Orecchiete Wiith Marinated Eggplant Burrata Chiles Recipes

ORECCHIETE WIITH MARINATED EGGPLANT, BURRATA & CHILES

Steps:

• Light a grill or preheat a grill pan.
• Brush the cut sides of the halved eggplants with olive oil and season with salt; grill the eggplants cut side down over moderate heat until lightly charred, about 4 minutes.
• Turn and continue grilling until just browned and cooked through, about 2 minutes longer.
• Let cool; dice the eggplants and transfer to a bowl.
• Pour the vinegar over the eggplant and toss well.
• In a small saucepan, combine the 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the garlic, marjoram sprigs, crushed red pepper and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
• Bring the oil to a simmer, then pour it over the eggplant and toss; let stand for 1 hour.
• Discard the marjoram sprigs.
• In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the orecchiette until al dente.
• Drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.
• Add the eggplant to the pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring lightly, until hot, about 30 seconds.
• Add the orecchiette and the reserved cooking water and cook, tossing, for about 30 seconds.
• Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pecorino and parsley.
• Spoon the pasta into bowls.
• Dot the pasta with the creamy burrata filling.
• Garnish with the lemon zest, chile strips and marjoram leaves and serve.
• WINE:*.
• Rich, spicy dishes like this pasta will overwhelm reds that don't have equally robust flavors. A good place to find these kinds of reds is Italy's central Abruzzo region, which produces lush, berry-packed wines from the Montepulciano grape. Try the peppery 2007 Nicodemi Notari Montepulciano d'Abruzzo or the smooth 2006 Valle Reale Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.