Penne With Grilled Eggplant And Radicchio Sauce Recipes

PENNE WITH EGGPLANT SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the eggplant, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, about 4 minutes; transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon. Repeat with the remaining eggplant, adding another 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the garlic to the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the pasta, eggplant and the reserved pasta cooking water to the skillet; cook, tossing, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with the ricotta and basil. Drizzle with olive oil.

PASTA ALLA NORMA (EGGPLANT PASTA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C / 450°F (220°C fan). Line a tray with baking / parchment paper.
• Toss eggplant with oil, salt and pepper. Spread on the tray and roast for 20 minutes.
• Flip, then roast for a further 5 minutes. Cool on tray (this helps the eggplant hold its shape when tossing).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Start cooking the pasta a couple of minutes after you start making the sauce (next section), until al dente or to your liking.
• Heat oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 20 seconds until golden, then add onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and cooked through.
• Increase heat to medium-high and add wine, if using. Let it simmer, scraping the base of the pan to deglaze, until the wine mostly evaporates.
• Add tomato passata. Now pour the water into the passata bottle, screw on the lid, shake, and pour that in too (waste nothing!)
• Add dried herbs, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
• Stir in eggplant, then add cooked and drained pasta. GENTLY toss until pasta is coated in the sauce (so the eggplant doesn't turn into complete mush!).
• Serve immediately, garnished with a good pinch of fresh basil and parmesan.

SUMMER PASTA WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT SAUCE

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.

PENNE WITH RADICCHIO, SPINACH, AND BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut off top 1/2 inch of garlic head, exposing cloves. Place garlic head, cut side up, on sheet of foil and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Wrap garlic in foil. Roast until garlic is soft, about 40 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Squeeze garlic into small bowl.
• Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook bacon strips and chopped onion in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add chicken broth, remaining 5 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, and roasted garlic. Bring mixture to simmer, stirring occasionally. Add radicchio, spinach, and basil and stir to combine. Simmer just until radicchio and spinach wilt, about 1 minute.
• Drain pasta and return to same pot. Add radicchio-spinach mixture to pasta. Add 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper; toss to coat. Season pasta to taste with salt and pepper and serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese alongside.

PENNE WITH GRILLED TOMATOES AND EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Spray both sides of eggplant slices and tomato halves with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill eggplant slices until brown and tender and tomato halves until charred, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes for eggplant slices and about 7 minutes for tomato halves. Cool.
• Cut eggplant into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Cut tomatoes into 1-inch pieces.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta. Return pasta to same pot.
• Add eggplant, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and garlic to pasta and toss to blend. Stir in grated cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead.)

PASTA WITH RADICCHIO SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove core and outer leaves of radicchio, and chop fine.
• In saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons butter, and saute radicchio unitl wilted. Add 2 ounces water and simmer for 2 minutes. Taste radicchio. If radicchio is no longer bitter, let it simmer until soft and water has evaporated. If it remains bitter, pour off excess water, add another 1/4 cup of water and simmer until it is soft and water evaporates. The double simmering should remove any bitterness.
• Reduce heat under radicchio to very low, add cream and cook until sauce is thick and reduced, about 10 to 20 minutes.
• While sauce is cooking, prepare the penne, linguini or other pasta. When ready, drain it and mix with sauce. Add Parmesan and 2 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

PENNE WITH RADICCHIO AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Quarter and core radicchio, then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wide strips. Set aside 2 cups of the cut up radicchio.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and salt generously (but not too generously as you will add some of this water to the radicchio). Add pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy skillet or wide saucepan and add garlic and red pepper flakes. As soon as it begins to sizzle and smell fragrant add radicchio, except for the 2 cups you set aside, and salt to taste. Stir together until radicchio has wilted, about 5 minutes.
• When pasta is just about ready, using a ladle transfer 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water to pan with radicchio. Add goat cheese and stir together. Stir in radicchio you set aside. Drain pasta and add to pan with cooked radicchio and goat cheese. Add chives, toss together, and serve at once.

PENNE WITH WILTED ARUGULA, RADICCHIO, AND SMOKED MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a 6-quart pot of well-salted boiling water until al dente.
• While pasta is boiling, whisk together oil, zest, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Then thinly slice radicchio, arugula, and basil and add to dressing.
• Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain pasta in a colander.
• Add hot pasta and reserved cooking water to greens and let stand 1 minute to wilt.
• Add mozzarella and lemon juice and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm.