Eggplant and Feta With Fusilli
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Nonstick pan spray
- 1½pounds eggplant
- 8ounces whole onion or 7 ounces chopped, cut onion (1½ cups)
- 2teaspoons olive oil
- 2large cloves garlic
- 2medium-large ripe tomatoes
- 1tablespoon tomato paste
- 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 or 2sprigs oregano to yield 2 teaspoons chopped
- Fresh thyme sprigs, enough to yield 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- 8oil-cured olives like Moroccan or Italian
- 8ounces short pasta like fusilli or penne (fresh, if possible)
- ⅛teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 or 2sprigs parsley to yield 2 tablespoons chopped
- 3tablespoons feta cheese
- 2slices crusty country bread
Preparation
- Step 1
Turn on broiler. Bring water to boil for pasta in covered pot.
- Step 2
Wash and trim the eggplant (do not peel) and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices. Cover broiler pan with aluminum foil and arrange slices on pan. Spray tops of eggplant with pan spray, and broil 2 or 3 inches from source of heat until tops are brown.
- Step 3
Chop all the onion. Heat a nonstick pan large enough to hold all the sauce ingredients until it is very hot. Reduce heat to medium high, and add oil. Saute the onion until it begins to soften and brown.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, mince the garlic; chop the tomatoes. Check the eggplant: if it is browned, turn, spray with nonstick spray and continue to broil. It takes about 10 minutes broiling time to cook the eggplant.
- Step 5
Add the garlic to the onions when they have softened, and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and vinegar; reduce heat to low and continue cooking.
- Step 6
Chop the oregano and thyme, and add to the sauce as it cooks.
- Step 7
Cook the pasta.
- Step 8
When the eggplant is ready, cut it into small chunks (about 1 inch) and stir into the sauce.
- Step 9
Pit the olives, and chop and add to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 10
Wash and chop the parsley.
- Step 11
When the pasta is cooked, drain and stir in the sauce. Stir in the cheese and parsley, and serve with the bread.
Private Notes
Comments
Browned eggplant for 10 min on each side - nice browning before dicing I added can of chickpeas and 1tbs capers along with the tomatoes and garlic. Increased garlic to 4 cloves and feta to 1/2 c. Served on millet rather than pasta. Added a lemon’s zest and juice to finish it off. Parsley was nice finish note too.
Great recipe! The addition of balsamic vinegar lends an interesting nuanced taste. I will make it again, and possibly add more feta. But it definitely serves more than 2!
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