The Joy Kitchen's Roasted Cantaloupe

• 1 cantaloupe
• About 2 tablespoons sugar or vanilla sugar (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Wash, cut in half, and remove the seeds from the cantaloupe. Cut into wedges, and then into cubes.
3. If you like, toss the cubes with a little sugar or vanilla sugar. If the melon is a very sweet one, it will not need the extra sugar. If it's on the watery side, though, adding a little sugar helps with the caramelization. Vanilla sugar is a lovely addition, and if you ever use vanilla beans, there's no reason you shouldn't have some vanilla sugar tucked away in your pantry. If you don't have any, make some straightaway. It's a nice little secret ingredient to have on hand.
4. Roast until the melon begins to look a little shriveled and has started to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Cool completely. Serve over oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, custard, or anywhere else where you need mild fruit accompaniment.

Roasted Eggplant Matbucha

Courtesy:

• 2 lbs eggplant 2 medium sized eggplants
• 1/3 cup olive oil divided
• 2 whole red bell peppers
• 1 whole jalapeño or fresno chili pepper
• 2 1/2 lbs tomatoes (8-10 large), peeled, seeded and diced (learn how here) or 2 large cans (1 lb 12 oz each) diced tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 3/4 tsp salt or to taste
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes or more to taste
• Sugar, or your favorite sweetener, to taste
• 2 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. While oven is heating, slice stem ends off the eggplants, then peel them halfway in stripes down the side so strips of skin remain intact around the eggplant, with half of the skin peeled away. This helps the eggplant cubes to hold their shape without being too tough (too much skin can negatively affect the texture).
2. Slice the eggplant into 1 - 1 1/2 inch chunks and toss them in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil. Spray a full-sized baking sheet liberally with nonstick cooking spray, then spread the eggplant out in a single layer on the sheet.
3. Line a half baking sheet with foil and place the bell peppers and jalapeño or fresno chili pepper on the sheet.
4. Place both baking sheets in the oven and let the vegetables roast for 10 minutes.
5. After 10 minutes, turn the peppers over with tongs and continue roasting for another 3-5 minutes, until the small pepper is soft and collapsing. Remove the small roasted pepper and set it aside. Turn the bell peppers again and return them to the oven. Stir the eggplant.
6. Continue roasting the eggplant and bell peppers for another 10 minutes or so until eggplant is tender and lightly browned and the bell peppers are soft and collapsing. 
7. While the rest of the vegetables finish roasting, stem the small pepper, peel off any loose skin, and take out the seeds (unless you want a really spicy matbucha-- I leave 10-15 seeds in for a little kick). Dice into small pieces. You may want to wear gloves during this process to protect sensitive skin from the capsaicin of the pepper.
8. When the eggplant and peppers finish roasting, remove them from the oven. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil and allow to steam for a few minutes. Set the eggplant aside. Once the peppers have steamed, seed them and peel the skin off. Dice into small pieces.
9. Combine peppers, tomatoes, garlic, salt, tomato paste, and chili flakes in a 6 quart pot. Bring ingredients to a boil, then simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes, until the mixture has cooked down and most of the excess liquid has evaporated.
10. Stir in the roasted eggplant chunks. Continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes longer until thick and saucy. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar or your favorite sweetener to taste. I usually end up adding about 2 tbsp of sugar; it's supposed to be a sweet salad with a bit of a spicy kick. You can add more hot pepper flakes or salt to taste too, if you like.
11. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, paprika and smoked paprika in a small bowl. Pour oil into the salad and stir until well mixed.
12. Serve salad at room temperature or chilled.

Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot or 1/2 large carrot, finely chopped
• 1 small stalk of celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, including the juice, or 1 3/4 pound of fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Gently cook the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley:
   • Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Stir to coat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through.
2. Add garlic:
   • Remove cover and add the minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium high. Cook for garlic for 30 seconds.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, basil, salt, pepper, then simmer:
   • Add the tomatoes, including the juice and shredding them with your fingers if you are using canned whole tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and the basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
   • Bring to a low simmer, reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes.
   • Optional, purée for smooth sauce: If you want you can push the sauce through a food mill, or purée it in a blender or with an immersion blender, to give it a smooth consistency.

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