Eggplant Pasta

I like Eggplant, and this recipe from The Washington Post for Bucatini in Chunky Eggplant Sauce was right up my alley. It makes an excellent Pasta Sauce. I love the sharp salty taste of the Pecorino Cheese.

Bucatini in Chunky Eggplant Sauce

Washington Post

In this dish from chef and Rustico Cooking school founder Micol Negrin, eggplant is sauteed until it collapses into a chunky puree, before being combined with tomatoes and herbs. The best eggplants for the job are the large, round, thin-skinned Sicilian eggplants, other lavender heirloom varieties, or long, slender Japanese or Chinese eggplants. If you use a darker-hued, thicker-skinned variety, consider removing the skin.

For a dairy-free option, substitute freshly toasted bread crumbs — tossed with a little oil and baked at 400 degrees until golden brown — for the cheese.

Make Ahead: If you won't be serving all the pasta right away, consider saucing as much as you need and saving some sauce for another meal. It will reheat well over low heat and can be used with fregola or even a whole grain like sorghum. The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Ingredients 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

One 12-ounce eggplant (unpeeled), cut into 1/4-inch by 1/4-inch by 3-inch strips

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more as needed

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

1 pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced (see NOTE)

1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano, or more as needed

12 basil leaves, torn

1 pound dried bucatini (or substitute penne rigate, rigatoni or orecchiette)

1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

Directions

Heat the oil in a wide, deep-sided saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, 30 seconds, then add the eggplant, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Partially cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring often, or until soft, allowing the liquid from the lid to drip into the eggplant if it seems dry.

Use a fork to crush the eggplant in the pan to a chunky consistency, then add the tomatoes and the teaspoon of fresh oregano. Increase the heat to medium; cook uncovered for 10 to 20 minutes, until the sauce is thick (the cooking time will depend on how juicy your tomatoes are). Stir in the basil and keep the sauce warm.

Meanwhile, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the bucatini and the remaining 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook according to the package directions (al dente), about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. 

Add the drained pasta to the sauce in the pan, and add just enough of the reserved pasta cooking water to create a sauce that coats the bucatini. Taste, and add more salt and/or pepper and oregano, as needed.

Serve hot, dusted with the cheese.

NOTE: To peel the tomatoes, use a sharp knife to score a large X on the bottom of each one. Drop into a bowl of just-boiled water and let sit for a few minutes, until you see the peel curling back from the edges of the X. Drain and let cool, then peel and discard the loosened skin.

Mark's Shrimp Salad

Simultaneously Cathy and I both decided we wanted to make Mark Peel's Shrimp Louie Salad. It has absolutely the best Russian Dressing, ever. We purchased the Shrimps at McCall's Meat and Fish. Cathy first lightly boiled the Shrimps in Fish Stock, then we chilled them. Later I peeled them for the salad. We served Hot Crusty Bread with the salad. You can find the recipe for the Shrimp Louie on our blog of: Aug 19, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe. The recipe for the Russian Dressing is on our blog of: July 4, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

Steak!

Beautiful Steaks!

Steaks marinating in Fennel Rub

Cathy and I were planning a Steak Dinner, Guillermo called and said he was in town. We invited him and Charlie a friend to join us. Scott texted us that he had returned from Taipei, so we also invited him. We started with Margaritas and Wine on the front patio. We purchased 2 Rib Eye Steaks and a Porterhouse Steak from McCall's. We definitely had a lot of meat! We use a Dry Rub on the steak. You can get the recipe of this Rub on our blog of: March 20, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe. The recipe is from the Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali. I love the taste of the Porcini Powder on the Steaks. 

For a first course we had a Nectarine and Speck Salad.
In addition to the Steaks, Cathy made Creamed Summer Corn from a recipe in The Ad Hoc at Home Cookbook. We also made Smash Roasted Marble Potatoes from the same cookbook. Two excellent recipes.
It was a warm summer night and we enjoyed our company and food.

Smash Roasted Marble Potatoes

Ad Hoc at Home

2-1/4 pounds marble potatoes, washed and dried

About 1/4 cup canola oil

4 thyme sprigs, plus a few sprigs for garnish

Kosher salt

4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter

8 cloves Garlic or to taste

2 tablespoons minced chives

Fleur de sel

I like the very small marble potatoes, especially when we can find them in a variety of colors. We toss them with salt, olive oil, garlic, and herbs and roast them until they're tender. Sometimes we serve them whole; sometimes we smash them lightly with a fork and finish them with some garlic confit, butter, and chives.

And sometimes we crush them gently and brown them in hot oil. When looking for little potatoes, remember that the smallest potatoes tend to fall to the bottom of the bin, so reach down there and pick out ones similar in size.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Toss the potatoes with oil to coat, the thyme, and salt to taste in a large bowl.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large ovenproof frying pan. Spread the potatoes in the pan. transfer to the oven, and roast for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the size, until the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife.

Drain the potatoes, discard the thyme sprigs and garlic, and transfer the hot potatoes to a bowl. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the garlic confit. and chives and. using the back of a fork, smash the potatoes to combine them with the other ingredients. Serve garnished with thyme sprigs and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.

CRISPED ROASTED MARBLE POTATOES

Omit the garlic confit and chives. You will need a little more canola oil. When tossing the uncooked potatoes. toss with 12 unpeeled garlic cloves.

After the potatoes have cooked, discard the 4 thyme springs and allow the potatoes to cool enough to handle. One at a time, place each potato on a board and crush the potato lightly (with the heel of your hand or a meat mallet): the sides should split, but try to keep the potato whole.

Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the potatoes and garlic cloves and sauté. turning to brown both sides. Remove any excess oil in the pan. then swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to glaze the potatoes. Serve garnished with thyme sprigs and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.

Creamed Summer Corn

Ad-Hoc at Home

6         ears supersweet white or yellow com, shucked 1 large lime

3         tablespoons unsalted butter

Kosher salt

3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream

1/8      teaspoon cayenne

1-1/2  tablespoons finely chopped chives

With a sharp chef's knife, cut vertically down each ear of corn to slice off the kernels. Put the kernels in a large bowl, then hold each cob over the bow] and use a spoon or the back of a knife to scrape any remaining corn and the milk from the cob.

Grate the zest of the lime, preferably with a Microplane grater, set aside. Cut the lime in half.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the com. squeeze about 1 tablespoon lime juice, or to taste, over the corn. and season with salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until all the liquid has evaporated. concentrating the flavor, and the corn is beginning to sizzle. 15 to 17 minutes.

Stir in 3/4 cup cream, the cayenne, and lime zest. Continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes. until the cream is absorbed by the com. Add up to 1/4 cup more cream if desired for a creamier texture. Add salt to taste and stir in the chives.