Farfalle with White Eggplants and baby portobello mushrooms

The end of summer is fast approaching, (technically Autumn is officially here, but it still feels like summer).   As we herald in the Fall season, we must come to terms with the inevitable fact that the garden is slowly but surely getting ready for its deep slumber.  To give you an idea, this year’s yield was chock full of veggies with beets, white eggplants, garlic, onions, various colored tomatoes, carrots, okra, peppers, swiss chard, zucchini, squash and pumpkins to name a few.  I’ve already harvested fresh herbs for the winter.  There are various methods of doing this, everyone does it in a different way.  I like to freeze some of my herbs that I chop up and place in an ice cube tray.  I then add either olive oil or stock and freeze the cubes.  I pop them into a ziploc bag, date them and enjoy them through the winter months.

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Feast your eyes on these white eggplants – aren’t they just beautiful?

Today, I’m featuring white eggplants.  Eggplants or (aubergines), come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes.  They need about 10 hours of direct sunlight a day.  These were grown in raised beds which warms the earth much quicker in the spring.   Mulch immediately after planting to retain moisture and keep the space weed free.  Water generously at least an inch of water per week.

With these eggplants I made another vegetarian dish that is comforting and nourishing.  This recipe is very basic and requires no recipe.  Just a pinch of this, a handful of that, let your imagination and creativity be your guide.   I sauteed an onion and some garlic in extra virgin olive oil.  I then added sliced baby portobello mushrooms and continued to saute with some fresh basil, thyme, Italian seasonings and a 1/2 cup of white wine.  I diced the baby eggplants and added these to the pan with a splash of extra wine 🙂   In a separate pan I cooked the farfalle (bow-tie pasta) al dente.  I drained the pasta and  mixed both contents together with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and torn basil leaves.

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A simple, yet satisfying pasta dish for a weeknight

I’m hopping over to the weekly party at Fiesta Friday #138   Our co-hosts this week are  Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Johanne @ French Gardener Dishes

 

43 comments

    1. Thanks Elaine, I feel blessed to have had such an abundance of vegetables that I’ve helped grow. There’s nothing quite like harvesting as they come up. I wonder how you’d have used the white aubergines? 🙂

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    1. Thanks Sonal, I knew you would love this. You should try growing it in your backyard, Texas has an extended growing period and with all that sunshine, you’re bound to come out winning. 🙂

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    1. Thanks Julie. Yes, the raised beds tend to be warmer when spring arrives. We also used a layer of leaf mulch last Fall, so it sped up the process and provided additional warmth. We will be planting garlic again in the Fall. Did you know it takes about 5 months for the garlic to be harvested? I had no idea. It stays underground all winter long, and ready to be harvested around May or June. The size of these garlic were enormous too. 🙂

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    1. Thanks Julianna, I read somewhere that white eggplants arrived before the purple ones, and because they looked like eggs, they named them eggplants 🙂 Just a bit of tidbit on this Monday morning 🙂

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    1. Thanks Mollie, it seemed to have caught everyone’s attention. But do you know that the white eggplant came before their purple cousins? 🙂 They say they resembled eggs, hence the word eggplant. Thanks for hosting FF 🙂

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    1. Thank you Johanne, it was a lovely, yet simple meal for a weeknight. I thought of you when I was at Trader Joe’s this weekend. I was on the hunt for burrata, and found it; they are quite expensive aren’t they? I can imagine the burst of creaminess oozing out. Unfortunately I did not get any this time, as I’m trying to clear my refrigerator before our trip to the frozen north later this week. Thanks for co-hosting 🙂

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  13. Loretta,
    Love the simplicity of this recipe and the combination of eggplant and mushrooms. What a superb way to use the white eggplant.
    Do you feel that the white eggplant is milder than the regular ones? I like all types of eggplant but once I was told so in an Italian market here.

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    1. Thanks Sandhya. The white eggplant’s skin is pretty thick, so it has to be peeled unlike the purple eggplant where you can actually cook with the skin. However, the white eggplant is less bitter, denser and creamier. Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week. It has cooled down quite a bit here, but I”m not complaining, just gorgeous gardening weather. I’m transplanting a lot at the moment since the heat and humidity have disappeared for a while anyway.

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  15. This looks so delicious Loretta. reading the description of all your produce brought a smile to my face. I must try and plant the white eggplants next year, my purple one and still growing well. Probably another week to go before it all ends. I have started to freeze the herbs using the same technique. Its just so good to cook your own produce, isn’t it?

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    1. Thanks Zeba. Yes, it’s absolutely the best feeling in the whole wide world, being able to get out there and reap what you sow 🙂 I tried another method of freezing herbs that another blogger mentioned. I googled it and it turned out just great. Put your herbs on a paper towel, don’t crowd them. Then another paper towel on top. Microwave for a minute and a half. The herbs just crumble in your hand, I put them in jars and labelled them. They retain their color and taste that way too.

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  17. I planted eggplants, too, but most were devoured by either a bunny, a squirrel, or a groundhog, who knows. But I did pick a couple nice ones last week before pulling the plants. My first inclination is always to bread them and fry but this is a healthier alternative 😋

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  20. Loretta, I posted a comment but not sure if it went through. It looks like white eggplant is just as delicious as purple. I’ll have to try it next year. I would like to nominate you for the 3 Quotes for 3 Days Challenge. Your site had delicious recipes with great pictures and interesting gardening articles that I enjoy. See the followings link for details. You don’t need to do it, only if you wish. https://heartandsoul974.wordpress.com/2016/10/02/3-quotes-for-3-days-challenge/

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