Have you ever felt overwhelmed with summer veggies? Zucchini, anyone? I currently do not feel overwhelmed but this year I was careful to avoid overplanting. Even with careful planting though, those veggies stack up quickly. Plus, you want to use them when they are fresh, no?
I happened upon this recipe from basically last week and have been drooling over its mere concept. So I made it today when I picked my first shiny, deep purple, gorgeous eggplants. Of course I used those gorgeous beasts, but you could really use anything. This dish is so versatile.
If you decide to follow to a T: Here’s an eggplant cooking tip. My mom used to make the best eggplant dishes and would always cut the eggplant into slices and cover with salt. The salt helps to draw out the bitter fluid that if not removed would make for a a gray slimy eggplant. This tip applies to any eggplant dish. For this dish, I cubed the eggplant and covered in salt while it sat in a colander over my sink for about 30 minutes.
So the recipe is here. The original is perfect, but you could omit or add anything that would contribute to this silky, stewy goodness. The original goes like this:
Chop up 2 medium eggplants into 1/2 inch pieces. Put them in a colander over the sink, or a bowl, and cover with 2 tsp. Salt and let sit for 30 minutes. At the end of 30 minutes, press out the extra liquid with the back of a wooden spoon, or squeeze them with your hands.
Heat up a dutch oven over medium high heat. Heat 2 tbsp. Olive oil until it shimmers. Add 1/2 the eggplant mixture and toss with oil, then let it fry for about 3-4 minutes. Toss with a wooden spoon and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes, until it feels soft and the sides are browned. Remove this batch from the pan, heat another 1 tbsp. Olive oil and repeat with the second batch of eggplant. When this is done, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. The pan should be empty now.
Add 1/4 cup olive oil to the pan. Add 1/4 cup capers and 1 tsp. Red pepper flakes. It will steam and smoke so beware. Cook for about a minute, then add 2 sliced onions, 1 red pepper chopped, and 1 large zucchini sliced in 1/2 inch chunks. Add 1 tsp. Salt. I was liberal with my measurements. I also added several other sweet peppers from the garden because, why not?
Start your pasta water. We will be cooking a pound of twirly or rough edged pasta (I used cavatappi).
Cook the vegetable mixture until it is soft and “saggy”, 10-15 minutes.
Add 1 pint sliced cherry tomatoes that have been tossed with 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook this mixture until the tomatoes are soft, for about 10 minutes.
Add the eggplant that has been sitting aside with any accumulated juices. Cook for just a few minutes, then snag a cup of the boiling pasta water. When the pasta is done, drain it, then add to the eggplant/pepper/onion mixture. Stir this very well, then add 1 cup shredded or grated parmesean and then the reserved cup of pasta water. Stir until everything is coated and the cheese is melty. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon and then stir in 1 cup of roughly chopped basil leaves. Stir stir stir, then serve and eat. Try not to let strangers fall in love with your ability to transform fibrous veggies into a thick stewy sauce.
We cooked some chicken feta sausages on the grill but this dish could stand on its own. Enjoy!
Lessons with Loll 