Penne With Roasted Tomatoes And Eggplant Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season aggressively with salt. Add the rigatoni and cook 3 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Toss the eggplant and tomatoes with 3 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread on the baking sheet and roast until the eggplant is golden brown and tomatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• Toss the rigatoni with the eggplant, tomatoes, about 1/4 cup pasta water and the marinara sauce in a large bowl. If it looks dry, add the remaining pasta water. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella.
• Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and top with the remaining cup mozzarella and the Parmesan and drizzle with the remaining tablespoon olive oil. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. (Turn the broiler on at the end if you want the cheese to brown more.) Garnish with additional Parmesan and the chopped basil and serve.

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. On rimmed baking sheet, toss together eggplant, 3 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread into one layer. Roast, tossing occasionally, until the eggplant is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
• Place tomato in large bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt.
• Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne to al dente according to package instructions; drain well.
• While pasta cooks, heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in garlic, anchovies and chile flakes, and cook until golden and soft, about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and, using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to cutting board. Let garlic cool for a few minutes, then chop up and add back to the oil. Pour garlic-chile into bowl with tomatoes. Add eggplant and capers, and toss well.
• Add pasta to bowl with eggplant and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste, and drizzle generously with oil. Toss in herbs and serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line bottom of casserole dish with cherry tomatoes in a single layer, halved side up. Pour oil on top, season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese and bread crumbs on top. Bake until tomatoes have wilted, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with enough sea salt so that water tastes mildly of salt. When tomatoes are just about done, add penne to water and cook until al dente (it should be pliable, but still firm in center). Scoop out about a cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain pasta and add to casserole. Fold tomatoes and pasta together, adding another 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil, to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it is dry, add a little reserved pasta water. Serve, passing more grated cheese at the table.

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.)

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.