Nika Hazletons Penne With Tomato Eggplant And Anchovy Sauce Food

PENNE WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding another 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pasta, eggplant and the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet; cook, tossing, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the ricotta and basil. Drizzle with olive oil.

MARK BITTMAN'S PASTA WITH GARLIC, TOMATOES AND ANCHOVIES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it for the pasta -- you should be able to make the entire recipe as the pasta cooks.
• Put olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; a minute later, add garlic and chilies, if using -- cook garlic so it bubbles gently.
• When it is lightly browned all over, add anchovies and cook, stirring occasionally, for about a minute, until anchovies begin to fall apart, then add tomatoes.
• Adjust heat so tomatoes bubble nicely, and cook until mixture becomes saucy, about 5 minutes.
• Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary (taste first because the anchovies can contribute plenty of salt).
• Meanwhile, cook pasta until tender but not mushy. When it is done, drain it, reserving a little cooking water to thin sauce if necessary. Serve pasta with sauce and parsley.

PENNE WITH GRILLED TOMATOES AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Spray both sides of eggplant slices and tomato halves with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant slices until brown and tender and tomato halves until charred, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes for eggplant slices and about 7 minutes for tomato halves. Cool.
• Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta. Return pasta to same pot.
• Add eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and garlic to pasta and toss to blend. Stir in grated cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead.)

BAKED EGGPLANT WITH RICOTTA, MOZZARELLA AND ANCHOVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously oil a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Season eggplant slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Arrange half the eggplant slices in one layer on bottom of dish, overlapping slices slightly. Drizzle or paint eggplant generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper to taste and scatter onion slices evenly over surface.
• With a small spoon, distribute the ricotta in little blobs evenly over surface, then arrange half the smoked mozzarella over the ricotta. Sprinkle with 1 cup grated provolone.
• Make another layer of overlapping slices with remaining seasoned eggplant. Drizzle or paint eggplant generously with olive oil. Top surface evenly with remaining smoked mozzarella and provolone, then sprinkle with Parmesan and pecorino. Arrange anchovy fillets over top and sprinkle with bread crumbs.
• Bake uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until eggplant is quite tender when pierced with a fork and top is crisp and golden. (If top seems to be browning too quickly, tent with foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees.) Remove from oven, dust with oregano and let rest at least 20 minutes before cutting into squares. The dish is best served at room temperature, not piping hot.

FAST TOMATO SAUCE WITH ANCHOVIES

Steps:

• Put the olive oil in a deep skillet, and turn the heat to medium. A minute later, add the garlic and the anchovies, and stir. When the garlic sizzles and the anchovies break up, add the tomatoes.
• Turn heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture becomes saucy, about 15 minutes. Season to taste, and serve with spaghetti or other long pasta. Grated pecorino Romano cheese goes well with this sauce.

PASTA ALLA NORMA

Steps:

• Slice the eggplant about 1/2 inch thick. Cook in abundant olive oil, without crowding, sprinkling with salt and adding more oil as needed. You will undoubtedly have to cook in batches; take your time and cook until the eggplant is nicely browned and soft. Remove to a plate; do not drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, put a large pot of water to boil and salt it.
• At the end of the cooking the eggplant, the pan will ideally have a couple of tablespoons of oil left. If there's more or less, drain some off or add a bit. Turn the heat to medium, add the garlic and chiles, and cook until the garlic colors a little bit. Add the tomatoes and oregano, along with some salt and pepper; cook until saucy but not too dry, stirring occasionally.
• Cook the pasta until tender but not mushy. While it's cooking, cut the eggplant into strips and reheat for a minute in the tomato sauce. Drain the pasta and toss it with the tomato sauce and the eggplant. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then top with the parsley or basil and grated cheese and serve.

SAUTEED EGGPLANT WITH CAPERS AND ANCHOVIES

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Pour the olive oil in a highly heated large nonstick skillet and add the eggplant, red and green peppers and the onions. Cook and stir until tender. Do not overcook.
• Add the garlic, salt, pepper, pepper flakes, rosemary, capers and anchovies. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.