Buckwheat Linguine with Aubergine and Mango

 
I want to grasp them in my fist, but they are far too swift, fleeting and melting away into the next. Days … how fast they disappear. No matter how hard I try to capture at least parts of it, to make it last just a little longer it seems the faster they slip away.

Time flies with wings of a hummingbird; here, there - then gone! Hard to keep a track of but providing an inner satisfaction of having experienced something unique and leaving us with pure exhilaration and hungry for more. All three of us are wrapped up in our projects and assignments keeping us so busy that we lose track of time. But we do not lose track of each other and while it seems we are playing a game of touch and go, passing each other from assignment to task to project somehow we manage to find the balance of keeping it together.

Weekends become our Zen zone, where we let our souls gently sway in each other’s company. Long breakfasts are meant to catch up and talk, but also to organize. Calendars are synced, chores divided and schedules are updated – school projects, photo assignments and design meetings are all carefully coordinated, in color and once I have an overview of the upcoming week I seem to relax. Organization avoids chaos and when one is in Stockholm during the week and the other needs to travel on a project, we need perfect planning.



Last week a project took me away to Mainz near Frankfurt and as I arranged for a friend to pick Soeren up from school and checked to see if Tom’s flight from Stockholm arrived in time for him to collect Soeren in the evening, it struck me that what we lacked in the quantity of time we spend together we make up in quality. Although Soeren is our common denominator, we take time for a twosome. I cannot remember when the last time the two of us went shopping together. But recently we did. Soeren away at a birthday party, we had the whole afternoon to ourselves and we decided to hit the stores.

Elementary to some, but for us it was a special Saturday afternoon. As Tom flirted with the sales ladies making them giggle and run around the store getting me skirts, dresses and blouses I sweet talked the salesman to show Tom a newer version of classic. Sitting on the banks of the river, sipping on my café latte I tried to catch the fleeting moment as it swept past me.

This recipe documents how fast time travels. I made it roughly a year ago when my cousin, whom I had last seen in diapers and now all grown up, was visiting me. The recipe is an adaptation from a recipe in Yotam Ottolengi’s books Plenty, a fabulous cookbook with enticing vegetarian dishes to make your mouth water. While the recipe calls for soba noodles, I use buckwheat linguine. The pairing of sweet and ripe mango with the creamy richness of aubergines might be an unusual pairing but the flavors complement each other deliciously. Tossed in a light dressing, the dish is eaten at room temperature after the flavors have blended with each other. Perfect for a light lunch!

Recipe: Buckwheat Linguine with Aubergine and Mango

Printable version of recipe here


Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250g buckwheat linguine
• 120ml white wine vinegar
• 40g caster sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ½ red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 lime, juice and zest
• 220ml sunflower oil
• 2 aubergines, cut into cubes
• 1 large mango, cut into cubes
• Small handful of Thai basil, chopped
• Small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced

Method:

1. In a small saucepan gently warm vinegar, sugar and salt, until the sugar dissolves.
   


2. Remove the sauce from heat and add garlic, chilli and sesame oil. Set aside and allow to cool, then add the lime juice and zest.
   


3. In a large pan heat up the sunflower oil and shallow-fry the aubergine in a few batches, until golden brown. Place the aubergine in a colander, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain.
   


4. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Shake off access water and place pasta in a large mixing bowl.
   


5. Toss pasta, with the sauce, mango cubes and aubergines. Add the onion slices and herbs and mix quickly.
   


6. Leave for flavors to intermingle with each other for about an hour then serve piled in big bowls.

---

Verdict



The flavors come together incredibly in this dish. The tangy dressing adds a brilliant kick bringing out the flavors of mango and aubergine in a wonderfully unique way.

The very gracious Veronica of Gojee contacted me a while ago and asked me to become one of their food writers. Gojee is an awesome collection of recipes from bloggers across the blogesphere. Come on over and check them out. If you are craving for something, tell Gojee what you have and you’ll be served with scrumptious recipes from around the world. No more dinner time blues with this massive variety.

You might like these pasta from WFLH:

Fettuccine with Spicy Lamb Sausage Meatballs in a Piquant Tomato Sauce	Ricotta Pesto & Mushroom Lasagne	Spinach and Caramelized Onion Lasagna

---

All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2011 Meeta Khurana Wolff unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | Please Ask First