It’s summer time and the tomatoes are easy! Actually, the eggplants are here in abundance
as well. As you all know roasting
vegetables concentrates their flavors and adds a hint of smokiness that
enhances everything under the sun.
Here’s a simple dish that is tons tastier than the effort required to
make it. Because it is made from the
ripest tomatoes and the sweetest baby eggplant brushed with garlic-infused
olive oil and roasted until sticky and intense. Just toss them with pasta to spread the love.
Ingredients
11 small eggplants
Sea salt
2-3 cloves garlic
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil plus more for greasing the baking
sheet
3 medium red ripe tomatoes
10 1/2 oz or 300g your pasta of choice (I used whole wheat
penne.)
Parmesan for serving (optional)
Method
Preheat our oven to 400°F or 200°C and grease your baking sheet
with olive oil.
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and layer them in a
colander. Sprinkle each layer with salt
and leave to drain.
Mince the garlic and pop it in a small pot with the 1/4 cup or 60ml olive oil. Heat the oil gently and remove it from the stove as soon as the garlic starts to sizzle a little bit. You do not want it to turn brown at all.
Slice the tomatoes into thick slices and cut the little core pieces out. Lay the slices out your greased baking sheet.
Rinse the salt and the brown stuff off of the eggplants and
line them up on the baking sheet with the tomatoes.
Brush the eggplants and tomato slices with the garlic
infused olive oil. Sprinkle everything
with sea salt.
Pop the baking pan in the oven and roast for 20-30 minutes
or until the edges of the vegetables are turning brown. Turn them over and brush them again with more
of the garlic olive oil.
Return the
baking pan to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook your pasta according to package
instructions in some lightly salted water. When the pasta is boiled,
reserve a cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
Return the pasta to the hot pot and pour the remaining garlic olive oil into the pasta and stir.
When the vegetables are done, scrape the baking pan to
remove the eggplants and tomato slices and any sticky stuff you can get off of
the pan as well.
Add them to the pasta pot and stir thoroughly.
If the pasta seems dry, add a little of the
reserved pasta water. Serve with some grated Parmesan, if desired.
This dish is so rich and flavorful!
This dish is so rich and flavorful!
Enjoy!
