Penne penne penne

I am starting my foray into cooking with definite baby steps. Nothing that requires fancy appliances or culinary skills... those challenges are a goal for a future me equipped with plenty of Martha experience and maybe a few extra hours in the day.

For now, a simple pasta with vegetables is a nice, safe, place to start. While I have tackled some bigger projects over the past two weeks, I welcome a return to the basics.

Martha's penne alla norma was just what the doctor ordered. One of the best things about Martha's recipes and, more importantly, her message, is that homemade is possible... for everyone. Even when you have been at work since eight, headed straight from there to biology lab, in which you spent three hours talking endlessly about plant biology (xylem and phloem, xylem and phloem - so important to know all the intimate details!), you can still come home and, after a few minutes, have a home-cooked meal with just a little sprinkling of Martha on the side.

But back to the penne. The order of the day was onions, garlic, eggplant, plum tomatoes (a little mushy and with some moldy bits after a week or so in the fridge), tomato paste, and a splash of olive oil. I omitted the red pepper and fresh basil, because, after all, it's a Monday and it was just one of those days where the required ingredients weren't magically in my fridge.

I topped my serving with a spoonful of ricotta cheese, which, it turns out, I don't really like. I feel like ricotta cheese is the bastard child of the cheese family - it tastes like nothing with a faint aftertaste of gross. For future helpings (thankfully, I have plenty of leftovers for lunch this week), I will be topping with mozarella, the favorite niece of the cheese family, instead.

Overall, this penne was fast, edible, and healthy. A perfect recipe for an imperfect Monday.