Belts

With both Master and myself trying our hardest to budget more frugally in the next few weeks, I wanted to use up as many pantry and refrigerator items as possible in Wednesday night's dinner. The extra fennel bulb from last week's salmon dinner and a bunch of leeks I'd nearly forgotten about gave me the idea for a veggie pasta bake. I had only to pick up two small eggplants to supplement, to be diced, salted and pressed, per custom, then sauteed in olive oil with the leeks and fennel. A spoonful of sugar, a generous splash each of half-and-half and chicken stock, a sprinkling of dried Herbes de Provence and fresh orange zest, tossed with farfalle and a generous amount of shredded Mozzarella, and baked in a casserole until crunchy on top. The vegetables weathered the twice-cooking well, the eggplant becoming meltingly soft and sweet, the fennel just tender. Served with salad greens, the baked pasta made for another well-received meal. As we reclined after dinner, I was amused to note that a meal made to accommodate belt-tightening measures in fact found us both loosening our own and patting our contended bellies. This is what I do. Homey, comforting food, deserving of equally unadorned prose. Not a fancy feast. Then again, we aren't cats.