Zucchini and Eggplant Pasta
One of my 2023 goals is to save as much money as I can by cutting expenditures on literally everything. This sounds like a dream right? Well, not so much for me because I love food and trying out new restaurants or new menus the same way I love making/experimenting with the food my kitchen. The only problem with my unrestrained love for food is exactly that it is unrestrained. Most of my expenses are somewhat food-related. It could be trying new restaurants, new menu additions at old places or just buying crazy amounts of groceries so I can experiment in the kitchen myself. However, this is Zimbabwe and this can be a little exorbitant. It is a conundrum, I tell you.
However, I am not one to accept defeat. My simplest solution so far has been to get as many of my ingredients as I can from the source. For instance, in the case of fruits and vegetables, I go to the farmer’s market specifically Bulawayo Farmers Market. Oh, what food for the soul that place is! I went there today and got these amazing zucchini and eggplant. The thing is zucchinis are not rare or that seasonal in Bulawayo but we usually get them in small sizes, quite tiny to somewhat medium sizes. But today, I bumped into these amazingly huge ones going for thirty cents each and it was just pleasing to the eye. Yes, a bargain. This gave me the idea to try out zucchini and eggplant pasta. Below is how it went, full RECIPE!!!
Ingredients
- Macaroni
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Tomato Paste
- Cheddar Cheese
- Garlic
- Basil(dry)
- Cayenne Pepper
- White Pepper
- Oil
- Salt
Method
- Add water, salt and oil into a big pot and bring it to boil.
- Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until tender.
- Slice both the zucchini and eggplant while heating a pan with oil.
- Crush the garlic and add it to the heated oil, then the eggplant and fry until tender.
- Add the zucchini, sprinkle of basil, cayenne pepper, white pepper and salt to the tender eggplant and fry for 2 minutes maintaining the zucchini’s green color.
- Add tomato paste and continuously stir for about five minutes then add the pasta after draining out the excess water from boiling.
- Serve on a plate and sprinkle grated cheddar cheese as garnish.
Bon Appetit!!! I hope you enjoy this as much as my brother and I did. We are even considering experimenting with more non-meat dishes.