Best Alton Browns Eggplant Pasta Recipes

ALTON BROWN'S EGGPLANT 'PASTA'

Steps:

• Peel each eggplant, leaving 1" of skin unpeeled at the top & bottom. Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, about 1/4" thick.
• Evenly sprinkle each slice with salt & lay out for 30 minutes on a sheet pan fitted with a wire rack.
• Rinse with cold water & roll in paper towels. Slice the pieces into thin fettucine-like strips.
• Heat the oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic & crushed red pepper, & cook until garlic is golden & aromatic.
• Add th eggplant 'pasta' & toss to coat. Add the tomatoes & cook for 3 minutes. Add the cream & increase the heat to thicken the sauce.
• Finally, add the basil & Parmesan. Toss to combine. Season with black pepper but remember the eggplant will already be salty enough!

EGGPLANT PASTA WITH BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• Peel the eggplant, leaving 1 inch of skin at the top and bottom. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I would use a mandoline for this).
• Place the eggplant slices on a cooling rack set over the sink and sprinkle generously with kosher salt. Wait 15 minutes, flip, sprinkle again and wait another 15 minutes. Rinse thoroughly under cool water and gently squeeze out excess water. Place on paper towels and pat dry, then cut the slices into 1/4-inch-wide strips so that they resemble linguine.
• Heat a 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When it shimmers, add the garlic and red pepper flakes and toss for 10 seconds. Add the eggplant and toss to coat. Add the tomato and toss for 15 to 20 seconds. Add the cream and toss for another 10 seconds. Finish with the basil and Parmesan. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with the breadcrumbs, toss and serve immediately.

EGGPLANT PASTA

Steps:

• Peel each eggplant leaving 1-inch of skin at the top and bottom unpeeled. Slice the eggplant thinly lengthwise, about 1/4-inch thick. Evenly coat each slice with the salt and purge on a sheet pan fitted with a rack for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water and roll in paper towels to dry. Slice the pieces into thin strips to resemble pasta.
• In a large saute pan heat the oil. Add the garlic and chili flakes and toast. Add the eggplant "pasta" and toss to coat. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cream and increase heat to thicken sauce. Finally add the basil and Parmesan and toss to combine. Season with pepper, no salt needed as the eggplant will have residual salt from the purge. Serve immediately.

PASTA

Steps:

• Place water in large lidded pot, add salt and bring to a rolling boil. Add spaghetti, fanning it into the water so that each strand makes contact. Using a wooden spoon or tongs, gently bend noodles to submerge. Cover pot and return to a rolling boil, reducing heat to medium-high. Stir occasionally.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of good quality extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of a wide serving bowl along with garlic.
• In 4 minutes, start tasting. When done, a string of spaghetti should be springy when pulled on. To the tooth, there should be some resistance but not so much that the pasta sticks in the teeth. As soon as pasta is done, drain immediately in a large colander (lidded models are the best). Shake pasta to stop cooking but don't shake dry. And no rinsing!
• Add pasta to serving bowl and toss to coat. Quickly divide into individual bowls and toss

BABA GHANNOUJ

Steps:

• Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
• Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.
• Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.

EGGPLANT STEAKS

Steps:

• In a small bowl whisk together the Worcestershire, steak sauce, olive oil, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper.
• Pat your eggplant dry with paper towels. With a pastry brush apply the sauce to both sides of the eggplant. Place eggplant rounds onto a sheet tray fitted with a rack. Place the tray under the broiler for until eggplant is nicely browned, approximately 2 minutes. Turn slices over and place back under broiler to brown the other side. Generously sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan over all of the slices. Place back under the broiler for 1 minute to nicely brown the cheese. Serve plain or sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs.