Eggplant Tomato And Basil Sauce Recipes

FRESH BASIL PASTA WITH EGGPLANT AND TOMATO

Steps:

• Make the pasta: Whisk both flours, the basil, both cheeses and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, eggs and olive oil in a separate bowl, then pour into the flour mixture and stir with a fork until the dough comes together. Knead the dough on a floured surface with floured hands until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed so the dough is soft but not sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap; let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Cut the dough into quarters. Working with one piece at a time (keep the rest wrapped in plastic), roll the dough through a pasta machine on the thickest setting. Continue rolling the dough through progressively thinner settings, dusting with flour as needed, until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Using a knife, cut the sheet of dough into 4-by-1/4-inch noodles. Dust the noodles with more flour, then scatter on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. Cover the pasta with a kitchen towel and set aside until ready to cook or refrigerate up to 4 hours.
• Make the sauce: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the eggplant, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once or twice, until tender and browned, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the garlic is tender and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, then add 1 cup water to the empty can and add to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped basil and season with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it floats to the top and is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring, until coated, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, three-quarters of the eggplant, the mozzarella and 1/4 cup torn basil. Add the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen. Transfer to a large shallow bowl. Top with the remaining eggplant and 1/4 cup torn basil; sprinkle with pecorino.

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH MOZZARELLA, TOMATOES, AND BASIL

Steps:

• Prepare a barbecue (or preheat a broiler). Cut the eggplants into slices about 1/2-inch thick. Spread on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil on both sides. Set aside.
• Cut mozzarella in half crosswise, then slice each half about 1/4-inch thick to create half-moon shaped pieces. Slice tomatoes in the same manner. Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella decoratively around the edge of a large serving platter.
• Place eggplant slices on barbecue (or place on baking sheet in broiler) and cook, turning once, until nicely charred on each side; the eggplant should almost caramelize. Arrange the cooked eggplant down the center of the serving platter, surrounded by the tomatoes and mozzarella. Pluck about 12 large leaves from the basil bunch, stack them, roll them up like a cigar, then slice crosswise into thin shreds (?chiffonade?). Scatter the basil shreds over the vegetables and cheese, then drizzle balsamic vinegar and more olive oil over all. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and let stand until eggplant is at room temperature.

EGGPLANT, TOMATO AND BASIL ROLL-UPS

Steps:

• Trim the ends from the eggplant and slice lengthwise 1/8-inch thick.
• Place each eggplant slice on a lightly sprayed saute pan over medium low heat to slightly toast. The eggplant should be moist and pliable. Keep the saute pan warm.
• Slice the tomatoes 1/8-inch thick.
• Lay the eggplant slices flat and lay a tomato slice at the bottom and place a basil leaf on top of the tomato. Grind some fresh pepper over the basil/tomato. Combine the cheeses and sprinkle a teaspoon of the cheeses and a pinch of the chile on top of the basil leaf.
• Roll-up the eggplant/tomato lengthwise and place seam side down in the warmed saute pan. Repeat until all the eggplant are rolled up. Bring the heat up to medium and slightly sear the roll-ups. Turn to brown all sides.

GRILLED EGGPLANT STACKS WITH GOAT CHEESE, TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the eggplant into ½" thick rounds. Lightly season them with salt on both sides and let sit on a paper towel for 30 minutes to let water to come out of the eggplant.
• Brush or drizzle olive oil on top of each slice and grill them for 2 -3 minutes each side until cooked.
• Blend the basil leaves with 4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor or blender until smooth.
• Cut the tomatoes crosswise to 1/4" thick rounds.
• On an oiled baking pan or using parchment paper, arrange 4 eggplant rounds side by side. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of the basil-garlic mixture on top of each one, then generously sprinkle the cheese crumbs. Top each with tomato rings. Add another layer of eggplant, basil spread, cheese and tomato rounds and top with the rest of the crumbled feta. Make as many layers as you can. Usually, 1 large eggplant will make 4, 3 layer stacks.
• Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes until the tomatoes are wilted and the cheese is soft and melted.
• Enjoy!

BAKED EGGPLANT IN TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Trim the stem and bottom ends of each eggplant and, with a vegetable peeler, shave off ribbons of skin lengthwise, creating a zebra-striped pattern all around. Slice the eggplants crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Lightly salt the slices on both sides, using about a tablespoon in all, and layer them in the colander, set in a bowl or the sink. Invert a dinner plate over the piled slices, and weight it with cans or other heavy objects, to press out the vegetable liquid. Let the rounds drain for 30 minutes to an hour, then rinse them, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat to 400°.
• Put the tomato sauce in a bowl, and stir in the olives, sliced peperoncini, capers, and basil. Spread about 1/2 cup of the sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. Lay in half the eggplant slices in a single layer, overlapping a bit if necessary. Drop spoonfuls of tomato sauce, another 1/2 cup total, on top of the eggplant layer, and sprinkle over it half the grated cheese. Lay in the remaining eggplant rounds in an even layer, spoon and spread the remaining sauce over them, and scatter the rest of the cheese all over the top.
• Tent the baking dish with a sheet of heavy aluminum foil, arching it so it doesn't touch the crumb topping, and pressing it against the sides. Set the dish on the baking sheet, place in the oven, and bake for 45 minutes, until the juices are bubbling actively. Remove the foil, and continue baking for another 15 minutes or so, until the cheese topping is golden brown and the eggplant is caramelized on the edges yet tender and easily pierced with the tip of a knife.
• Let the eggplant rest for 20 minutes (to absorb the sauce). Cut portions with a knife, and lift them out with a wide spatula into warm shallow bowls.

EGGPLANT TOMATO AND BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan over medium to high heat and add a splash of olive oil. Cook the anchovies, onion, capsicum, eggplant and garlic for 5-10 minutes stirring often, until soft and fragrant. If needed add a little extra drizzle of oil.
• Add tomatoes and white wine to pan and cover. Simmer over medium to low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and stir through basil and olives and salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve over some pasta of choice with some freshly grated parmesan if desired.