Aubergine And Mozzarella Pasta Food

AUBERGINE AND MOZZARELLA PASTA

Steps:

• Put a the olive oil in the base of a wide, deep pan. Add the chopped red onion and put the lid on. Sweat the onion on a low heat until it is translucent, but not brown - about 5 minutes. Meanwhile you can chop the other veggies.
• Turn the heat up high and add the aubergine. Stir-fry until the aubergine is nicely browned, (you may need to add a splash more oil), then turn down the heat and add the crushed garlic and fry for 1 more minute.
• Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper, then bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally.
• While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions / your own preferences.
• Drain the pasta and tip it into the sauce, stirring thoroughly to coat the pasta in the sauce. You may want to add a drop or two of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce looser.
• Finally, add the basil leaves and mozzarella and stir again. There should be just enough heat in the pan to warm and slightly soften the mozzarella. Yum!

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Steps:

• Method 1. Trim the aubergine and dice it into 1cm chunks. Set a heavy-based casserole dish or large pan on a medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp oil and the aubergine. Fry for 5 mins, stirring now and then, till the aubergine is browned all over. 2. While the aubergine fries, peel and finely chop the onion. Lift the aubergine out of the pan and pop it on a plate. Add the onion with 2 tbsp water and a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for 3 mins, stirring now and then, till the onion starts to brown. 3. While the onion fries, peel and grate or crush the garlic. Finely chop the sage leaves. 4. Stir the aubergine back into the onion with the garlic and most of the sage leaves (keep some back for garnishing). Cook and stir for 1 min. 5. Stir in the penne. Pour in the cherry tomato passata and stir to mix. Add 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp caster sugar. Drop in the thyme sprigs. Pour in 450ml boiling water, stir a few times to mix it all together and put a lid on the pan (or use a baking tray if you don't have a lid). 6. Bring the pasta and sauce to the boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer for 12 mins till the pasta is almost tender but still a little firm and chalky. Meanwhile, drain and coarsely grate the mozzarella. 7. When the pasta has cooked for 12 mins, take the lid off the pan and lift out the thyme sprigs. Give the pasta a few stirs. Scatter the mozzarella over the top of the dish. Pop the lid back on and cook for another 3-4 mins till the pasta is tender and the mozzarella has melted. 8. While the pasta cooks, toss the salad leaves with 2 tsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Serve the pasta on warm plates.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND MOZZARELLA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. Add the rigatoni and cook 3 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the eggplant and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until the eggplant is golden brown and tomatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Toss the rigatoni with the eggplant, tomatoes, about 1/4 cup pasta water and the marinara sauce in a large bowl. If it looks dry, add the remaining pasta water. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and top with the remaining cup mozzarella and the Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (Turn the broiler on at the end if you want the cheese to brown more.) Garnish with additional Parmesan and the chopped basil and serve.

HERBY BAKED PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND FRESH MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil sprigs and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the basil sprigs and stir in the chopped basil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Cook the rigatoni in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce, half of the mozzarella and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH AUBERGINE & MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/gas 3. Halve the tomatoes through their equator, rather than their core. Stand them cut-side up on a shallow baking tray (I use a nonstick Swiss roll tin). Scatter a little salt, pepper and sugar over the cut surfaces and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the aubergine into rounds, brush both sides with oil and spread out in one layer on another tray. After the tomatoes have been roasting for 45 minutes, put the aubergines in with them and roast for another 45 minutes.
• Towards the end of the time, cook the pasta in plenty of gently boiling well-salted water until nearly al dente - it should be undercooked because it finishes off in the oven. Drain well and tip into a large bowl. Have ready 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil mixed with the crushed garlic and chopped olives. Toss the oil mixture through the pasta and turn half of it into a 2-21⁄2 litre ovenproof dish.
• Remove the tomatoes and aubergines from the oven. (You can prepare them up to 24 hours ahead.)
• Turn up the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Scatter half the tomatoes and their juices over the pasta in the dish. Roughly tear the basil leaves and scatter on top. Drain the mozzarella, pat dry with kitchen paper, then slice very thinly. Lay two-thirds of the slices over the tomatoes. Grind black pepper over, and scatter over the aubergine. Add the rest of the pasta, top with the remaining tomatoes and mozzarella and then the parmesan. (Can be made up to here 3-4 hours in advance). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot and the top is extra crusty. Serve hot with a sprinkle of basil and extra parmesan.

EGGPLANT PASTA WITH MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Cook spaghetti as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add eggplant, onions and garlic; cook and stir 10 min. Stir in tomatoes, zucchini, vinegar and pepper; cook 10 min. or until vegetables are tender and sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
• Drain spaghetti; place in large bowl. Add sauce, cheese and basil; mix lightly.

RIGATONI WITH SWEET TOMATOES, EGGPLANT AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Remove both ends of the eggplant and slice it into ½ inch slices, then slice these across and finely dice into ½ inch cubes. Some people prefer to season their eggplant with salt and let it sit for a while in a colander to draw out the bitterness, but I don't really do this unless I'm dealing with a seedy, bitter eggplant. This dish is really best made using a firm silky one.
• Now put a large saucepan on the heat and drizzle in 4 to 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When it's hot, add the cubes of eggplant, and as soon as they hit the pan, stir them around with a spoon so they are delicately coated with the oil and not soaked on one side only. Cook for about 7 or 8 minutes on a medium heat. Then add the garlic and onion. When they have a little color, add the canned tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar. Stir around and season carefully with salt and pepper. At this point, if you wanted to give the dish a little heat you could add some chopped fresh or crumbled dried chilli, but that's up to you. Add the basil stalks, and simmer the sauce nice and gently for around 15 minutes, then add the cream.
• While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the package instructions until it is soft but still holding its shape, then drain it, saving a little of the cooking water. I like to put the pasta back into the pot it was cooked in with a tiny bit of the cooking water and a drizzle of olive oil and move it around so it becomes almost dressed with the water and oil.
• At this point add the lovely tomato sauce to the pasta. By now the eggplant will have cooked into a creamy tomatoey pulp, which is just yum yum yum! (Jamie's words) Season carefully to taste with salt and pepper. Take the pan to the table, tear up the mozzarella and the fresh basil, and fold these in nicely for 30 seconds. Then very quickly serve into bowls. By the time your guests start to eat, the mozzarella will have started to melt and will be stringy and gorgeous and really milky-tasting. Just lovely with the tomatoes and eggplant. Serve at the table with a block of Parmesan cheese and a grater so that everyone can help themselves.

PASTA ARRABBIATA WITH AUBERGINE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan, add the onions, cover and cook for 5 mins. Remove the lid and cook for 5 mins more, stirring frequently until softened. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and paprika, stir briefly, then tip in the tomatoes and a can of water. Stir in the bouillon and aubergine, then bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 mins.
• Cook the penne in a pan of boiling water for 12 mins until al dente. Drain, reserving 60ml of the cooking water. Add the cooked penne to the sauce, and toss well with the basil and a little of the reserved water, if needed. Spoon into two shallow bowls, and serve topped with the cheese and some extra basil, if you like.