Tag: Eggplant

Pasta alla Norma

On By lukephillaryhIn Veggie1 Comment
Pasta alla norma Mark Bittman recipe
Norma is not your normal pasta

We like heavy pastas in our household. Ragù. Spaghetti and meatballs. Pasta alla Gricia. We love the slow simmer, building of flavors, and richness of these dishes. And, yes, pasta is carbs. Carbs are comfort food. So why not, while you’re already eating something deemed “unhealthy,” pile on the prosciutto, guanciale, and sausage? But this vegetarian pasta, recipe courtesy of Mark Bittman, holds its own against our meaty favorites. Staring eggplant, it makes for a delicious, refined, and relatively quick dinner. And with a grating of ricotta salata and a sprinkling of freshly chopped herbs, it has an unbeatable fresh flavor. Enjoy as you’re easing out of summer! Save those heavier pastas for the upcoming cold.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large eggplant, cut lengthwise into thin slices (bit thinner than 1/2 inch)
  • salt & pepper
  • lots of olive oil, up to 1/2 cup
  • 1 TBS chopped garlic
  • 2-3 tsp chili flakes (depending on spice preference)
  • 1 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 pound long pasta
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley or basil (or combo)
  • 1/2 cup ricotta salata (or, if you must, pecorino Romano)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Sprinkle eggplant slices with 1-2 tsp salt and let drain of excess moisture. We do this by layering the slices in a colander and then placing a small plate weighed down with a can or big glass of water on-top, pushing down on the eggplant. We’ll let this sit for 20 minutes, patting the eggplant with paper towels afterwards. There are some other methods! This will prevent your eggplant from being soggy and bitter.
  3. After drying slices, arrange on a large, well oiled baking sheet. Brush with more olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven for 20-25 minutes flipping at least once. You’ll went the eggplant slices to be nicely browned, soft, but with a good crisp.
  4. While eggplant is roasting, make the sauce and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large, deep skillet heat 2-3 TBS olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add garlic and chili flakes, cooking until garlic has browned a bit and is fragrant. Add the tomatoes and juice, squeezing the whole tomatoes with your hand to crush, and oregano. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then simmer while eggplant and pasta finish cooking.
  5. Cook pasta until al dente. While cooking, cut the eggplant slices into strips. Transfer 1/4 of slices into simmering sauce. Set the rest aside.
  6. Add cooked pasta to tomato sauce.* Dress with remaining eggplant strips and a generous topping of freshly grated ricotta salata, basil, and/or parsley.

Details: Serves 4-6.

*Note: We like to keep the pasta and sauce separate and let people prep their own plates according to their sauce to pasta ratio preference. Not so traditional of us, but we are sauce-y people!

Eggplant Bruschetta

On By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment
Eggplant Bruschetta Deb Perelman recipe
Explore beyond the classic bruschetta

In the summer months, when our lil’ AC window unit is bumping, Luke and I love making bruschetta. Nothing tastes better on a hot summer’s day, especially when we use farmer’s market heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil. And most importantly, bruschetta requires no oven use. Which is a requirement for almost all of our summer meals. Our tiny apartment can’t handle any oven heat! Disclaimer: this bruschetta recipe does require oven use. But, it’s an excellent and simple way to use summer’s eggplant bounty. Luke and I are enjoying these eggplant toasts a little early in the season because they are so delicious. And because I’m already dreading NYC’s looming heat and humidity.

Shout out to one of our favorite ladies Deb Perelman for the original recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 2 TBS olive oil + additional for oiling baking sheet
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta
  • 1 scallion, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
  • 2 TBS parsley *optional
  • 8 slices of bread, 1/2-1 inch thick (a baguette works nicely, we go for a more rustic bread for slices with more surface area)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 425º F. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
  2. Toss eggplant with olive oil, salt, and pepper and spread on baking sheet. Place in oven and roast for about 25 minutes. Check the eggplant a couple times while it roasts and give em a good shake to prevent sticking. This will also ensure even browning.
  3. Remove eggplant from the oven and let cool slightly.* In a small bowl, mix the eggplant cubes with red wine vinegar, feta, scallions, and parsley. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
  4. To make toasts, raise oven temperature to 450ºF. Place bread slices on a baking sheet and place in oven. Let bake for about 5 minutes, or until just brown around the edges. We find, for this dish, it’s best to not let the toast get too toasty. Makes bruschetta eating a bit more difficult.
  5. Assemble the toasts! Spoon the eggplant bruschetta onto the toasts. You can rub the toasts with a garlic clove before piling on the eggplant if you like.

Details: Makes about 8 toasts

*Note 1: This salad is also very delicious at room temp or even cold! So you can let the eggplant cool longer if you like before mixing with the other ingredients.