Capellini Al Fresco

Ingredients:

3 ounces of capellini (boiled 6 minutes: hold in cold water if you need to) I suggest breaking it in half.
1 small eggplant peeled and sliced (1.5 - 2 cups)
1.5 to 2 cans Hunts FireRoasted Diced Tomatoes -DRAINED WELL. I use a strainer. (a superior product worth shopping for)
4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped black olives
8 ounces of chopped mushrooms (sauted)
1/2 cup grated Asigo cheese (1/4 cup after grating)
1/2 avocado, mashed (cook it, if its not ripe enough to mash)
1/4 cup red wine (A good excuse to open a bottle...)
salt, MSG, garlic, pepper
[most people would add an onion, but my DW does not like onion, so I sneak some onion flakes in.]

1. Bake the eggplant at 350 until soft. Lightly coat with oil before baking.
2. Saute the mushrooms.
3. When done add the tomatoes, olives, tomatoes, eggplant and red wine. Heat through.
4. Add the capellini and spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted
5. Add the seasoning
6. Sprinkle on the Asigo cheese.



Serve before the capellini gets mushy.

Tilapia Cacciatore

Tilapia Cacciatore is a variation of Chicken Cacciatore with the same flavors including tomatoes, red wine, olives, peppers. Variations include white fish poached in wine & apple juice.

Ingredients

4 fillets of Tilapia or other white fish, cut into 2 inch pieces (thawed)

1.5 cans of diced tomatoes (Hunt's Roasted are best.)

2 servings of capellini (fine pasta), about 1 cup cooked

1/2 cup black olives

3/4 sweet orange pepper

1.5 cup red wine (I use $3 wine from Walmart.)

1/2 cup of apple juice

3/4 cup of sliced, peeled zucchini - if you have it

3/4 cup of fresh mushrooms

2 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon MSG

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon capers

Directions

1. Saute the pepper, olives, garlic and zucchini - note the pepper will take longer to cook so begin with it. (Onion if you want, but my wife does not like onion.) Remove from the pan. 
2. Chop the other vegetables. Drain the tomatoes using a stainer, and save the juice.
3. Start the water for the capellini. 




4. Mix the wine, apple juice, and tomato juice from above. Heat it to boiling, and place the fish in. Let it cook on four minutes. Not longer. 
5. When you put the fish in, also start the pasta. 
6. When the fish is done,  remove the fish and  most of the liquid. Take the capellini out now too. (If you used fatter pasta, you will need to adjust.)
7. Place the vegetables and pasta in the pan and heat them in a modest amount of the wine mixture. Don't use too much liquid because this is not soup. When warm add the fish, and ensure it is all heated. See the picture below.
8. Add seasoning.