
2. In a large saute pan, heat up the olive oil under medium-high heat.
3. Add the onions and saute 4-5 minutes until they are translucent.
4. Add the mushrooms and saute another 8-10 minutes, until the moisture has evaporated.
5. Add the spinach and the black olives, and cook for two minutes.
6. Add the pasta and the sauce, blend well, and cook a few minutes until the sauce is heated through.

Serve warm.

This will make 6 servings