Pasta With Roasted Eggplant 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.

PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Cut your eggplant in cubes and gently fry them in abundant olive oil for about 10-15 minutes. Put a lid on if required;
• In the meanwhile, cook the pasta and take it out of the water when it's really al dente. Mix the pasta with the eggplant;
• Now add the ricotta, the basil leaves, the capers and the sundried tomatoes. Feel free to add a bit of boiling water if you need more creaminess;
• Adjust of salt and eat!
• ENJOY!

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, TOMATO AND FRESH RICOTTA FARFALLE

Steps:

• In a colander, toss the eggplant with 1 teaspoon of salt and let stand for 10 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the farfalle until just al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
• In a large, deep skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the eggplant and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Wipe out the skillet.
• Heat the olive oil in the skillet over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper and a pinch of black pepper. Cook, crushing the tomatoes, about 3 minutes. Add the farfalle, the reserved cooking water and the eggplant and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the pasta is heated through, 3 minutes; season with salt.
• Transfer to bowls and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Top with the ricotta and basil and pass extra Parmesan at the table.

PASTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT, PEPPER AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Turn on the broiler and set a rack 6 inches from the heat. Toss the eggplant with 2 tablespoons oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and spread it in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Broil, tossing once halfway through, until the eggplant is golden but not cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Turn off the broiler and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Toss the peppers and garlic with 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spread on another baking sheet in a single layer. Roast the eggplant, peppers and garlic until they are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Slip the garlic cloves from their peels and mash them in a small bowl with 3/4 teaspoon salt. Whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons oil, the vinegar and the pepper flakes.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions; drain. Toss with the vegetables, the mashed garlic, the ricotta and the herbs. Add more salt and vinegar to taste.

PASTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT SAUCE AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425°F. Place a large pot of water on to boil.
• Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet. Pour about 1/2 cup EVOO into a dish. Brush the eggplant lightly with the EVOO. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Add the garlic to the cookie sheet and dab it with EVOO as well. Roast for 20 minutes or until both the garlic and the eggplant are tender.
• When the water comes to a boil, salt it liberally and add the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente, with a bite to it.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO and the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Place the cooked eggplant and the garlic in a food processor and process it into a smooth paste. Add the eggplant paste to the cooked onions then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Toss with the drained hot pasta and the shredded or torn basil. Top the pasta with lots of crumbled ricotta salata.

BAKED ZITI WITH EGGPLANT, BASIL AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain well and return to the warm pan.
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and when it is hot, but not smoking, cook the eggplant slices in batches for 2 minutes on each side until golden. Remove and place on paper towels. Repeat to cook all of the eggplant. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of oil from the pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomatoes, basil, red wine, 1 cup of water, sea salt and black pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, until you have a thickened sauce. Stir in the eggplant then add to the pasta and stir well.
• Put the mixture in a large baking dish. Spoon the ricotta on top, sprinkle over the pecorino and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden and crispy around the edges.
• Enjoy!