Eggplant Caponata Pasta With Ricotta And Basil Food

EGGPLANT CAPONATA PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the raisins, sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook about 2 minutes, then cover and set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high. Stir in half the eggplant to coat evenly in the oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. (Eggplant should brown and tenderize but still maintain its shape.) Heat another 1/4 cup oil, then add remaining eggplant; season and repeat.
• While the eggplant cooks, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta. (You might not use all the pasta water.)
• Add another 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the shallot, pine nuts, capers, garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring frequently, until the shallot is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant, along with the sliced basil and vinegar.
• Strain the soaked raisins, discarding the soaking liquid, then add the raisins to the eggplant mixture and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. The mixture should taste quite aggressively salty and tangy, but it will mellow when tossed with pasta and ricotta. (Eggplant mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
• Add eggplant mixture, pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to the pot. Toss to coat over medium heat until eggplant is warmed, adding extra pasta water if necessary. Divide among shallow bowls, top with ricotta and additional torn basil and serve immediately. Pass with additional olive oil for drizzling, if desired.

ROASTED EGGPLANT CAPONATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.
• Place the whole eggplant on the pan, prick with a fork in several places, and rub with olive oil. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft when pierced with a knife. Set aside to cool. Halve the eggplant, peel, and discard the skin. Place the eggplant, peppers, and olives in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until coarsely chopped. Pour into a mixing bowl.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the onion and red pepper flakes and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion is lightly browned. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute, and add to the eggplant mixture. Add the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice, capers, tomato paste, vinegar, salt, and pepper and mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Taste for seasonings and serve at room temperature with toasted pita triangles.

GRILLED EGGPLANT CAPONATA BRUSCHETTA WITH RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.
• Brush the tomatoes and eggplant with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the eggplant until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes each side. Grill the tomatoes until charred all over, about 8 minutes. Remove the eggplant and tomatoes from the heat and cut into dice.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a large saute pan. Add the celery and onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the olives, vinegar, raisins, capers, sugar, chile flakes, a big splash olive oil, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the basil and parsley and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Transfer the caponata to a bowl and keep at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. The caponata can be made 1 day in advance, covered and refrigerated. Bring the caponata to room temperature before serving.
• Meanwhile, grill the bread on both sides until slightly charred, about 30 seconds each side. Remove the bread from the grill and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each slice of bread with some of the caponata and sprinkle with the ricotta salata. Drizzle the top of each slice of bread with more olive oil and scatter basil on top.

PASTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT, RICOTTA, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• In a jelly-roll pan toss eggplant with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste and roast in oven, shaking pan occasionally, until golden and tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While eggplant is roasting, in a heavy skillet cook onion, garlic, and bell pepper with salt and pepper to taste in remaining tablespoon oil over moderate heat, stirring, until softened.
• Add tomatoes and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes and pepper are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar and roasted eggplant.
• In a kettle of boiling salted water cook pasta until al dente and drain well, reserving about 3/4 cup cooking water. In a bowl toss pasta well with sauce, ricotta, basil, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste, and enough reserved cooking water to reach desired consistency.

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA CAPONATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Saute eggplant until each piece becomes saturated with oil. Use eggplant to line the bottom of a 3 quart casserole dish. Saute the red peppers until tender, and layer over eggplant in casserole dish. Top with mozzarella.
• Heat remaining olive oil, and cook onions and garlic until lightly browned and caramelized. Stir in stewed tomatoes, basil, and oregano and simmer 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, and tomato paste. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add anchovy fillets, if using, and capers. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over the mozzarella cheese in the casserole dish. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of sauce.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

EGGPLANT FOCACCIA WITH RICOTTA AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Oil a large bowl and set aside. (This is for the rising dough.)
• Add water to another large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over. Let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir 1/3 cup oil and salt into yeast mixture. Stir in flour until a soft, shaggy dough forms.
• If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Or knead in a stand mixer equipped with the dough hook for 3 to 5 minutes. The dough is ready when it's elastic but somewhat sticky and damp. If the dough seems unmanageable and won't come off your hands, add more flour, a little at a time.
• Place dough in the oiled bowl and turn to coat it lightly with oil. Cover bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, 1 to 2 hours.
• While dough is rising, make the topping: Combine eggplant and salt in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Mince half of the olives and slice the other half.
• In a small saucepan, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium. Add garlic, stirring constantly, and heat until opaque, about 1 minute. Add the minced olives and anchovies, if using. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until the oil is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour oil over eggplant. Add thyme or oregano and toss until evenly coated. Set aside and cool completely before using.
• Lightly oil an 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Working on a floured surface, roll dough into an 11-by-16-inch rectangle, then transfer it to the oiled baking sheet and press the dough to the sides. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange eggplant slices evenly over dough, and scatter tomatoes and sliced olives on top. Drizzle any leftover oil from the bottom of the eggplant bowl on pizza.
• Bake until edges and underside are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Using a spoon, top with dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and basil leaves on top, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CAPONATA PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion for 8-10 mins until starting to caramelise (or for longer if you have time - the sweeter the better). Add the garlic for the final 2 mins of cooking time.
• Tip in the mixed veg, tomatoes, capers and raisins. Season well and simmer, uncovered, for 10 mins, or until you have a rich sauce.
• Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Pour the kettleful of water into a large pan with a little salt and bring back to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until tender with a little bite, then drain, reserving some of the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the sauce, adding a splash of pasta water if it needs loosening. Scatter with the basil leaves and parmesan, if you like, and serve straight from the pan

EGGPLANT CAPONATA (SICILIAN VERSION)

Steps:

• Toss eggplant with salt and place in a colander set over a bowl. Let sit, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is soft and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet. Add eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in celery mixture, tomatoes, olives, capers, tomato paste, and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until caponata is thickened, about 15 minutes.
• Season caponata with vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.