Penne With Eggplant Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Peel half the skin from the eggplant and then chop into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt, and drain a few minutes on paper towels.
• Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and add the sausage. Crumble the sausage and cook until brown. Add the garlic, celery and onions to the sausage. Pat the moisture off of the eggplant and stir the pieces into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, partially covered, to soften, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil. Bring to a bubble and simmer the sauce to combine the flavors.
• Cool and store for a make-ahead meal. Reheat the sauce on the stovetop over medium heat. If the sauce is too thick add a little water or chicken stock if using to thin it out.
• To serve, bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to al dente. Add about 1 cup of starchy water to the sauce. Then drain the pasta and toss with the sauce. Adjust the seasoning, then serve in shallow bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of EVOO.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set aside a large heatproof colander placed over a plate or bowl. Set aside a shallow 9-inch-by-12-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
• Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well, return to the pot, and add 1 cup tomato sauce, mixing well. Set aside.
• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. While the oil is heating, place the eggs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon water in a wide, shallow bowl, and beat with a fork until blended. Place the flour in another wide, shallow bowl.
• Dip each eggplant slice first in egg and then in flour, coating both sides. Working in batches, fry the slices until golden brown, about 2 minutes a side, then transfer to the colander for the oil to drain. Add oil as needed.
• Cover the bottom of the baking dish with about 1 cup tomato sauce. Arrange slightly overlapping slices of eggplant on the sauce to cover it completely. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of the cheese, and dot with additional tomato sauce. Add half the prepared, sauced pasta, spreading it evenly, and cover with remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle again with 3 tablespoons of the cheese and dot with tomato sauce.
• Cover with remaining sauced pasta. Top with 3 tablespoons cheese and cover evenly with remaining tomato sauce, or up to 1 cup. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons cheese. Cover with foil, crimping it so it rests above the top layer without touching it. Bake until hot and bubbling, 30 to 50 minutes. Let it rest for a few minutes before cutting into squares for serving. Pass additional cheese separately.

Steps:

• Peel the eggplants, leaving a 1/2-inch strip on each of four sides. Trim the ends and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Layer the slices in a colander and sprinkle each layer with a little salt. Cover with wax paper and weigh down with something heavy, such as a large can. Set the colander in the sink. Let the eggplant stand for 30 minutes to an hour to drain off the bitter juices. Press down with your hands to extract all possible liquid.
• Dry the eggplant. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over moderately high heat. Fry about one third of the eggplant slices until golden on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add 2 to 3 more tablespoons oil to the skillet and fry another third of the eggplant slices. Remove and drain. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil and fry the remaining eggplant. Drain and reserve.
• Place the anchovies in lukewarm water to cover to remove the salt. Soak for 5 minutes; change the water; let stand for 10 more minutes. As the anchovies are soaking, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until soft. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.
• While the sauce is cooking, chop the anchovies fine. Stir the anchovies and fried eggplant slices into the sauce with a fork, mashing the eggplant into lumps. Depending on the tomatoes, the sauce may be very thick. Thin it with the wine to the consistency of pancake batter. Taste for saltiness and, if necessary, add a little more salt. Add a generous amount of pepper, stir in the basil leaves, and continue to cook. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the pasta until it is al dente and drain.
• Pour the sauce into a heated serving dish and add the pasta. Toss and sprinkle with the pecorino. Toss again at the table.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, 3 TBSP olive oil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Spread the veggies on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast in the oven until veggies are tender and the eggplant is golden about 35 minutes.
• While the veggies are roasting, place the pine nuts in a small baking dish. Place in the oven on the rack below the veggies. Roast until golden about 4 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven and cool.
• Meanwhile cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid. Transfer pasta to a large bowl.
• Transfer the roasted veggies to a food processor. Add the remaining 3 TBSP olive oil and pulse until the veggies are ppuréed, but not too smooth. It should still be chunky.
• Transfer the puréed veggies to the bowl with the pasta. Add the Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine. Add the reserved cooking liquid 1/2 cup at a time until the pasta is saucy.
• Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve.