Mediterranean fare is my absolute favorite. Lemons, figs, olives, almonds, eggplant, tomatoes, cheese and pomegranates--all wonderful tasty morsels and healthy food choices. Throw in lamb, seafood, pasta, a bottle of wine, and some fresh baked bread and I could live on this food forever.

If you love vegetables, you will LOVE this dish. Oven roasted eggplant, mushrooms, olives and tomatoes bring out an intense flavor for this Seduction Meal. This garlic infused vegetable medley can be served over polenta or pasta as in the recipe below.

Mediterranean Pasta

1lb of your favorite pasta, I used Gragnanese

5 mini eggplants, cut into 1/2 inch slices and cut in half

9 large button mushrooms, quartered

¼ cup of olive oil

2 cloves of crushed garlic for the vegetables

2 large tomatoes, quartered and cut in half lengthwise

1 cup of pitted Kalmata olives

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½ cup olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, crushed for the olive oil sauce

red pepper flake

¼ cup of white wine

¼ tsp coarse sea salt

freshly grated black pepper

¼ cup of fresh Parmesan cheese

freshly grated Parmesan cheese over each dish


Preparing Vegetables

Preheat oven 300. Cook mushrooms in a skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tbsp of butter, add salt and pepper. Cook until all liquid is absorbed about 5 mintues. Place all vegetables (tomatoes, whole Kalmata olives, and eggplant) in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup of oil and crushed garlic and mix with your hands. Add the mushrooms. Place vegetables evenly on a cooking sheet. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook all vegetables for 45 minutes to 1 hour until eggplant is soft.

Cook pasta in water with salt. Cook al dente and drain

Mixing it all together

Place in large pot (the same one pasta was cooked in) over medium-high heat, add 1/2 cup of olive oil, crushed garlic and pepper. Cook until garlic is soft. Add pasta and Parmesan cheese, mix thoroughly. Add white wine and toss in all vegetables. Mix well and cook for 5 minutes. Place on a large serving dish. Top with freshly grated cheese.