Dinner Tonight: Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Tomato
Though I feel bad admitting this, I just can't fry eggplant. It comes out oil-laden, greasy, and disgusting. Doesn't matter what I do, or how much precaution I take, it's always the same. But, I can roast eggplants. And, man, do I love the way roasted eggplants taste. Even though I was down to two recipes that had roughly the same ingredients, I picked this one almost exclusively because the eggplant was roasted.
The winner was from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables. I did change a few things. She called for penne, which I substituted for gemelli. And she finished the dish with ricotta, which I simply didn't have. I do think the 1/4 pound of ricotta sprinkle on top would up the ante in this already fantastic dish. Maybe next time. Another added benefit: the splash of Sherry vinegar, which brightens the dish and gives it a slight tinge of sweetness. And for the record, that eggplant came out perfectly.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a co-founder of The Paupered Chef, a blog dedicated to saving time and money while enjoying food in every way possible. He sells wine for a living and lives in Columbus, Ohio.
Pasta with Roasted Eggplant and Tomato
- serves 2 -
Adapted from Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters.
Ingredients
1 large eggplant, or two smaller Japanese eggplants
2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 pound pasta
Sherry vinegar
1 cup diced tomato
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant in 1/2 inch cubes. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large bowl until they are coated. Place them on a roasting pan in a single layer and roast for 25 or until they are soft.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box. Drain.
3. Heat a large skillet to medium. Pour in the other 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the onion and saute until they are starting to color. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and then deglaze the pan with a splash of Sherry vinegar.
4. Dump the eggplant into the skillet along with the diced tomato, red pepper flakes, and basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer then add the pasta. Toss until the pasta is coated. Season with salt and sprinkle with the parsley.
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8 Comments:
I love eggplants so much, I could eat them every day. (And I have, for up to two weeks.) Pasta + eggplant in the same dish is always a winner.
For frying eggplant, make sure you take quartered or sliced eggplant and sprinkle it liberally with salt. Let it sit for a couple of hours in a colander, then pat dry. The slices will absorb far less oil this way. Also, I've heard that eggplants absorb more oil depending on the time of year (late summer ones absorb the most I think). Another trick is to lightly brush the slices with whisked raw eggs before frying.
yogurtsoda at 4:36PM on 09/15/08
this is so true. i usually don't have the patience to let the eggplant sit for hours, but even just 30-45 minutes will help a lot, although the longer the better.
sarahlucy at 5:11PM on 09/15/08
I just had a made a meal of vegetarian shepherd's pie- I got the recipe from the Vegetarian Times, and it called for sautéed eggplant/tomato mixture in place of meat.
Before assembling the pie, I tasted the eggplant/tomato/onion sauté and wow was it fabulous. I think next time I will use it to top some fresh pasta.
Here is the recipe if you are interested:
Heat 1/8 cup olive oil in frying pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add one onion, roughly chopped and one clove of minced garlic and sauté for five minutes. Stir in one 15oz can diced tomatoes, one large eggplant, peeled and chopped, one tbsp parsley, one tsp basil, and season with salt and pepper. Allow the vegetable to simmer for twenty minutes, stirring frequently.
spartana07 at 8:30PM on 09/15/08
Half a pound of pasta feeds only two people??? I hope that includes leftovers. Four ounces of pasta is a lot.
piccola at 9:30PM on 09/15/08
Not for me!
Nick Kindelsperger at 9:34PM on 09/15/08
@piccola - wow, you make me feel like a total fat kid!! I usually cook a pound for me and BF, and there's rarely much leftover. Sigh. Probably where that extra 10 pounds came from...
I love eggplant, this sounds delicious! I don't usually use classic eggplant though, when it's in season I use Sicilian, and baby or Asian in the winter. Somehow it doesn't seem to absorb as much oil, and the skin doesn't get as bitter. I never have enough patience to soak eggplant, so I'll skin it if it's really dark and tough.
embolini9 at 9:55AM on 09/16/08
Nick,
You don't need to fry eggplant. Anytime I use a recipe that calls for frying, I broil instead (to cut down on both the fat and and the mess). Brush slices with oil, and put under the broiler until browned. Turn, brush and broil again. It's that easy!
Dee at 12:30PM on 09/16/08
a nice hit of raisins and pine nuts will make this out of this world....
love eggplant.....
pooch at 10:16AM on 09/18/08