SUMMER PASTA WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT SAUCE
Even though the exterior of eggplant is a gorgeous deep purple color; the beauty of this vegetable lies on the inside. This recipe takes advantage of the fact that the flesh of grilled eggplant transforms into a luscious creamy sauce that's perfect for dressing up little tubes of rigatoni. To make the most of summer's bounty, cherry tomatoes are grilled alongside the eggplant until bursting with juices, then mixed into this summer vegetable pasta.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Categories main-dish
Time 45m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Prepare a grill for high heat.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lemon juice to the boiling water and cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot; set aside.
- Pierce the eggplant a few times with a fork or knife. Place on the grill, cover and cook, turning every 8 to 10 minutes, until completely charred all over and the flesh is soft when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool slightly for 10 minutes.
- While the eggplant cooks, prepare 2 sheets of foil, each 12-by-12-inches, and stack them together. Place the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in the center of the foil. Fold over 2 opposite sides of the foil then fold in the remaining sides to create a tight seal. When 15 minutes of cooking time remain for the eggplant, add the foil pack to the grill and cook until juices start to bubble out of the top (this means the tomatoes and garlic are sufficiently cooked without having to open the pack), 13 to 15 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant to a cutting board (keeping any juices that accumulated in the bowl) and squeeze gently to crack the skin and expose the flesh. Use a spoon to remove the flesh, transfer to the large bowl and mash lightly with the spoon or a potato masher (you should have about 1 cup of flesh); discard the skin. Stir in the ricotta and Pecorino Romano until smooth then pour into the pot with the pasta and mix until combined. Fold in the contents of the foil pack (including any juices that accumulated), the basil, parsley, lemon zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper; stir until combined, adding the reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin out the sauce if needed. Serve with more basil, parsley, Pecorino Romano and crushed red pepper flakes if using.
GRILLED EGGPLANT
Heard this grilled eggplant recipe on a health radio show years ago--very simple, and great the next day on sandwiches. Use good quality soy sauce. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold.
Provided by Frank040
Categories Side Dish Vegetables Eggplant
Time 15m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 4
Steps:
- Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
- Mix soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Coat eggplant slices in sauce. Place on preheated grill, carefully, as they will flame up.
- Cook each eggplant slice until deep brown, about 5 minutes per side.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 356.9 calories, Carbohydrate 26.5 g, Fat 27.7 g, Fiber 11.7 g, Protein 5.6 g, SaturatedFat 3.8 g, Sodium 1818.9 mg, Sugar 12.9 g
EGGPLANT ROMANO
I don't eat dairy as a rule, but sometimes you need a little to enhance a dish. Today I'm using Pecorino Romano cheese in stead of Parmesan. Romano is sheep cheese, not cow cheese which I prefer. This recipe takes a bit of time to do so set aside a few hours as there are a few steps.
Provided by Jo Zimny @EmilyJo
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Heat the wine in a large pot and cook the onion over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes. Stir is several times through out the cooking process until the onions are soft. Add in the garlic and bell pepper and cook, stir until tender.
- Add the black pepper and canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the salt and simmer gently uncovered until the sauce gets thick. This can take about 1 hour. Add the dried herbs and simmer for a few more minutes. Season with additional salt and then remove from the heat.
- Peel the eggplant. Cut into 1/2" slices. Salt both sides of the peeled egg plant and then put into a colander and press. I used a dinner plate and a brick, it worked very well. Do this for at least 30 minutes or longer. I let mine sit for longer. Put a dish under it and let the moisture seep out. I got a a fair amount of liquid out of eggplant.
- When the eggplant is drained run cold water over it and then put on a paper towel and pat dry top and bottom.
- At this point preheat your oven to 350'F. Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick oil spray and. Dip the dried eggplant into the chicken broth then coat both sides with the breadcrumbs. Put on your baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes until the crumbs are golden brown and the eggplant is tender, about 30 minutes.
- Get an 8x8" casserole dish and spray it with the non-stick spray and spread a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom. Arrange 1/2 the eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella over the eggplant. Top with a thicker layer of sauce then the first layer and sprinkle on 1/2 the Romano cheese on that. Repeat until you use up all the ingredients ending with the Romano Cheese.
- Bake, covered for about 30 minutes or until bubbling. Uncover and scatter more cheese on top if you wish, I just left it as is and baked it for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for a few minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
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