Penne With Eggplant Food

PENNE WITH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the penne, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in eggplant and garlic, and drizzle with remaining olive oil to coat; cook and stir until the eggplant is tender and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sun-dried tomato spread and tomato sauce; cook and stir until heated, through about 5 minutes more. Add penne and toss. Stir in pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Sprinkle with basil before serving.

PASTA ALLA NORMA (EGGPLANT PASTA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan). Line a tray with baking / parchment paper.
• Toss eggplant with oil, salt and pepper. Spread on the tray and roast for 20 minutes.
• Flip, then roast for a further 5 minutes. Cool on tray (this helps the eggplant hold its shape when tossing).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Start cooking the pasta a couple of minutes after you start making the sauce (next section), until al dente or to your liking.
• Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 20 seconds until golden, then add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and cooked through.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add wine, if using. Let it simmer, scraping the base of the pan to deglaze, until the wine mostly evaporates.
• Add tomato passata. Now pour the water into the passata bottle, screw on the lid, shake, and pour that in too (waste nothing!)
• Add dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in eggplant, then add cooked and drained pasta. GENTLY toss until pasta is coated in the sauce (so the eggplant doesn't turn into complete mush!).
• Serve immediately, garnished with a good pinch of fresh basil and parmesan.

BAKED PENNE WITH EGGPLANT AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Halve each tomato crosswise, then squeeze or scoop out the seeds into a strainer set over a bowl to catch the juices. Dice the tomatoes. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over a medium flame. When it shimmers, add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, chile flakes, and salt, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 2 more minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until broken down and reduced to a thick sauce, about 30 minutes. You may need to reduce the flame to prevent splatters. Add splashes of wine or water if the pan looks dry before the tomatoes have broken down.
• When the sauce is done, let it cool slightly, then pass it through a food mill to puree it smooth and remove the skins.
• While the sauce is cooking, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400º. Toss together the eggplant, olive oil and salt, and place on an oiled baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until the eggplant is very soft and golden, 20-25 minutes, flipping the slices over when the bottoms begin to brown. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375ºWhen the eggplant is cool, cut each round into bite-sized pieces.
• Cook the penne according to the package instructions in well-salted water until al dente. Drain well. (If you're not baking the pasta right away, rinse it in cool water, drain well, and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking.)
• In a large bowl, toss together the penne, sauce, eggplant, basil, parsley, olives, fontina and provolone. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or pepper if you like, then spread the pasta in an oiled 2 1/2-3 quart baking dish (such as a 9x13" lasagna pan). Cover with a good layer of freshly-grated parmesan.
• Cover the dish with a lid or foil, and bake until the pasta is hot and the cheese is melty and gooey, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately, topped with more parmesan and small basil leaves.
• Leftovers will keep for several days, tightly covered, in the fridge. Reheat before eating.

PENNE WITH SAUSAGE & EGGPLANT BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler to high. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Combine ricotta, Parmesan and egg in a small bowl. Set next to the stove.
• Cook sausage in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up big pieces with the back of a spoon, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in eggplant and oil; cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in marinara, fennel seeds and pepper. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is very soft, about 7 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water according to package directions. Drain and transfer to the pan with the sauce. Add the ricotta mixture and gently stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat. Evenly sprinkle mozzarella over the top.
• Transfer to the upper rack and broil until starting to brown on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with basil, if desired.

SICILIAN PENNE WITH SWORDFISH AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
• Meanwhile, place a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside. Season the swordfish cubes with salt and pepper.
• Using the same pan, over medium-high heat, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil and cook the swordfish until opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, eggplant, cooked pasta, the remaining 1/3 cup parsley and stir. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

PENNE WITH EGGPLANT, OLIVES AND FETA CHEESE

Steps:

• Brush 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish with 2 tablespoons oil. Heat remaining 6 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, garlic and crushed pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add eggplant and oregano. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; cook until eggplant softens, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Mix in tomatoes with juices, 1/2 cup basil, olives, tomato paste and vinegar. Cover; simmer until all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite; drain well. Stir pasta into vegetable mixture. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover dish with foil. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pasta covered until heated through, about 20 minutes (40 minutes if refrigerated). Sprinkle with feta, then 1/2 cup basil.

PENNE WITH EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE)

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.
• Meanwhile heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
• Add eggplant and onion; sauté 8 minutes or until onion is browned.
• Stir in garlic; sauté 3 minutes.
• Add salt, pepper, and pasta sauce; bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat, and cook 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat; stir in basil.
• Toss eggplant mixture with pasta.
• Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese; toss gently.
• Top evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

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.

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.)

PENNE WITH EGGPLANT, ZUCCHINI, AND YELLOW SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler.
• Prepare 2 baking pans with nonstick cooking spray.
• On the baking pans, place the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, onion, and bell pepper in a single layer.
• Spray to coat well with nonstick cooking spray.
• Broil, 7 inches from the heat, for about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and browned; transfer to a large bowl.
• Bring a large pot of water to boiling; add in penne and cook according to package directions; drain.
• Add penne to the bowl with the vegetables; add in basil, parmesan, and oil; toss to coat.