PASTA ALLE MELENZANA (EGGPLANT PASTA)

PASTA ALLE MELENZANA (EGGPLANT PASTA) image

Categories Pasta

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

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Olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
3 large eggplants, chopped (5 cups)
3 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Leaves from 10 to12 sprigs of fresh basil
Kosher salt
10 to15 plum tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of sugar
1 1/2 pounds dry fettucine
Optional: (1/2 pound packaged mozzarella, cut into 1/2-cubes
1.1 pounds fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-cubes)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

Heat 1/2 cup of oil and the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and eggplant and cook gently over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until tender. It may be necessary to add more oil as the eggplant soaks the oil up quickly. Towards the end of cooking time, add the whole garlic cloves and half of the basil leaves. Add a can of diced or stewed tomatoes. Or use the fresh (after you boil the peels off.) Add the sugar and continue to cook for 10 more minutes, until thickened. In the meantime, and cook the fettucine according to directions on the package. Drain well. To serve, spoon a third of the eggplant into a bowl and set aside. Toss the pasta in the saute pan with the remaining eggplant and add the packaged mozzarella. Place the mixture in a large serving bowl and top with the reserved eggplant, the fresh mozzarella and the Parmesan. Garnish with the remaining basil leaves and serve hot.