Eggplant And Wild Mushroom Pasta With Ricotta Salata Recipes

EGGPLANT, PASTA AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling water add the tomatoes that you will have gently scored a X on the bottom and a fine line all around the middle. Blanch for a couple of minutes until you will see the skin pulling away from the tomato meat. Drain and rinse under cold water. Remove the skin and pass the tomatoes thru a food mill or crush with a potato masher. Set aside.
• In a large skillet over medium heat add the olive oil and cook the finely chopped onion until they become translucent.
• Add the eggplant to the onion and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato and some water (1/4 cup) to continue the cooking process. Season lightly with salt, very little.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packaging instruction and drain 2 minutes prior to being al dente. Reserve cooking water.
• Add the pasta to the eggplant tomato sauce and coat well with the sauce Add some of the cooking water if too dry.
• Serve the pasta into a bowl and sprinkle a generous amount of ricotta salata over it.

CREAMY MUSHROOM, EGGPLANT, AND SALAMI BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of the tomatoes, the oregano and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.
• While the sauce simmers, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the eggplant and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6 minutes; transfer to the bowl with eggplant.
• Cook the shells in the water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the eggplant and mushrooms.
• Add the tomato sauce, salami, half the Asiago and half of the Parmesan to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and top with the remaining Asiago and Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

EGGPLANT AND WILD MUSHROOM PASTA WITH RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Combine the porcinis and chicken stock in a small pot and bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat to lowest setting and let the mushrooms soften and steep for 10 to 15 minutes, until very tender.
• Place a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. When it boils, salt the water to season it. Cut a small x into the bottom of the tomatoes and plunge them into the boiling pasta water for 30 seconds, then remove to a cutting board to cool. Add the cavatappi to the water and cook to al dente, or with a bite to it.
• While the porcinis and pasta cook, trim half of the skin from the eggplant.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the eggplant into 1- by 1/2-inch bite-size pieces. Add the EVOO to the pan, followed by the garlic and eggplant. Turn and toss the eggplant and season it with salt and pepper. Let it brown lightly at edges, about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and continue to cook.
• Pull the skins off the cooled tomatoes and cut them in half. Seed the tomatoes by gently squeezing them over the sink or a garbage bowl. Dice the tomatoes and add them to the cooking eggplant. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Remove the tender porcinis from the cooking broth and coarsely chop them. Add the broth and chopped mushrooms to the eggplant and tomatoes. Drain the pasta well and add the hot pasta to the pan. Toss to combine and coat and give the pasta a minute to soak in some juice. Add the ricotta salata and the basil; turn to wilt the basil, check the seasoning one last time, and serve.
• Options
• If your market has no ricotta salata (ricotta cheese that's been dried out a little), then use the same amount of feta but go easy on the salt you use in your preparation until your final adjustment because feta is saltier than ricotta salata. Tangy young goat cheese is an option, too. If you use goat cheese, toss and serve the dish without adding the goat cheese directly to the pan. Instead, garnish the individual plates with some crumbles, 2 ounces per portion. Goat cheese is too delicate to mix in as you would the feta or ricotta salata.

EGGPLANT CAPONATA PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the raisins, sugar, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 cup water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and let cook about 2 minutes, then cover and set aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium-high. Stir in half the eggplant to coat evenly in the oil, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned in spots, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. (Eggplant should brown and tenderize but still maintain its shape.) Heat another 1/4 cup oil, then add remaining eggplant; season and repeat.
• While the eggplant cooks, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta. (You might not use all the pasta water.)
• Add another 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the shallot, pine nuts, capers, garlic and red-pepper flakes, stirring frequently, until the shallot is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the eggplant, along with the sliced basil and vinegar.
• Strain the soaked raisins, discarding the soaking liquid, then add the raisins to the eggplant mixture and toss to coat. Season generously with salt and pepper. The mixture should taste quite aggressively salty and tangy, but it will mellow when tossed with pasta and ricotta. (Eggplant mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
• Add eggplant mixture, pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to the pot. Toss to coat over medium heat until eggplant is warmed, adding extra pasta water if necessary. Divide among shallow bowls, top with ricotta and additional torn basil and serve immediately. Pass with additional olive oil for drizzling, if desired.

PASTA WITH ROASTED EGGPLANT SAUCE AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 425°F. Place a large pot of water on to boil.
• Place the eggplant on a cookie sheet. Pour about 1/2 cup EVOO into a dish. Brush the eggplant lightly with the EVOO. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Add the garlic to the cookie sheet and dab it with EVOO as well. Roast for 20 minutes or until both the garlic and the eggplant are tender.
• When the water comes to a boil, salt it liberally and add the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente, with a bite to it.
• Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of EVOO and the onions and cook for 5 minutes. Place the cooked eggplant and the garlic in a food processor and process it into a smooth paste. Add the eggplant paste to the cooked onions then stir in the crushed tomatoes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Toss with the drained hot pasta and the shredded or torn basil. Top the pasta with lots of crumbled ricotta salata.

MUSHROOM PASTA WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Add mushrooms; season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1 tablespoon butter.
• Add mushroom mixture, ricotta, and lemon juice to pasta; stir to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce. Serve topped with Parmesan.

EGGPLANT BAKED WITH TOMATOES AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Use a little of the oil to brush the bottom of an oblong baking dish, like a lasagna pan, 9 by 13 inches. Snip off any stems from the eggplants but keep the leaves on. Quarter the eggplants vertically and place them skin side down in the baking dish. Brush the cut sides with oil, about a tablespoon. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, but keep oven on. Place the eggplant quarters on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut away the flesh, quite close to the skin. Dice the flesh, then chop it fine, by hand or in a food processor. But don't let it become a purée.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the ham and sauté on medium until it barely starts to brown. Add the garlic and oregano, sauté another 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Cook on medium-high until any juices from the tomatoes begin to reduce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant. Season with salt, black pepper and Espelette. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon of the remaining oil.
• Top the eggplant skins with this mixture, mounding it up a bit. Return eggplants to the baking dish. Top each with the cheese and drizzle with remaining oil. Bake 20 minutes, until eggplants start to sizzle and cheese has softened - it won't melt. Serve at once or let cool and serve at room temperature.